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,
this is true of all garments during the war, as clothes rationing began in 1941. Generally, as the war got on, less and less material was used in the production of all garments, so the tails on shirts got shorter, cuffs were out, suits with vests fell out of fashion, and knitwear got more piecemeal. I'm sure we're all familiar with the American "Zoot suit" gangster fad. There would be none of that in England. Zoot suits were an extravagant waste of material and considered "anti-patriotic" even in the States!

Please just. . . No.

     Good English clothing hasn't changed much in some ways from what it was then, and at the time men's fashions changed slowly. In suits, look for wool, serge, or tweed in classic colors (especially darker colors for better suits) such as black, dark blue, greys and browns. A rayon wool blend was also used, though staying away from other synthetics would be wise. Herringbone, check, overplaids, and pin or chalk stripes were all popular weave patterns of suits. A traditional suit would be three pieces, a jacket, vest, and trousers. Further reading has revealed that frequently when a new "Sunday best" suit was bought, your old Sunday best became your new work or everyday suit, which makes sense. As this happened every year or so, a gentleman may have several mis-matched suit pieces that made up his everyday attire. "Jackets, somewhat shorter in length than is fashionable today, overwhelmingly had wide, 'wing' lapels, with square cut, padded shoulders, and were markedly rounded at the bottom of the front." -Mike Brown, "The 1940's Look."

Montgomery Ward catalogue, 1938. via New Vintage Lady

Local Defence Volunteer (LDV) recruits learning rifle drill at Buckhurst Hill, Essex, 1 July 1940. Notice the mis-matched suits and a singular younger gentleman with a belt instead of suspenders. Most men still wore a full "suit" even when working or training. Photo credit: IWM, London

     However, you certainly don't NEED a full suit for a civilian impression. A very suitable look can be accomplished with some good trousers, a basic cotton men's dress shirt, and a jumper (sweater) or knitted waistcoat (sweater vest). Vests were frequently worn on their own without a jacket, as well as sweaters; sometimes both were worn together with the vest over the sweater. Cardigans (shawl collar or v-neck), pullover sweaters (especially high v-necks), sweater vests, and turtlenecks all work quite well for winter. Fair isle was especially popular during the war because it made use of spare bits of yarns from other projects. Almost all knitwear would have been hand-made, likely at home by your best gal. Wool was the most popular for knitwear, being the warmest, though cotton and blends containing mohair or silk could have also been used.

A fair isle sweater vest in colors and pattern very typical of the 1940's.

     Trousers (in England, the term "pants" means your "under"pants!), were generally higher waisted, wide in the leg, and were worn with suspenders ("braces" to the brits. . . "suspenders" means a garter belt!). Suspenders had button tabs rather than clips, though if worn with a vest or sweater, it shouldn't be noticeable if you use the clip kind (or if you're even wearing them at all). Usually, trousers were flat front, or had a single pleat. They also buttoned in the fly, as zippers had been around but men were understandably wary of their use in trousers. Not that anyone will likely be examining your fly!

Local Defence Volunteers: 'Old Contemptibles' in the Local Defence Volunteers lined up for inspection. None of the men pictured wear any official uniform except for the LDV armband. via IWM (click for zoomable image)

     Shirts had detachable collars, which were sometimes not worn when doing heavy manual labor or at home. "Only the coarsest man would go out, or receive guests at home, without first putting on his collar and tie," - Mike Brown. There were also variations in collars, but most were short or long-pointed collars (a style seen also in women's fashions). The shirt was typically covered by some sort of vest or sweater, and is rarely seen worn on its own. Suspenders had been considered underwear up to this point, and as such were considered inappropriate to be seen. This negative image was somewhat in decline in the war years, but it still may have been deemed unseemly unless it was absolutely necessary to be without a vest, sweater, or jacket. When looking for a modern equivalent, I would recommend a plain cotton shirt without extra buttons, shiny fabrics, or other "modern" trappings. They did have colors and prints in shirts of course, but sticking with a white or light colored solid is a safe bet.

Image of British civilian Home Guard trainees learn to handle guns by drilling with broomsticks. A relatively rare glimpse of men in their shirt and suspenders only, and a gentleman wearing a dark shirt. Note how high waisted the pants are, as well as the general styles of shoes and shirt collars.  Photo credit: IWM, London

1937 Sears catalogue. Good reference for collar shapes.

     There are a few other options in suits, leisure-wear, and jackets that are not necessarily useful to our purposes for this post, but I may explore an "advanced" gentlemen's civilian attire at a later date; these are also options that are very tricky to find and can be very easy to do horribly wrong. Such is the case with overalls, which would likely have to be made rather than found to obtain the correct style. By the end of the war, they were all worn out!

A Good Hat

     Hats are quite important, and can take your civilian attire to the next level. A proper topper can make the impression! There is of course the hat most widely associated with the 40's, the fedora. Bear in mind that a fedora and a trilby are not the same thing. A genuine fedora has a wide brim, whereas a "trilby" is its small-brimmed cousin (the hat that has been more popular in recent times by the likes of Justin Timberlake. . . avoid it at all costs). Also, be sure not to confuse an "outback" hat or cowboy hat with a fedora. Another style hat, worn often by William Churchill, is the "Homburg" which is distinguished from the fedora by the center fold rather than the pinched front in the crown along with a slightly upturned edge to the brim. Another popular style of hat was the "porkpie," which was a very round hat with a small brim and a crease that run around the inside top edge of the crown. My contemporaries may recognize the porkpie as Heisenberg's hat from Breaking Bad (buy it for an event and then use it for Halloween!). Bowler hats, though still around, had fallen out of fashion in the 1920's/30's.

Churchill in his "homburg" style hat.

     In addition to shaped brimmed felt hats, there were various styles of flat wool caps, which can be easier to find when thrifting. Ascot caps (which are shaped wool felt, but in a flat cap style), flat caps (or golf hats), and Gatsby, or eight panel, hats (as the name suggests, a flat cap that is more round and voluminous created using 8 triangular panel pieces). Flat caps are also sometimes known as "newsboy hats." Though these hats were more widely seen in the 1910's-1920's, they were still worn by workmen in the wartime era. If your feeling quite crafty, you can make your own!

     Hats were also usually tweeds, wools, and felts in conservative colors. Try to avoid hats with large obvious exterior labels that cannot be removed (such as Kangol hats). I also have not seen any references that these were ever worn in leather, though they are made in leather for modern wear. Also, patchwork WAS in fact around in wartime Britain as a sort of "Make Do and Mend" look that was popular, especially in ladies clothing (contrary to my previous statement that it was a modern fad). HOWEVER, I still have not seen photographs of men wearing patchwork hats. I would wager that if a man were to have to make a cap from spare bits of material, it would more likely be a gatsby hat with each panel being pieces of leftovers suit material.

1940 The formation of the Local Defence Volunteers was announced on the 14th May, they were renamed the 'Home Guard' on the 22nd July at Churchill's insistence, despite the cost of replacing the million armbands that had been prepared for them. Many did not get proper weapons until much later in the year. Note the different style of hats: flat caps, fedoras, and possibly homburgs. 

Ties

     Neck ties were quite short in wartime Britain, and often only fell to about the mid-chest level. This isn't so surprising given the idea that men were usually wearing something over them, with the tie tucked in. "Bow ties were worn, but were seen as either very formal, or a little eccentric," -Mike Brown. Diagonal stripes, tartans, checks, and polka dots were all popular prints for ties. Go for silk or wool (no wide 70's polyester monstrosities, please), and again nothing too wild in color. Burgundy, deep red, dark blue, green, and black and white, were all seen widely. If you have or find a tie that would work it need not be extra-short, as you will likely be wearing something over it (and then, how could anyone tell how long it is?). If you are not wearing a waistcoat or sweater, you would likely be doing manual labor and would also not wear a tie!

Overcoats

     It can get a bit tricky with finding an overcoat suitable for use; but as with all the other articles, wools and tweeds in conservative colors are best (heavy and thick for overcoats). The cut of suit jackets being boxy in the shoulders and wide in the lapel was mirrored in overcoats, but of course were longer and usually belted. Trench coats were also popular, but can be hard to find in an authentic cut. Most are from the 70's and 80's, consist of synthetic materials, and frequently have a "raglan" cut sleeve (like a baseball t-shirt) rather than a boxy shoulder. In the 80's a lot of the styling of the 40's was very popular, especially in men's overcoats. These can be found pretty regularly at thrift stores, but be choosy. Being made in the 80's, some are a bit too exaggerated in the shoulders, or in fabrics that are no good (or any number of peculiar variations fashion contributed to the 80's). A good type to look for are those with pleats in the back with a fixed "belt" (see the Montgomery Ward catalogue page with the suit back shown earlier). A scarf, either rayon, silk, cotton, or knitted wool, could be worn with an overcoat. The silk/cotton/rayon variety were also known as "choker's" and were around 12"x48" and were worn either tied in a loose knot around the throat or crossed over inside the overcoat (a bit like an ascot). They also frequently had a short fringe at the ends.

"Posing for a newspaper - think it was the Daily Dispatch - we 'captured' two 'spies'. That's me, bringing up the rear." via Norman Edwards Pictorial History The two 'spies' are wearing good examples of overcoats from the time.

Shoes

     Black or brown leather dress shoes (such as oxfords, brogues, or loafers), or an ankle height lace up leather boot for work use are good options. For a farm worker impression, gum boots (matte black rain boots) could be worn, but remember that as rubber was rationed, these would have been harder to come by. If you can avoid synthetics, both in uppers and soles of shoes (leather!) then by all means do. They will be much more authentic than pvc shoes with lug soles. Though a black and white spectator is what commonly pops up when searching for "40's shoes," I rarely find references to these being worn in England.

This photo shows Local Defence Volunteers enrolling at Wimbledon, South London in May 1940. via Union History The bag the gentleman has hung over his shoulder is a leather cover for a civilian gas mask. Originally issued in a cardboard box with a string, it was supposed to never leave your side while out and about.

An ad for Florsheim dress shoes, 1938.

Men's socks, from a 1940 Sears catalogue.

That's all for now! I'll try and gather up some more reference images, and possibly do a post concerning the civilian gas mask box in the next week. If I left something out or you have specific questions, do not hesitate to ask. Cheers!