Standardised or Simplified? The Effect of Government–Imposed Restrictions on Women’s Clothing Manufacture and Design during the Second World War

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Abstract

The Second World War necessitated the transferral of labour and supplies from civilian manufacture to war production. Orders initiated by the government, in an attempt to make economical use of limited resources, severely affected the clothing industry from production to consumption. As a result, many contemporaneous sources and contemporary scholars claim that civilian dress was standardised. Scrutiny of trade journals, government documents, Mass Observation records, extant garments, and sewing patterns demonstrates that though manufacturing methods were standardised and simplified, there continued to be a range of styles in women’s dress.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)15
Number of pages25
JournalThe Journal of Dress History
Volume2
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2018

Keywords

  • Second World War Britain
  • Utility Clothing
  • Austerity Regulations
  • Dress History
  • clothing manufacture
  • clothing design

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