Social trends have a huge impact on fashion, and with the declaration of war on Germany on September 3 1939, the fashion mood changed again. Manufacturing concentrated on the necessities of war and fashion had to take a back seat. Heavy restrictions were put on the use of natural fabrics and the amount of yardage used in garments.
The serious mood of the early 1940s paved the way to a more conservative way of dressing - anything too fashionable seemed frivolous and inappropriate. Women returned to their sewing machines, and began to 'mix and match' their clothes out of necessity rather than choice.
Prior to World War II, the USA has borrowed much of its fashion sensibility from the annual pilgrimages taken by its designers to the Paris fashion shows. However, as travelling became restricted, American designers focused on practical sporty clothes, emerging as the leader in sportswear ever since.
As during the First World War, the uniform once again impacted on broader fashion. Structured tailoring, including belted suits and square shoulders were fashionable, and although clothes were generally more sober and modest, women expressed their femininity through dramatic make-up and longer, softer hairstyles.
Post-war, fashion breathed a sigh of relief and 1947 heralded one of the key moments in 20th century fashion, when Christian Dior presented his first fashion show, dubbed as the 'New Look'. His extravagant use of fabric and voluptuous style must have seemed almost inappropriate at the time, but it was the self-indulgent fashion that women had secretly been dreaming of since the end of the war, and they greeted Dior's look with open arms.
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