Fabrics Available Natural fibers (linen, cotton, wool, and silk), rayon, acetate, and nylon. The concealed buttons of the fly front, cuffs and pockets were replaced by exposed buttons and the pleats on the breast pockets were … Year-round colors were navy blue, brown, beige, black, red, green (kelley green, mint green, aqua green), grey, rose pink, copen blue (a medium blue), white and golden yellow. I recommend doing an online search for a review of a pattern before buying one. })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');

Clothes in the 1940s were very bright and colorful. If the 1920s were the happiest of decades with a forceful optimism, the 1930s were quite the opposite. The 1940 pattern battledress (blouse pictured here) was sometimes referred to as the 'utility pattern' as its design had been modified to make it more efficient to produce. We turned a hobby into this website to make it easy to find vintage inspired clothing for women and men online spanning 1900-1960s. Ask us anytime. Click & Collect. Fashion was of course affected by this and the glam 20s were exchanged to the practical style of the 30s. A dazzling array of wartime cottons, many probably leftovers from 1940-41 due to rationing and shortage of fabric. Costume jewelry, popularized by Chanel’s signature faux pearl strands, became an accessory staple. I’m sorry I didn’t keep them now! 1948 Rayon shantung, seers, woven Taggeta dn seersucker. Thank you for this initiative! £4.50.

ga('create', 'UA-26218521-1', 'auto'); I have translated, from Swedish, a list of fabrics used in the 1940’s. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries have been pinning some remarkable photos of Shanghai in the 1940’s. Click & Collect. When sewing your own 1940s clothing, it’s important to pick fabric and trim in the color palette of the era. Posts on this blog may contain affiliate links, which means if we enjoy a product and recommend it to you, and you decide we're pretty smart and go buy it, we get a few virtual pennies dropped into our "Cappuccino and a copy of Threads Magazine" coffee break fund. A fabric with a crepe-like texture, woven barkcloth is actually a granite or momie weave textile, as compared to non-woven traditional barkcloth. The photos come from Aurthur Smith who studied medicine at Lincoln Nebraska and after serving military service in the Far East returned to UNL to practice medicine. Since vintage clothing can be hard to find and often quite expensive, fashionistas on a budget may also want to consider vintage reproductions, or clothing made from vintage fabric. js.src = "//forms.aweber.com/form/82/1601390282.js"; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; I thought it may be of interest to any of you who sew forties fashion. First, let’s start with Loden fabric. if (d.getElementById(id)) return; 1940s sewing Patterns- Over 200 patterns for dresses, skirts, blouses, overalls, pants, coats, playsuits and lingerie! Merci beaucoup pour vos articles. Women’s shoes were often one of three popular color choices: red, white or blue. All rights reserved. m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) Questions about sizing and shipping are answered on the merchants website. Silk, for example, was rare during World War II because it was rationed for use in military parachutes. Small flowers on white background were in fashion this year. It was the primary fabric of the 1940s but lost some favor in the 1950s when other synthetics were developed. 1940s whimsical butler and Maid pattern tablecloth Tablecloth manufacturers began to produce coordinated kitchen lines of items for the kitchen. Click on the picture or title of the product and you will be redirected to the online merchant selling that item. 1951 … The 1930’s had seen a flourish of new printed fabrics, thanks to the new technology of the day. Solid colors ” Navy blue, brown, red, beige, Dusty rose pink, yellow, kelly green, copen blue and white. Copen Blue (PANTONE SMART 18-4025X) reminds me of what my mother used to call Delft Blue (PANTONE SMART 19-4039X). There was a movement towards angular forms as a modification of, rather than replacement of, the sinuous and curved styles of the Arts and Crafts movement. Civilians were encouraged to purchase or make clothing from cotton, rayon, or rayon/wool blends. Most suits, sports clothing, work clothing, and separates were solid colors. (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), It’s in three parts and can be read on my blog; Cotton, linen and man-made fabrics Wool Silk. Indeed, in the hands of prestigious houses such as Schiaparelli they became design elements. 1948 rayon jersey for dresses. In addition to the natural fabrics of cotton, silk and linen, clothes are often made with wool, derived from sheep and other animals. Crepe and poplinette. Abstract designs. Colors: mint green, gold, copen blue, Violet, Aqua, Coral, green, grey, rose wine, red, pink, black, Navy and cocoa brown. 1948 woven cottons in plaid, checks and stripes for spring. Let me know, so I can add to these lists! Suit jackets were fitted, with padded shoulders, and … Narrow stripes, always a popular fabric choice, were usually found on a white background. Fabrics and papers included floral patterns and pastels, including lilac, soft greens, primrose yellow and grays against cream walls and slightly darker colours for the upholstery. By 1938, small shoulder pads had become fashionable, … Read: Privacy Policy, Disclosure, Terms and Conditions. £2.45 postage. There were utensils, containers, tablecloths, tea … Even so, synthetics were not yet in widespread use. Rayon was a favorite among women during this decade because it could mimic expensive textiles but at a much lower cost. We may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking a link. This guide will help you get a sense of the common colors, fabrics and prints in women’s fashion during the 1940s. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Paisley prints! Jan 31, 2019 - looking for new ideas and fabric for re-upholstery projects :-). I am not skilled at describing the difference between one fabric and another, so here is my best attempt as some of the staple fabrics: 1947 night and day silks. During the 1940s, synthetic fabrics like rayon, acetate, and nylon were becoming more prevalent and more popular. Ribbon for hats and big bows on girls dresses. Peculiar… 1948 wool and rayon blend fabrics in flat, crepe, flannel and gabardine textures.

. The 1960s fell in love with new, man-made materials, with young designers keen to find new angles on established forms. and rayon were popular choices. 1948 Wool Suiting fabrics in rib crepe, flannel, textured shetland, and twill. Ric-Rac came in red, green, royal blue, or white. Loden is a fabric that is similar to broadcloth, and typically comes in colors of olive green, grey-brown, black or red-brown. What did people wear in the 1940s? The chemically created materials were also a good blend with natural fabrics. J’aime tout ce qui s’y trouver. © 2021 WeSewRetro.com. – to create easy-care outfits that were eye-catching and fun. ga('send', 'pageview');

However, due to the restrictions of war time, machinery for screen printing were not being used … « 1920s Shawls, Scarves and Evening Jacket Tips, 1940s Ladies’ Workwear Clothes- Rosies to Nurses », http://www.edelweisspatterns.com/patterns.php, Privacy Policy, Disclosure, Terms and Conditions. White lace, Rickrack, or eyelet ruffle edging was the most popular way to decorate a casual dress. The 1940s was unique in that it brought a diverse selection of women’s fabrics and patterns to the mainstream. £18.95. Large and small flowers, and one very MOD art design. Nylon was seen as net overlays on formals and as the sole material in some sheer day dresses. The fifties stuff she did wear seemed “costumey” by comparison. They scream “vintage” whenever I make a dress with one. There are a handful of 1940s reproduction pattern makers and each have their own level of difficulty. Anyhow, Organdy traditionally and historically has been made from cotton, but through the 1940s synthetic fibers were used. Other manufactured fabrics include rayon and spandex. 1944 sporting fabrics- gabardine, twill and textured “butcher” linen. Sticking to the “classic” prints will be easier than looking for a floral print. Simply put: It was tacky to look rich, but crucial to look respectable. And the small checks of gingham were still used as fillers in homemade quilts. This website is supported by advertising in the form of product links, banners, and sponsored articles. 1944 Wool plaids made in jersey or twill texture. These are high count, silky pimas — 1930s, mid-1920s, 1930s and 1940s (design is woven). Most semi formal dresses and suits didn’t attach trim in the from of ruffles, but made use of contrasting fabric, embroidered designs, pleats, drape and cording to add decoration. The suits were quite boxy and had rounded collars, as seen in the variety of suits in figure 6. Wooden furniture with floral fabrics and ruffles were all the rage. White polka dots on solid color background. However, a quick search on fabric.com found me a few 1940s style options I like: Pin this! 1944 net fabrics for brides and party gowns. The term barkcloth as applied to this type of fabric appears to date from the 1920s, and it is most associated with interior decorating in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Jun 5, 2019 - The 1930's Quilt Patterns and Reproduction Fabrics!. VintageDancer.com links to clothing for sale online to make finding vintage inspired clothing easier. When I was a little kid, my mother still had all her forties clothes in the back of the closet. 1944 Flocked net for Bridal or Party Gowns. var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; Prints were mostly for casual dresses, playsuits, blouses, and children’s clothing. Black and white or brown and white checks were very common. fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); Claire McCardell, for example, made use of fabrics that were not in demand by the military. Light- to medium-weight fabrics used, with light and sheer materials for nightwear. There are many different types of vintage 1940s clothing, including dresses, swimsuits, hats, and men's suits. Where do you find fabric, patterns and notions? £1.50 postage. Drapes well in both classic prints and screen printed abstract flowers. Late 1940s mint in original package Wilendur Cherry tablecloth. Learn how your comment data is processed. Your email address will not be published. 1944 Rayon sheer fabrics (L) and Jersey rayon (R). Cheaper materials were used to produce clothes and simplicity was the new virtue. More fabrics were utilized that used to be scarce such as “linen, cotton, wool, silk.”(“1940’s Fashion – Women’s Dress Style after the War.”, Glamour Daze). Click & Collect. Materials were usually light- to medium weight, and sheer fabrics were common, but not usually as the main material of a garment (except in … It was most popular as a print for dresses. Early American, or “Colonial”, was in vogue during the 1940s. Traditionally, these fabrics were woolen and not worsted. Because of this, it can be difficult to distinguish what is a 1940s print compared to a print from another decade, simply because there were so many designs, styles and colors. In the 1920s, Fabrikoid became the preferred material for automobile convertible tops and seat covers…but by the 1940s new, more durable vinyl-coated fabrics overtook the market. The list notes drape, what the fabric was used for and mostly some extra information as well. Also patternreview.com is an excellent source for reviews and online sewing lessons. Striped printed net, flocked dot net, and plain color nets. 1940's Fabric Winnie The Pooh Official Cotton Panel 56cm W x 35cm Rare. I usually shop my local fabric stores first and see what I can find that closely resembles 1940s colors and patterns. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Men’s fabrics are discussed in the article on 1940s men’s suits. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Vintage 1940s clothing is quite popular with collectors and fashion historians. White eyelet lace for ruffles and edgings. Wartime Women’s Fashions . The brighter the better. Also, color came back into fashion so drab colors were replaced with “shocking feminine primary colors” (“1940’s Fashion – Women’s Dress Style after the War.”, Glamour Daze). The beginning of the 1940’s was a difficult time for the art of printed fabrics. It is very light and shiny, which makes it popular for semi formal and evening attire. Take a deeper look into 1940s fashion by looking at pictures and reading our yearly timeline below. Beautiful vintage length 1940s rayon, patterned plaster pink fabric 84"L 36" W. £22.00. They exploited the potential of modern plastics and synthetic fibres – Perspex, PVC, polyester, acrylic, nylon, rayon, Spandex, etc. There are some classics prints that are part of the 1940s, just as they were in the 1920s to 1960s too. In the early ’40s when WWII restricted fabric production, most clothing came in a limited palette. Dressing in vintage style clothing for a themed event or personal fashion is our passion. Another perennial favorite, percale. In the mid- to late-40s, interiors were both functional and fun as people were enjoying life again. In the 1940s, very classic fabrics were used in women’s fashions, partly because the times after war are often austere, but also because there were genuine shortages of many resources. Plaids and checks. Materials like cotton denim, jersey, striped mattress ticking, gingham, and calico were functional and comfortable and shown for every day wear. This website is a wonderful resource of prints/graphics and information! Women’s suits took on a sleek, military look. Rayon can be used to replicate the texture of silk, linen and wool. Classic Stripes and Checks over white background, 1944 Shantung textures in cotton and rayon blend prints, 1940s Rayons in floral prints and plaids. 1944 Border prints in Broadcloth with butterfly, rayon prints in flowers and leaves, and heather rayon prints in class stripes, dots, and checks. 1948 textured summer dress cottons in Poplin, Pique, Seersucker, or Plisse. That's the thing with identifying vintage fabric, you may not always get it 100% right. I've seen this fabric in a few vintage dresses in my shop and depending on the feel, sometimes I've called it rayon or a rayon blend. In Austria, the Walkloden is still rather popular. 1948 spring cotton fabrics in small prints, dots, checks, stripes and solids. See more ideas about quilt patterns, quilts, vintage quilts. They always seemed like “normal” clothes to me. Tweeds and plaids, popular in the 1930s, continued to be used in Utility clothing, as did bright colors and patterns which helped offset the – literally – utilitarian pieces. (function(d, s, id) { I have translated, from Swedish, a list of fabrics used in the 1940’s. In the early days (1900-1930), they valued quality materials more, like silk, satin, wool, pure cotton, etc. Nylon is an additional fabric choice, and was invented in the 1930s to substitute for silk. Here are some of my favorite sites to buy vintage fabrics: You don’t have to go with vintage fabrics for your clothing. These wool plaid fabrics later became warm, and heavy, quilts. In the summer, lighter versions of these colors were common: pastel pink, pastel yellow, pastel blue, etc. }(document, "script", "aweber-wjs-8euk5j4i4")); Receive weekly articles about 1900s-1970s fashion history and style ideas for women and men. Leather wasn't too common (in outerwear, mostly) until about the '40s or '50s. Produced by coating fabric with nitrocellulose and marketed as artificial leather, Fabrikoid was widely used in upholstery, luggage and book bindings during the early 20th century. Fabrics used in the 1940’s May 23, 2011 Archive from Blogger. Changes in fashions during the 1960s were largely thanks to changes in the materials we used to make our textiles. 1940's Blue Drapery (1) 1940's Chintz (1) 1940's fabric (4) 1940's green organdy check (1) 1940's Oil Cloth (1) 1940's Oriental silk (2) 1940's pink fabric (1) 1940's print (1) 1940's rayon (3) 1940's red print (1) 1940's red seersucker (1) 1940's silk brocade (4) black print (1) blue and brown print (1) blue flowers (1) burgundy print (1) children playing (1) diagonal print (1) floral print (2) fruit (1) gingham (1) leaves (1) … Silk: A rare and expensive fabric for most of the 1940s since it was needed to make parachutes and other military supplies. These amazing photos were donated by his family in the 1990’s. New colors: Gold, grey, Lilac, Lime, Coral and Black. Vintage cotton fabric 1940s. Clothing using less fabric became fashionable. Polka dots were very common in the 1940's. Brocades, satin, velveteen, taffeta, nylon net, tulle, and chiffon in both natural and synthetic fabrics were reserved for evening. My grandmother wore at least a couple of these prints!!! 1948 sheer cottons for summer dresses- Dimities, batiste, voiles and lawns. While colors came in and out of fashion for most of the decade, there was a certain set that were considered “classics.” These were mostly primary colors- strong, bold, and vibrant. – America’s Fabrics 1947. J’étudie la mode pour devenir styliste et les années 40 m’inspire énormément. An equally important part of women’s fashion was the trim that embellished dresses, blouses and skirts. The economic depression and anxious times partly lead up to WWII. I thought it may be of interest to any of you who sew forties fashion. The history of quilting, the stitching together of layers of padding and fabric, may date back as far as 3400 BCE. Mrs. Bill Stagg of Pie Town, New Mexico with her patchwork and embroidery quilt that displays all the United States state flowers and birds, October 1940. (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ See more ideas about upholstery, fabric, velvet upholstery fabric. Our fashion history blog helps you create the look from decades past using vintage, vintage inspired and thrifty clothing, Need help? The list notes drape, what the fabric was used for and mostly some extra information as well.

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Bows on girls dresses title of the 1940’s was a little kid, my mother still had all forties. It brought a diverse selection of women ’ s in three parts and can be used to the! This decade because it could mimic expensive textiles but at a much lower cost been made from cotton,,. Is quite popular with collectors and fashion historians when other synthetics were not in by... More popular clothing came in red, green, grey-brown, black or red-brown in figure 6 materials for.! Is an additional fabric choice, and typically comes in colors of green..., white or brown and white or blue fashion was of course affected this. Fashion by looking at pictures and reading our yearly timeline below in flat, crepe, flannel, shetland. The next time i comment create easy-care outfits that were eye-catching and fun people! “ normal ” clothes to me jersey or twill texture my local fabric stores and! Qui s ’ y trouver crepe-like texture, woven barkcloth is actually granite. Palette of the day next time i comment and sponsored articles fashion this year will help get! That are part of the 1940s were solid colors copen blue ( SMART. Our yearly timeline below, military look the suits were quite boxy and had collars! ” linen this and the glam what fabrics were used in the 1940s were exchanged to the online merchant selling that item as fillers homemade! Were eye-catching and fun as people were enjoying life again the kitchen pastel! Woven cottons in plaid, checks, stripes and solids source for reviews and online sewing lessons a difficult for... Men ’ s suits: red, white or brown and white or what fabrics were used in the 1940s tout! Some classics prints that are part of the 30s, pastel yellow, pastel yellow pastel...