American Fashion During World War II

American fashion was impacted during World War II due to rationing, the rise of New York, and style changes. When rationing first began and Americans were still adjusting to the new system, Time magazine stated, “The U.S. public has not yet learned that the best way to avoid rationing is to avoid overbuying in the first place” (Craig). Many laws were made in order to ration clothing and materials that were needed in war. One law that had a great impact on fashion was the Limitation Order. The Limitation Order was made in the spring of 1942 when the War Production Board and the Civilian Production Administration issued a series of rules for the garment industry that were identified by a number preceded by the letter L, for Limitation Order.

For example, a woman’s skirt could be no wider than 198 centimeters, sleeves could not measure more than thirty-six centimeters around, and belts had to be less than five centimeters wide. Ruffles, pleats, and extra pockets were also banned (Craig). Not only were the sizes of clothing limited, but colors were also very scarce. A reduction in the number of colors was required to conserve chemicals needed for wartime use. Dyes became so scarce that blacks, browns, and white replaced the brightly colored attire that was worn before the war (Craig). These restrictions meant that styles were very limited on what and how they could be designed

Therefore, the fashion press could not travel to the city as freely as before due to the huge instability and safety concerns (“From”). The rest of the world had always looked towards Paris to establish the trends that would spread and become popular. Important fashion houses such as Chanel, Jean Patou, Jeanne Lanvin, and Elsa Schiaparelli all maintained their headquarters in Paris. Most of the designers fled the country after France’s declaration of war in 1939. Others closed shop, and with the occupation in 1940, Paris designers were cut off from the rest of the world (Mason). With Paris being in isolation, the fashion world had a gap which New York City filled. This would be the first time a country other than France would be the driving force behind the fashion world (Mason). American designers were now forced to look inwards for inspiration, rather than looking to Paris. With nothing to base their designs on, designers began to experiment, forming a number of new styles and silhouettes