Rationed Fashion—Making Do in World War 2

During World War 2, fighting on the home front included much more than keeping a home together and preparing meals with rationed ingredients. Foods were not the only things rationed. In England, Australia, Canada and other countries, clothing was available only on a limited point system. The United States did not ration clothes but implemented a number of restrictions. These measures were essential for outfitting hugely expanding militaries.

Millions of civilian men went to war and along with them, millions of women enlisted in various military, auxiliary and paramilitary organizations. The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Women’s Land Army, Wrens, Red Cross Corps, Air Transport Auxiliary, Women Airforce Service Pilots, WAVES, WACs and others each had their own distinct uniforms. On top of this, material was needed for bandages, parachutes and supplies. The sudden fabric shortage meant everyone would have to make do with fewer new clothes.

Use It Up – Wear It Out – Make It Do – Or Do Without

Women were up to their necks—quite literally—on the fashion front. They learned to Make Do and Mend as taught in government pamphlets. Flyers included instructions on darning socks and mending clothes. Patterns were made available for those who could sew. Knee and elbow patches became popular along with mismatched jackets and trousers. These methods, along with knitting, became a patriotic duty. Talented seamstresses turned their husband’s old suits into stylish skirt-and-jacket outfits for themselves and remade their own old clothing into new pieces for their children.

The drab colors of overworn clothing were often renewed by a cold-water dye using coffee or tea. Fabric dyes had become scarce, limiting the range of colors available even in new items. Clothing in pre-war styles, using excess fabric, was frowned upon under new austerity regulations. Even undergarments were overhauled! Utility clothing became a morale-boosting source of unity signifying everyone working together for victory.

Winning with Style

Aprons or pinafores were used to protect clothes at home. Everything needed to be as practical and serviceable—and attractive—as possible. Stylish outfits were considered important even when doing housework. Cheerful prints, bold red lipstick and nail polish were also popular. Maintaining personal style was so important that women went to great lengths to manage their clothes and appearance, adding whatever improvements they could create to the items they had.

Hairstyles—including the vast array of Victory Rolls—and accessories such as snoods, turbans, hats and scarves played their parts while also keeping women’s hair safe from machinery in their new factory jobs. Stylish clothes and grooming were considered “Beauty as Duty,” an essential part of keeping up morale. These things displayed courage, endurance and a victorious spirit even in dreary or desperate circumstances. 

Author Sarah Sundin writes, “On March 8, 1942, the US War Production Board (WPB) issued order L-85 with the goal of 15 percent reduction in the amount of textiles used in women’s wear. Skirt length and width were restricted, as well as the width of women’s slacks. The WPB prohibited pleats, ruffles, patch pockets, attached hoods and shawls, and full sleeves or skirts. Hems and fabric belts could be no wider than two inches, and garments could have no more than one pocket. Exemptions were allowed for bridal gowns, maternity clothes, and religious vestments.” Some of these exemptions were not allowed in other nations. For example, entire groups of women in England sometimes shared one wedding gown.

Silk stockings might have been the biggest clothing hardship for women during the war. Most of the world’s silk came from Japan so became completely unavailable. Many women were not able to maintain a supply of silk stockings as the war went on. Some did the unthinkable and went bare-legged. Some switched from skirts to pants. Others used a variety of methods from iodine to gravy browning to ink pens or food dyes, to draw fake stocking seams on their legs.

A saving grace came in the form of DuPont’s new fabric, nylon, which had made a huge sensation at the 1939 World’s Fair. Although also in limited supply, women happily accepted nylon stockings whenever they could be found. Even they were not easy to get as war dragged on and the nylon was required for parachutes, airplane ropes and other military supplies. In countries such as Australia, stockings made of rayon were sometimes available. Rayon was more fragile than nylon but was a natural fiber. Flyers reminded women to use extra care when handling stockings.

Sewing It Up

Our generation has its own concerns with style and fashion, including everything from ethical sourcing to environmental concerns. There is a renewed appreciation for vintage clothing among many women. Considering the life of World War 2-era clothes, original finds would be a treasure. What stories those clothes could tell! I can now appreciate the way my grandmothers cared for their clothes so well that they almost looked new even after years of wear. I can hardly remember my Granny at home without her apron, but whenever we went out the clothes that had been under it were impeccable.

Do you sew, or have you had to repair clothing? Have you ever worn vintage clothing from the 1940s? I would love your comments on handy techniques or the quality of the vintage items compared to what we can buy today. What stories do your clothes tell?

References

Adlington, Lucy. Women’s Lives and Clothes in WW2: Ready for Action. Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Books Ltd. 2019.

Sundin, Sarah. 2022. “Make It Do – Clothing in World War II.” sarahsundin.com, Tuesday, March 8, 2022.

Summers, Julie. Fashion on the Ration: Style in the Second World War. London: Profile Books LTD in partnership with IWM, 2015.

Conde, Anne-Marie. 2020. “Empty Shelves: Rationing in Australia.” National Archives of Australia, Friday, August 21, 2020.

“She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong…She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle…Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come…Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

Proverbs 31: 17, 19, 25, 30