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. . . 

First Impressions - An Introduction and Tips

Choosing an impression is a very personal experience, but one of the most important things to consider when getting into the hobby. Some impressions are easier (and cheaper) and some impressions are much more difficult (and expensive). My personal recommendation is to start with something simple, and then work your way into what suits your needs and interests. I will (and have) likely touch on this in many other posts, but everything boils down to and is effected by your impression and what you want to do/how you want to look.

So, I've decided to do a series of posts about different impressions starting with civilian all the way through military impressions. But first. . .

Some Tips

• I like to think of impressions as sort of a role playing experience, where I ask myself, "If I were ________ in ________, what would I do/wear/be?" 
• Related to the above, sometimes it helps to do an impression that suits your real life persona. For example, if you're a nurse, then be a nurse! I do photography, so I do a War Correspondent Photographer impression. It makes it that much more real for spectators when you actually know what you're talking about. That's not saying if you aren't really a nurse you can't be one, or that if you ARE really a nurse that you HAVE to be one. It's just a suggestion of a place to start where you will already be on familiar ground. 
• You're not limited to one! Never feel like you have to always do the same thing at every event. That being said. . . 
• Always choose an impression that is right for the event. If the event is in England in 1942, a female Russian military impression isn't going to really gel. 
• Choose something doable. If your budget doesn't allow for purchasing a complete military uniform straight off, then definitely don't pick it as a first impression. 
• Do your research! This becomes more important the more involved the impression is. Civilians were everywhere, so that's why I consider it the simplest. Research things about the year, the country the event is in, whether your unit (if you have one) would have been there. . . everything you can. It's also a good way to really "get in the mood" for the event the week(s) before.
• Choose something you WANT to do. There is no substitute for genuine enthusiasm when it comes to getting into reenacting in general. If you choose an impression because it's convenient or you were told it's what you should do, you'll never really be happy with it, or worse, decide not to reenact at all. Which brings me to the biggest tip. . .
• Have fun! Getting an impression together, especially when done with like-minded friends, can be loads of fun, only to be matched by the fun to be had at an event!

Link to Love - LisaFreemontStreet

At some point I will tackle the massive issue of "What do I do with my hair?" but for now I just have to share one of my all time favorite inspirations: LisaFreemontStreet.

I stumbled across her a couple of years ago when I was looking into doing victory rolls, and I've been following her work ever since. She's from Memphis Tennessee and does wonderful WONDERFUL hair tutorials, makeup guides, product reviews, and general awesomeness on youtube. She actually does vintage from several eras, but the 40's is one of her most beloved. Some "vintage" hair and makeup mavens, while absolutely amazing if you want a general vintage or rockabilly look, don't really fuss with authenticity. LisaFreemontStreet does, and knows exactly what she's talking about. She does loads of authentic 40's hairstyles, and even has at least two videos of nothing but talking authentic 40's and WWII hair and makeup. She even explains in some hair tutorials how it would have been done THEN, vs what you can do instead with modern appliances and hair gadgets. Amazing. There's no way I can top her videos as far as authentic 1940's beauty goes, so I'm going to turn it over to her.

Lisa Freemont Street youtube channel
Lisa Freemont Pages blog
Lisa Freemont Street on facebook

Some specifically applicable videos:

More videos. . .