Website design By BotEap.com1940s Women’s fashion was a time of great restrictions on design, fabric, and adornment materials. The war forced clothing designs to be simple, but it also forced manufacturers to be creative with what they could use and invent new materials. The 1940s brought new women’s fashion inventions, many of which still exist today.

1. The girdle. Before the 1940s, a woman’s shape was made with metal boned corsets. In the 1940s, the girdle was invented as a form of tummy tuck underwear. It shaped midway down to the hips and created the smooth hourglass silhouette associated with vintage fashion. The girdle was uncomfortable and was eventually replaced by nylon stockings or no shapewear undergarments. Today the girdle returns with body shapers, control of the upper stockings, control of the upper underwear and other base garments of suction and softness. The name may have changed, but these garments are updated sashes in disguise.
2. Wedge shoes. Leather and wood were necessary for war, so shoe designs had to be creative. The solution was cork. A cork sole was used for the heels of the shoes and then wrapped in a nice fabric, mesh, or even reptile skin. It was inexpensive and allowed for a higher heel than what was considered a safe high heel shoe. Today wedgies are in and out of fashion, especially in summer when wedge sandals hit the beaches.
3. Ray. If you didn’t know, rayon is a synthetic fabric. It was invented and became very popular in the 1940s. Until then, clothing was made from wool, silk, and cotton. Silk and cotton were needed for warfare, so rayon was used instead. It can be light like silk or heavy like wool. Today, rayon is still used in fine fabrics, especially in summer.
4. Nylon stockings. Before the 1940s, women’s stockings were made of silk. They were very delicate and needed frequent grooming and hand washing. Dupont then invented nylon and so “Nylons” became a brand for stockings. Today, nylon is still used to make all kinds of stockings and fabrics.
5. The zipper. Thanks to new inventions of the 1940s, women can button their clothes instead of using buttons, snaps or laces.
6. The plastic. Although various forms of plastic had been around since the 1920s, it wasn’t until the 1940s that they really took center stage in the fashion world. The jewels were made of Bakelite plastic with large colorful designs. The bags, makeup cases, and household items were made from Lucite. You might not recognize these plastic names, but I’m sure you know that plastic is all the rage everywhere from cute barrettes to zippers to bag handles.
7. Shoulder pads. You may think that the 1980s was the first decade to wear shoulder bags. They actually go back much further than the 1940s, but as a regular fashion accessory for women, the 1940s were the first. They wore shoulder pads on dresses, jackets, and blouses in order to square off the shoulder for a boxy military feel. The 1980s were heavily influenced by the fashion of the 1940s and therefore shoulder pads were back in fashion.