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Vintage Dancer | 1940s Fashion | 1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses

1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses

1940s Fashion History

29 Oct 2016

Much of the “vintage retro” look has come from 1940s day dresses. The design is classic; knee length a-line skirt, button down blouse top with modest sleeves, and a figure flattering nipped in waist. The 1940s shirtwaist dress became an icon of the decade and has never left fashion again. There was even a 1980s and ’90s revival of the 1940s day dress look. So what does a 1940s day dress look like?

1940s summer day dresses

1940s summer day dresses

From the top down, a dress would have:

Short or Long Sleeves – Dresses in the early ’40s had sleeves that ended just above the elbow or mid forearm. Except for the Kitty Foyle style dress, sleeve did not have cuffs. Many dresses in the mid 40’s started showing very small sleeves called cap sleeves. These were cut with the dress bodice and required no additional sewing other then a simple hem.

1940s short women dresses

1941 House dresses in small print, high collars, and vertical pleating.

High Neckline – A 1940s day dress had a neck line that is modest by today’s standard yet revealing for the times. An opening came in square, heart, or V shapes. Dresses of the ’40s often had collars like smaller versions of those on men’s dress shirts. This is a trademark design of 1940s dresses. A high neckline brought attention to a woman’s face, which was simply accented with makeup and very neatly styled hair.

1942 day dresses

1942 day dresses

Square Shoulders – Shoulders were squared off in both dresses and blouses. You could draw a straight flat line from the collar to the end of the shoulder and then straight down the arm. This “squared” corner shape was later brought back in the ’80s. Both decades used shoulder pads to make shoulders square.

1941 day dresses

1941 floral day dresses

Fitted Bodice – The bodice of the dress was very snug. From the square shoulders to the tiny waist, the shape looked like an upside down triangle. Some fancier day dresses had pleats and gathers that formed a “wrap” dress bodice. More casual dresses had an apron front — an apron sewn over a dress — or at least the illusion of one. The most common day dresses were shirtwaist style. They were not zippered in the back. Instead, they were buttoned straight down the front of the bodice, and often down the skirt, too.

1944 wrap dresses for house or sunday brunches

1944 wrap dresses for house or Sunday brunches

Knee length skirts – Dress skirts went down to the low knee cap. Hemlines had to be very straight and neat, otherwise a lady would look shamelessly sloppy! Skirt shapes were A-line with no pleating until after the war. They fit slightly loose, with no “pencil” shape ’til the late 1950s.

1940s sheer dresses crop

Sheer fabrics for dressier day dresses

Fabric and Trimming – Wool or cotton was the most common fabric choice. They were easy to care for, comfortable in all weathers, and lasted a long time. However, Rayon was the hot new fabric, and more and more day dresses were being made with this “new” synthetic. Colors were not that interesting. The war kept choices limited to subtle blue grays, medium browns, and faded greens. The post-war years had more bright colors and patterns to choose from. See more fabrics and colors of the ’40s.

1940 cotton house dress fabrics

1940 cotton house dress fabrics

1940s summer fabrics

1948 summer cotton fabrics in small prints and solids.

Trimmings – The early wartime years prevented any fabric adornments like pockets and bows. The later ’40s had many of these extra fabric trims.

That completes the typical 1940s day dress. There are hundreds of vintage, new, and reproduction clothing stores that sell 1940s day dresses. To make your search easier, visit my 1940’s dress shopping page to find the perfect dress for you. Plus size gals, don’t worry – there is a shopping page just for you.

1940s day dresses:

1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses 40s Spot Perfection Fit and Flare Swing Dress in Lilac £24.95 AT vintagedancer.com
TopVintage
£24.95
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Wellwits Womens Split Neck Floral Button 1940s Day 1950s Vintage Tea Dress $23.98 AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
$23.98
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Romwe Womens Petite Vintage 1950s Retro Collared Long Sleeve Fit and Flare Swing Party Dress $18.99 AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
$18.99
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses GownTown Womens 1950s Retro Vintage Cocktail Party Swing Dress $34.99 AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
$34.99
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Wellwits Womens Keyhole Bow Tie Front 1940s Vintage Collared Dress $23.99 AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
$23.99
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses    New Yellow  Floral Wartime WW2 1930s 1940s Vintage style Swing Tea Dress $19.99 AT vintagedancer.com
EbayUS
$19.99
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses GownTown Womens 1950s Vintage Plaid Swing Stretchy Dress $26.99 AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
$26.99
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Hell Bunny Irvine Tartan 1950s Vintage Retro Dress XS-4XL $72.99 AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
$72.99
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses VALERIE DRESS in Solid Green Teal Fabric // solid cotton dress custom vintage retro dress 1950s pinup plus size pin up dress green teal $75.20 AT vintagedancer.com
Etsy
$75.20
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Nemidor Womens V-Neckline Stretchy Casual Midi Plus Size Bridesmaid Dress $29.99 AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
$29.99
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Marycrafts Womens Formal Office Business Work Jacket Skirt Suit Set $46.90 AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
$46.90
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Studio 1 Short Sleeve Polka Dot Shirt Dress 12  Blue $55.50 AT vintagedancer.com
JCPenny
$55.50
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Winnie - Min £120.00 AT vintagedancer.com
ZoeVine
£120.00
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses LOLO Dress #1 in
Etsy
$72.25
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses ACEVOG Women Vintage Style Turn Down Collar Short Sleeve High Waist Maxi Swing Dress with Belt $38.99 AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
$38.99
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Sample Sale The Charlene Shirtwaister Dress in Green Abstract Polka Print True  Authentic 1950s Vintage Style £35.00 AT vintagedancer.com
RocknRomanceVintage
£35.00
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses 1940s Vintage Collared Dress $29.99 AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
$29.99
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Patti 1940s Nautical Sailor Dress in Navy Authentic true vintage style £79.00 AT vintagedancer.com
RocknRomanceVintage
£79.00
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Alexandra Workwear Womens Zip Front Healthcare Dress $37.51 AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
$37.51
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses AISIZE Women 1950s V-Neck Cocktail Wedding Swing Midi Dress $33.99 AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
$33.99
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Smiffys Womens Army Girl Dress Costume  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Sidnor Womens Officer Margaret/Peggy Carter Dress Cosplay Costume Uniform Suit $115.00 AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
$115.00
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Winnie - Navy CheckWholesale Delivery & Returns  £120.00 AT vintagedancer.com
ZoeVine
£120.00
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Sample Sale The Charlene Shirtwaister Dress in Pacific Garden Print True  Authentic 1950s Vintage Style £35.00 AT vintagedancer.com
RocknRomanceVintage
£35.00
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Winnie - Blue CheckWholesale Delivery & Returns  £120.00 AT vintagedancer.com
ZoeVine
£120.00
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Smiffys WW2 Sweet Heart Costume  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Smiffys World War 2 Pin Up Spice Darling  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Red Kap Womens Lapel Dress $71.59 AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
$71.59
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Sample Sale The Charlene Shirtwaister Dress in Pink Hawaiian True  Authentic 1950s Vintage Style £35.00 AT vintagedancer.com
RocknRomanceVintage
£35.00
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses Ladies reproduction 1940s suits $363.56 AT vintagedancer.com
Etsy
$363.56
1940s Day Dress Styles, House Dresses 1943 Dress Pattern by EvaDress - A 1940s Favorite! $15.00 AT vintagedancer.com
Etsy
$15.00
ViewMore

debbie
We are Debbie and Oscar, your guides to dressing up like decades past. We are here to help you find clothing online and learn about vintage fashions as worn by everyday people, just like you. Need help with your outfit? Ask us anytime.
« New Vintage Style Coats & Jackets – 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s
Men’s Vintage Clothing Outfits for Fall & Winter »

Comments

  1. Emily says

    September 10, 2011 at 12:22 pm

    I wanted to write a fiction book and base it in the 1940’s and this site helped sooooooo much with the fashion. Thank you and please continue work.
    Sincerly,
    Emily

    Bookmarked this website … u should 2. ☺

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