As materials needed to be used for the war efforts, and trading for silk with Japan was no longer an option, designers and consumers of fashion needed a new way to make clothes. Enter in: synthetic fabrics. Additionally, as women began to travel more in cars and on bikes, new clothes had to make way for this change. Split skirts were skirts that would be more practical for travelling, and could be easily changed out of in favor of work clothes.
The US didn't have to ration and change fashion as drastically as Britain did, but changes did have to be made. Regulations were made in the production of fashion to conserve fabric. Shirts couldn't have hoods or more than one pocket for women. Skirts couldn't be reversible or lined, and waistbands were made smaller to conserve more fabric. Even the number of buttons on dress sleeves were regulated: cuffs on dresses could only have 2 buttons and 2 button holes. Civilians could get 3 pairs of leather shoes per year. Because leather was rationed, new kinds of shoes were created that would avoid using leather. The wedge shoe was created, which used cork for a heel instead of covering it with leather. As nylon needed to be used for parachutes, women drew lines up their legs to look like the seams of stockings, and people applied leg makeup so it would look like they wore tights or stockings. Trousers gained popularity, as women wouldn't have to wear stockings with them.
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Brooke, I thought your blog post was clear and concise in explaining how fashion changed during WWII. One example of a clothing item that was popularized during the war was the siren suit, which was an early form a onesie. It was popularized due to it's ability to be pulled on easily in case of an air raid, and it sold well in Europe, especially in the UK. Another item that was popular was a specially-designed handbag which could store gas masks in a fashionable way, which allowed women to carry their masks with them. Clothing really changed during WWII as rations made certain fabrics unavailable to civilians, and in response, people started getting crafty about obtaining and even making their own clothing.
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Nice job on this post! I think it's interesting that times of war can change several aspects of people's lives in surprising ways. I think it's really cool that the war encouraged women to wear pants instead of dresses, which is certainly a lot more practical. In addition to fashion, rationing during WWII changed people's perceptions of food. People were strongly encouraged not to waste their food, and food storage became a lot more common. Americans were encouraged to stock food and supplies in order to be prepared for any sort of emergency. While it seems like food and fashion might be completely unrelated to war, there were definitely strong effects on all aspects of American life.
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