The close of the 1930s had brought with it the start of World War II. As World War I had
in the 1910s, WWII had a profound impact on fashion in the first half of the 1940s, and even
after the war had ended. France, the United Kingdom, and the United States all had distinct
fashion stories during the first half of the 1940s due to the impact of the war. Before World War I
women's dress reflected who they were, their social status and their age. Upper class women
change their dress four times a day, from day wear to evening wear. Changing their wardrobe
took up a lot of time and labor due to the many layers of cloth and the corset underneath. Women
dress styles imitated the Paris fashion houses and often used imported Textiles.
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For the working class woman or young girl, sewing patterns
were available to purchase to make their own clothes. In the lapse of World War I in Europe the
fashion from Paris began to change and eventually the actual manufacture of dress and fabric
changed. In the beginning of the War in Europe, American women tried to support their allies in
France by continuing to buy Paris fashions. As the war continued the accessibility of these
French fashions and fabrics became more limited. People were advised to carry their gas masks
with them at all times. Usually they were issued in a cardboard box with a string threaded
through so it could be carried over the shoulder. Retailers were quick to spot a gap in the market
for a more attractive solution. Working women traded in their high-heeled shoes and silk pants
for khaki jackets and blue jeans. They also began wearing wraparound dresses with fewer
adornments and pinned their hair back to avoid getting it caught in the machinery. Women’s
clothing also needed to adapt to the rationing of certain materials for military purposes. Wool and
silk were in high demand for uniforms and parachutes; most civilians wore clothes made