1940's Fashion - Betty's Winter Wardrobe Plan 1948

Betty's Fall and Winter Clothing Plan
Planning your winter wardrobe in the late 1940's

Following on from the earlier Young Womans Wardrobe Plan from 1947.

For more information on womens lives, fashion, etc in the 1940's check out the following links:
1940's Fashion - How to Dress Accurately
A 1940's Housewifes Daily Routine
Helena Rubinsteins 1940's Makeup Guide
1940's Prom
The 1940's Fashion Silhouette

And for the definitive guide to 1940's Makeup styles visit
1940's Vintage Makeup Guide

Download original vintage makeup guides from the 1920's,1930's, and 1940's at
Vintage Makeup Guide.com
Is your seasonal wardrobe just a haphazard collection of outfits thrown together, or a complete and harmonious set of carefully chosen garments that will turn head and stop other women in their tracks as they envy your style and fashion sense ! Can you tell by the way they look, which other women planned their wardrobe? Back in the 1940's women meticulously planned their wardrobe down to the last detail.
1940's Fashion writer Elisebeth Todd interviewed ordinary women like Betty below, on their fashion planning in 1948.

The following is a list in her own words of Bettys wardrobe plan from 1947.

Winter Coats and Jackets

New York women out for a walk in the winter snow -1945.

Good black coat, Brown tailored coat, Tan polo coat.
Pastel, plaid, tan, soft and tailored jackets.

Winter Suits

Lauren Bacall in fashionable checked tweed suit.

A powder blue herringbone tweed suit for travelling, church and dates.
A pink tweed suit for the same occasions.


Winter Dresses

A gold wool dress - very dressy for dances.
Can be dressed up ultra with black coat and black accessories.

Day Dresses - 1945 - The War Years look.

A red and black check dress - for church or games or a day out with friends.
A powder blue lightweight wool, tailored two piece dress.
This can be worn with any of the coats and with pumps or saddle shoes and anklets.

 Francis Bergen wearing an off the shoulder dinner dress - 1948 - source Life

A red plaid wool one piece dress.[ My favourite dress ever !]
Can be worn with brown and black coats for dates and dress up affairs.

 Gene Tierney in a stunning off the shoulder red dress -1948

A gold chiffon dinner dress with long full sleeves. This is my pet !
It has silver embroidery on it.

 Ingrid Bergman models a beautiful floral chiffon dress - 1948

Green net formal with a short taffetta jacket which is worn with the dress for dinners or used as a wrap.Finally, a knee length black wool dress with half sleeves.
This is my head turner.


Fall and Winter Skirts.

Typical plaid skirt and matching shoes -1948 - Life magazine

Brown wool swing skirt
Black crepe plaited
Green plaid plaited
Blue and red plaited
Striped taffetta evening skirt to be worn with white blouse for parties.
Green Pencil skirt

Lauren Bacall in dressing room - 1948 - Life magazine

Winter  Shoes

Brown suede and alligator pumps - Two pairs
Black mary janes -One pair
Cuban heel oxfords -One pair
Brown and white low heeled pumps.
Brown ladies galoshes.
[ Glamourdaze note - these were designed to fit over your high heeled shoes]

Gaytees Galoshes for Women - 1946

Winter Hats

Powder blue felt
Navy Blue silk
Turban, wrap around.
Red felt medium brim hat.

L'Officiel Echo De la Mode - Paris hats - December 1947

Gloves for the Winter Season

Black leather gloves
White long gloves - for evening wear and formals.
White angora mittens - for snowy and cold weather.

1940's gloves - Vogue magazine 1941- source My Vintage Vogue

1947 gloves - Christian Dior - source Opera Gloves.com

1940's Fashion Purses

Blue leather, black leather and gabardine.

Betty's Underwear and Hosiery

Slips - 2 peach, 2 white, 1 blue and 1 black.
Panties - 8 pairs white.
4 brassieres
Girdles- 2 long line girdles
6 pairs of silk hose.

Source Life - Underslips - 1947

Corsetiere Fitting - 1947 - Source The Corsetiere


Winter Pajamas

Blue and white striped - cotton
Peach wool nightie
Blue wool Pajamas.

1940's Fashion - Mrs Isles wearing cotton pajamas . Life Magazine


Planning your wardrobe includes deciding what clothes you will need for the coming season, trying on and judging what will fit as the season progresses. Older women may add a pound or two during the colder months of winter.Planning also includes combining tops and skirts, dresses with cardigans or jackets. What hosiery to go with what outfit and in what weather. What shoes work best with what hats.

Where do you start ? With the wardrobe you left from last winter of course! What articles of clothing do you need ? One way to begin is to list all the occasions for which you will need clothes.

List the wearable garments from last year. Are they still in fashion ? If you had a successful wardrobe last year, then hang on to them and simply accessorise. Be ready for all temperatures and all occasions.

Edited from original text by Elisebeth Todd - 1947 Clothing for Women and Girls.
"So as you can see, a woman need not have many garments to be well dressed !"

1940's Fashion - Vintage Evening Dress show

1940's Fashion - Vintage evening dress show

" You look so desirable in your new dress !" Yes, it was all about impressing the men those days! Funny how all the men were called Charlie. Still, this film displays some lovely evening dress examples of the 1940's.
We see a waltz time skirt with black lace inserts. " Look at the spunky shoulders ! Jane has a new dress too, her skirt is made of layers and layers of pink and grey net ! The waistline is longer for evening too. All very pretty and gay.No skimping on fabrics this season. Gloria wears a stunning Carmen Miranda number, with bare midrif and bright sashes." Also featured are a dress of red and white Candy stripes, another with a long flowing cape." Martha wears a gaudy print dresses, topped by a yellow jacket, doesnt it fit like a dream, and just look at the hood !
You're all prepared for a romantic stroll down the beach.This is certainly a gala evening !"

And  Groucho Marx might have added " Well a gal an evening is all I can handle, will you marry me ? did your husband leave you any money ?  Answer the second question first !"

See also A 1940's Womans Daily Routine

1940's Fashion - Vintage Summer Dress show

1940's Fashion - Vintage Summer Dress show

When a woman went on holiday in the summer during the 1940's, her wardrobe consisted of morning, afternoon and evening wear. Featured in this film are typical rayon afternoon dresses snoods and hats of the period. Bodices and wide brim hats were everywhere ! Of course there's an engagement in the air! More tea anyone ?





Copyright Glamourdaze 2010

1950's Fashion - The Real Mad Men

1950's Fashion - Real Mad Men photo shoots

Would you like to meet a real Mad Man ?
Meet Eric Steinbicker , now a well known travel novelist, he started out in his youth as the studio manager to the famous fashion photographer Richard Avedon with offices on the famous Madison Avenue.
He is writing a book called Assisting Avalon. In his own words he tells us what it was like to hang out with glamourous models and film stars.

"Entering the door, I was introduced to the staff. What a group they made! Here’s some of them, and that’s me on the floor. This was the set for one of the first jobs after I started, a part of the “I Dreamt I Was A (Whatever) In My Maidenform Bra” advertising campaign."

"At first, of course, I did not earn much, but my meager pay was sometimes supplemented by posing in advertising photos (Revlon ad, above). Besides Revlon’s Cherries in the Snow ad in which a luscious model fed me cherries."

"Another of my enjoyable duties (we won't mention mopping the floor) was to support lovely models as they got "put together" by the fashion stylists. Like the one in the photo on the left. She had a warm back."

"That's me playing matador with a fake bull. This was part of a fashion ad with my head between the horns, ogling Dovima the model. The final result is below. The fashions are very 1953."

"The photo below shows a leg model preparing for a hosiery shot under the skylight at 640 Madison Ave., circa 1953. Avedon is on the right."

1950's Make-up and Beauty Guides.

1940's Fashion - Vintage Playsuits

1940's Fashion - Women's Playsuits

Stripes, Parasols,tunics and snoods were summer favourites in the late 1940's.
The playdress was just the thing for sports." Her gaudy stocking cap is a pet !". Boleros and belts were common to the beach fashion ensemble. Wedge shoes were a must for the hot days. Cool, comfortable and extremely smart.They were the most
popular sports shoe of the summer in the late 1940's
Featured here is a black and white pair.

Shiseido - The 1930's Japanese Beauty Culture

Shiseido - The History of the Japanese Beauty Culture

Memoirs of a Geisha Girl reminded the world of just how steeped in the beauty culture Japanese women have been since ancient times.Like Max Factor in the USA, in Japan, there is one name that has come to be associated with glamour and that is Shiseido Cosmetics ! Their beauty products grace many large department stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom and Sephora at their cosmetic counters or online.

But how many folks know the glamourous history of this unique company? Following the lead of companys such as proctor and Gamble, Shiseido opened the Shiseido Parlour in Tokyo.

To gain loyalty among women, they marketed calendars, beauty manuals - like the one below, and seasonal promotional items like fans, compacts, and vanity cases.

Shiseido Beauty Manual - 1930's Makeup in Japan.

Shiseido Graph - 1930's Fashion and Beauty Magazine

Shiseido Beauty Products - 1930's

Shiseido Promotional products

Gennifer Weisenfeld , who is Associate Professor of Art History at Duke University in the US, has written a fascinating essay called Selling Shiseido hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology as part of their Visualising Cultures educational scheme. It's a treat to read.

You can download beautiful original vintage make-up and beauty guides now, separately or in
a bargain bundle.1920's make-up styles, 1930's make-up looks, 1940's beauty styles and 1950's women's make-up and beauty styles.

Vintage 1940's Wedding fashion

Vintage 1940's Wedding fashion
Lingerie fit for a bride

This charming film, originally a promo for Newform wedding Lingerie made from rayon silk - the synthetic fabric rage of the 1940's, is a unique example of the vintage wedding trousseau on film.Narrated by Miss Ratherly Stern.
The traditional trousseau, included bridal accessories,lingerie, toiletries, jewelry, and makeup.
Up until the 1940's even bed linens and bath towels were bought as part of a womans wedding regalia for her new home. This fashion film shows a typical 1940's wedding dress,hairstyle and lingerie of the period.

Over to you Miss Stern !
" Like a dream world isn't it ! As feminine and charming a splay of bridalry. As long as there have been weddings, there have been trousseaus.They link together as inevitably as the moon and June.
And so todays shower will be lingerie fit for a bride ! Look it's showering slips, that any bride would love to own, or any bridesmaid for that matter.Smooth lines will make everything you wear look more glamourous. If you've ever been guilty of pinning up the hem of your slip, you can throw away those pins forever!

The Newform is designed in two lengths - regular and short, so you need never complain about your slip showing beneath your wedding dress.The Newforms fit so perfectly, that even corsetieres, those experts in figure flattering, give them their blessing, which is no more than you'll do. This is the kind of trousseau that will make any bride feel like a queen. "
copyright Glamourdaze 2010