Party Dresses 5

Wartime

Origin: This specific picture originated from a Vogue magazine in 1945. The overall style seen was in trend during the decade of 1940-1950. This style incorporated the shorter dress style, but the dresses got even shorter than before. Also, the dresses were more of a business style since the number of women in the work force increased. 

Purpose: This style incorporated the business look which was different. Also, this style had added the more angular shoulder style. The shoulders became more angular since women started wearing blazers more often. Also, the skirts were shorter than before. The blouses and dresses became a lot more simple, so not as many patterns. There was still the design of having waste cinches. 

Value: This piece was an expression of the decade because of the Wartime style it had. During half of this decade World War II was occurring. People had to conserve a lot of clothing material so they shortened the length of the skirts and limited the amount of material and work put into the blouses. Also, the war cause the overall style to become more business rather than fancy. This business style was also very similar to the mens clothing since it also incorporated very square shoulders. This was sort of another symbol of gender equality. 

Limitations: This does not show us how men dressed. It also cannot tell us the opinions of men during this change of style. It was likely that some didn't approve of this since this was allowing to seem equally especially within the workforce. This piece was mainstream since everyplace had to cut off on the amount of cloth used and making fancy styles.