The austerity of wartime imposed a necessary no-nonsense attitude towards fashion.
The military uniform a familiar daily sight on the streets and even civilian's daywear retained that practical features of clothes worn by the armed services.
This included the handbag,a military-influenced satchel,with a sturdy strap and a buckled over the top flap,was worn with the sensible woolen suits of day.The British Board of Trade issued a Civilian Clothing Order in 1942,forbidding the use of any extraneous detailing on garments,including fancy trimmings,decorative stitching,and pleats.
No more than three buttons were allowed on a jacket.
The collaboration between leading couturies and the manufacturers of clothes for the mass market resulted in a populace probably better dressed than ever before.
In addition to the formal tailored suit,women needed other garments that could withstand the wear and tear of the daily life during the war.
The utility siren suit was an all in one garment with the zipped front and large sloch pockets,which was worn over nighwear in case of bombing raids that required a dash to the air raid shelter.Elsa Schiaparelli contributed to the war effort with her version of the utility suit:an easy to wear siren suit with large,pouched zipped pockets that also did away with the need for a bag.
After its first brief outing by the suffragettes befora the First World War and inroduced by Channel and Schiaparelli in the late 1930s,the soulder bag once more became popular.
Usually made from military issue canvas,the shoulder bag increased in size and shape to accomodate the obligatory gas mask,which became compulsory luggage at all times in Britain.
Large bag made of homespun cloth and designed by Josef of Gold Seal Importers in 1940's.
Schiaparelli's basket bag
Schiaparelli ,undaunted by the restrictions on expensive materials,transmuted the French labourer's basket into an elegant accessory.
It was no longer appropriate to be seen carrying an expensive bag in a luxurious animal skin.Leather was on the list of products to be kept for military use only, and commercila manifactures had to utilize sturdier fabrics,such as tweed,instead.
Wood and plastic replaced metal,and the prevailing "make do and mend" ethos saw the utilization of found materials and fabrics.
Home dressmakers invented fastenings,created patchwork and looked to the sewing pages of the women's magazines for patterns and inspiration.
There were less stringent restrictions on materials in America,but even so,there was an element of do it youself handbag production.
Jack Frost Handbags,printed in 1945 by Gottlieb Bros sontained various patterns for cocheted handbags,including comlicated fan shaped bags,to be made up in cords of different styles and thicknesses,depending on the use of the bag was to be put to.
Simple enveloped-shaped bag were easy to run up in whatever material lay to hand.Decoraetd with embroidery,stiching or applique,the bags were a triumph of the dressmaker's art.Fibrous materials such as straw and reffia were deployed,and evn the metal discs from milk bottle tops were covered in raffia and constructed into bags.Bamboo was sectioned into half-foot pieces and given handles.
In 1940 the Occupation of Paris by the German army further undermined the capital's fashion leadership.The screen siren of the previous decate in her white fox and undulating satin was no longer ideal female,but gave her place the prisk,capable woman epitomized by the stars of women's films.These new Hollywood heroines was precented by stars such as Betty Davis and Barbara Stanwyck,fought the odds to become succesful carreer women.A structured approach to tailoring and accessoriew that was appropriate to women's new roles,were designed by Gilbert Adrian and Edith Head.
1945 film Mildred Pierce
The clothing restrictions similar to those in Britain also apllied in America with regulations on clothing manufacture.
These included a maximun skirt 0f 183cm and limiting the trimming material in each dress to 46 cm,and their version of tailored suits (called victory suit,and was equally austere in terms of quality of cut) has been influenced by the designs of Gilbert Adrian.
Although the leather shortage was global,in America women who were not co opted into the factories and who could afford such items accessorized their outfits with large,luxurious and yet understated handbags purchased from stores.
Evening bags continued to contain elements of the earlier vanity case.Either box shaped or circular with a central handle,they had a special section for cosmetics and a mirror.
American cosmetic Max Factor sent representatives into factories to give the workforce lessons in application,as the wearing of make up by women was seen as almost national duty to keep up morale.
Max Factor and Ava Gardner
Max Factor and Jean Harlow
American fashion was developing a flourishing ready to wear industry of its own,and moving away from the influence of the European couturires.
This development in American aesthtic was fuelled by the popularity of the practical separates offered by designers such as Norman Norell and Claire Mccardell and the Californian manifactures Jantzen and Koret.
It was a modern look that took into account the way ordinary women lived their lives, so the designers were provided comfortable classics (shirtdress,gored skirt etc) giving birth to concept of separates:a captule wardrobe of pieces that could be put together in a variety of ways depending on the weather and the occasion and the weather.
Practically was paramount,which accounted for the burgeoning popularity of the boat tote bag (introduced as a gardening tote by L L Bean 1944) being the perfect expression of this rinciple,being a handbag in it's simplest form.Sometimes called a shopper,it is based on a paper shopping bag,with handles at the top.
The classic itself: the L.L. Bean boat bag in white and navy.
Chanel Woven Tote
Straw raffia and wicker baskets were also embellished with applique and embroidery.A design influence was the Bombshell from Brasil Carmen Miranda.Part African,part Brazilian and known as the Woman in the Tutti Frutti Hat,the celebrated samba singer was at the time America's highest paid entertainer.Her massive platform soled shoes and fruit embellished towering turbans introduced a Latin flamboyance into wartime fashion and a distraction from the austerity of the war.
The accelaration of fashion trends in post war America gave the way of the importance of an increased awreness of merchandising and marketing techniques and an undestanding that in an increasingly consumer driven society,choice was paramount.Together with the mass production processes this resulted in a plethora of handbag styles to suit every ocassion.
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