For Everything an Exception

So. . . As anyone that does historical research knows, you'll think you know exactly how it is, only to find that you don't. I recently saw a photograph shared that made me "D'oh!" at my previous posts, therefore I had to share it.

Of course it's about shoes. . .

Scantily-clad member of the Windmill cast, Sonia Stacpoole, makes her way along a narrow corridor to the theatre air raid shelter clutching a tin-hat and a pillow... 21st January 1941
LOOK AT THOSE WIDE PEEP-TOE SHOES

Now I will say, I mentioned a modest toe was more in fashion because it revealed less of the foot and was therefore less scandalous. . . . this young woman is obviously not overly concerned with being scandalous. But I did want to correct my seemingly "no wide peep-toes" commentary about

Wearing History Pattern Giveaway by Vintage Dancer!

Vintage Dancer is a great website with a lot of wonderful resources, and right now they're having a giveaway! Wearing History Patterns does some spot-on vintage patterns from Victorian to 1940's, and this would be a great opportunity (if you were to win) to get a marvelous pattern to create a piece for your impression. In fact, I'd been meaning to do posts on both of these resources.

Enter the giveaway HERE!

Be sure to check out the 1930's pattern section, as well as the 1940's section for some great patterns or use for WWII impressions.

Also, see Vintage Dancer's invaluable section of 1940's research resources.

Special Post: Men's Civilian Attire (England)

     I do not envy men when it comes to wartime civilian attire. They certainly have a worse time of finding information, and tend to wear their clothes out (alas, far fewer original pieces can be found!). To that end, I will try to offer as much information as I can with what resources I have. As with any impression, finding original images and footage is the absolute best way to go about figuring out what to look for when recreating a look. Catalogues are also a good resource, and I will pull a few of those as example images.
     This post in particular will be directed to fashions for men in England during WWII. American fashions and English fashions for men differed quite significantly during the war. As the US wasn't affected by rationing, enlistment, and war work until much later than England, there were more carry-over styles from the 30's and restrictions on Brits during the War. You'll notice a lot of these images are of the Home Guard, which was made up of men who were aged out of enlisted service. These were some of the only men not usually in uniform! Even the Home Guard was eventually outfitted with standard issue uniforms later on in the war, so photos of men in civilian attire in England specifically are a bit scarce.

     I've recently (as in, today) acquired a WONDERFUL book on wartime style, "The 1940's Look" by Mike Brown which I may paraphrase and quote occasionally (he IS a Brit, and a man, so he has a very relevant perspective to this post!).

The Basics - Suits, Trousers, Waistcoats, Shirts, and Sweaters

      From a video from the Imperial War Museum about the 1940's house, which touches on fashions for men, "Most men would have had two work suits, a Sunday best suit (or for funerals and weddings), and a sports jacket and flannels for the weekend. In 1942, the Board of Trade announced that all men's jackets were to be single breasted from now on, and limited to three buttons. Turn-ups on trousers were banned completely, a move that was extremely unpopular (and questions were even asked in the House of Commons about it)." This seems to refer to NEW garments, so I suppose if you still had a double breasted jacket or trousers with turn-ups (cuffs), you would be taking good care of them to keep them around as long as possible before having to give in and buy a new suit. However,

"In the Field" with Me - Episode 1: A tale of two pair of ebay heels

     I thought I would begin putting some of my advice into practice and sharing my own "in the field" wardrobe hunting experiences with you. What better way to begin than with something I have already talked about at length? Shoes!

I am ever searching the web for items for my various impressions, so as I was perusing ebay recently I came across a couple of listings I found interesting and worth sharing.

Exhibit A: "VTG 40s 50s SUZI CHRISTI Pinup Leather Slingback PeepToe Boho Rockabilly 10.5B"

A typical result when searching "40's vintage heels."

Look pretty nice, eh? Leather, 40's, slingback, peep-toe. . . they even say pinup! BUT let's look a little more closely. . . 

It's the Most Wonderful Time. . .

My apologies for going so long with no posts! It does seem that after August things spiral into the insanely hectic up until sometime after the holiday season. Just wanted you all to know that I've not fallen off the face of the earth! I was working on a post on identifying good WWII style sweaters and realized that a lot of my tips applied to more than that, so I'm hoping to have some sort of garment identification tips post soon. TTFN, dearies!