1940s Costume & 40s Outfit Ideas – 16 Women’s Looks

1940s dresses

The 1940s fashion era is one of my favorites, especially to recreate using used/vintage/thrifted clothing or new vintage inspired clothing I find online.  As you will see in these 16 different looks, there are many choices, from casual or formal, day to night, and work to play. Whatever forties-themed event you are dressing for, these 1940s costume ideas will help you create a character that is authentic to the era without wearing strictly vintage clothing or cheap Halloween costumes (although we love those, too). Follow the links within for fashion history insights and online shopping suggestions.

For the gentlemen, I have an article and costume ideas over here.

Enjoy!

1940s Costumes- Women’s Dresses

1940s gloves for day wear: (L to R) Fur cuff velvet, leather with bow, ruched gauntlet length, wrist length scallop edge.

All women wore dresses in the 1940s. It was the one item that was worn in one style or another 24 hours a day. The style, material, trim, and accessories determined when and where to wear a particular dress. At home, dresses were simple, while going out required a nicer dress with a few coordinating accessories. Wrist to gauntlet length gloves, hats, purses, and shoes almost always matched each other. A coordinated woman was a confident woman, or so they said.

The key to choosing a 1940s style dress is in the silhouette. The top of the dress is modest (no deep plunging necklines), often with a collar and padded shoulders (hello, ’80s?). Sleeves were to the elbow or wrist — nothing too short. The skirt is A-line for most of the ’40s or a straight pencil (no hip hugging curves unless you want a pinup look) in the later years. The length came down to just below the knee. 1940s dresses are a classic shape and are typically not too hard to find at either a thrift store, your own closet, or online.  Read more about 1940s dress styles here.

1940s Nude Seam Stockings (Buy)

Jewelry was optional. The 1940s were a frugal time when expensive jewelry was seen as vulgar. Cheap costume jewelry was popular but by no means necessary to wear. What was necessary was a pair of nude back seam stockings (the seam is nude, not black). When silk and rayon were needed for the war effort, women went without stockings. They wore socks with their house dresses but saved a pair of stockings for more formal afternoon and evening attire.

With these essentials in mind, let’s look at some 1940s costume ideas. 

Day to Day Dress

This first look I call the “day to day” dress because it is both casual and semi-formal. It can be worn around the house or out to run errands, visit friends or go to work in. This dress is a best seller, first on Modcloth and now a knock off on Amazon. It has a classic 1940s A-line skirt, puffed shoulders, cute heart shaped buttons, and a coordinating fabric belt.  It is paired with adorable bow topped heels.

Vintage 1940s felt hat with chiffon band and bow

The white piping on the dress coordinated with the ivory shoes and wrist length gloves (vintage).  I also added in a double-strand white pearl necklace that was my grandmother’s from the 1940s. The blue felt sun hat with chiffon bow is also vintage. Vintage gloves and hats are still affordable at vintage or antique stores. Online, Etsy has plenty of hats and gloves. Look for wrist length or gauntlet length gloves (mid arm) for the 1940s. Color should coordinate with at least one other accessory or trim on the dress.

Amazon has quite a few cheaper basic 40s dresses from a handful of Chinese brands. Some are better than others (look at reviews) and many are labeled 1940s when in fact they are more 30s or 50s. These two are a few of the better options.

Going Shopping

Running errands in town didn’t always mean wearing a full dress. The blouse and skirt combo was versatile and budget friendly. For a 1940s blouse, you will want to get a button down short or long sleeve blouse. Most blouses had collars (pointed or round) with pretty details like pintucks or lace ruffles. White and ivory were the most common, but other solids and stripes were fine, too. The puffy shoulder look is iconic of the early ’40s. If you can find one, snatch it up fast.

1940s Style purses from the thrift store.

For the skirt, I found a pleated knee length skirt. 1940s skirts were mostly A-line, box pleated, or straight pencil shapes. They came up to the knee but no higher. A belt could be worn with a skirt. It was very thin in the early years (sometimes very wide by the end of the decade) and usually matched the skirt. Shop 1940s style skirts.

The accessories I chose include a vintage hat (same as above), a double strand necklace of thick beads (also vintage), a flat navy blue rectangular purse (thrifted), white wrist length gloves (vintage), and the same bow top heel shoes that I used in the first dress. It is such a charming ensemble, isn’t it?

1940s skirt and blouse outfit

The Women’s Suit

A variation on the blouse and skirt combo was the two piece suit. It was a style borrowed from menswear, and women wore it for nearly any type of daytime outing. The jacket fit over a blouse with a single or sometimes double row of buttons, collar and lapels, and a pocket or two (or none during WWII). They often came with a matching A-line or pencil skirt. Mixing suit jackets and skirts was common practice– they never had to match.

In my “business” costume, I layered a tweed jacket over the blue pleated skirt above. I could have also used a straight cut pencil skirt if it was long enough (most pencil skirts I find are too short). I changed out the short sleeve blouse above for a long sleeve bow tie blouse. Next, I added a pair of ivory gloves to match the blouse and a brown flat purse with a chain strap.

The hat is another vintage hat from my collection. It has a simple oval crown and a slightly rolled brim that was called a sailor hat. I find this style frequently in thrift stores.  Read about 1940s hat styles here.

The shoes are a pair of Hotter’s Donna shoes. I am a big fan of Hotter shoes, not only because they have some great vintage inspired shoe designs but also because they have wide and extra wide sizes. The Donna shoes have been a favorite 1940s style shoe for a few years. I chose navy blue leather shoes for this look.

Here are some other 40s suits from reproduction to inspired to sewing patterns. Learn and shop here. 

Afternoon Dress

While the first “Day-to-Day” dress was a casual style, this “afternoon” dress is more formal. Formal in the ’40s meant well dressed for a public outing, lunch, dinner date, or work in an office setting. Every woman had at least one such coordinated formal afternoon dress in her wardrobe. This one has a pointed collar, white buttons (very ’40s), and a drop waist with a lightly pleated skirt (a mid ’40s style).

Most dresses came with matching fabric belts in the 1940s; however, a contrasting leather belt was also used. I could have gone with all white accessories but instead chose a black bow belt, black gloves, a black handbag with short handle (vintage ’50s), a small velvet hat with short veil, double-strand pearls, and ankle strap heels.

My blue pattern dress here is a 1980s does 1940s revival dress. This is what makes re-creating a ’40s style easy. The 1980s were chock full of ’40s style. Most thrift stores are loaded with them. Woo hoo! Having multiple color-coordinated accessories also takes this ’80s dress back to the 1940s.

TIP: Be sure to learn about wearing 1940s style makeup with all these looks. This article on creating a natural 1940s makeup look will be helpful to you.

1940s Makeup Guide – Click to read.

Dinner and Dancing Dress

The next step up after a formal afternoon dress is evening wear. Not ballgowns, but instead something semi-formal for a night out with dinner and dancing (a favorite ’40s pastime). While the afternoon dress above would work for a dinner date, something a little prettier like this red dress with a matching hair flower is a bit more romantic.

The dress is another ’80s does ’40s peplum top with attached pencil skirt. It has a soft lapel collar and dolman sleeves, which are both ’40s details. Ladies often skipped the hat and wore flowers in their hair for evening looks. A large flower pinned to her dress was also a pretty little something to dress up the day-to-night look. Red gloves were a must, and since I didn’t have red shoes, these black peep toe platform heels were a great choice.

Tip: A pencil skirt dress can have a tendency to get too tight and a bit more va-va-voom than a 1940s classy look. That is ok if you want to look a bit more pin up, otherwise stay clear of a stretchy knit dress. Try on pencil dresses one or two sizes up to get the right fit or mix a correct fitting pencil skirt with white blouse for another simple yet sophisticated look.

Shop more 1940s style shoes here and in wide sizes here.

Pin this! 1940s style shoes

The Pin Up Dress

So what if you do want to be a bit more sexy, a bit more like a pinup girl? Well, then you need a snug fitting pencil dress, AKA a wiggle dress. Real pin up models were not nearly as risque as artistic renderings of them. They wore normal 1940s clothing that was just a hair tighter, with a hemline a little shorter, heels a little taller, and necklines that were a little less modest. I prefer a genuine vintage pin up girl look over burlesque pin up, but both can easily be done with the same clothing.

Me! Dress + Hair Snood

This red Stop Staring brand dress is my favorite 1940s style wiggle dress. Almost all Stop Staring dresses are made to hug your curves and bring out the sex kitten in you. My mannequin is on the skinny side so the dress isn’t as curvy as it fits on me.

I paired it with a black knit snood and felt bow as the hair accessory, which is a great and easy way to deal with long hair. I added black satin gloves (which are more formal than leather gloves) and a modern formal purse on a strap.

The shoes again are the black peep toe platforms.

Pinup wiggle dresses 40s and 50s styles

1940s Cocktail Dress

The final and most formal look I put together is a cocktail dress. Most women couldn’t afford a new ballgown to wear to the theater or special occasions, so instead, they began to wear shorter cocktail dresses. Most cocktail dresses were made of silk or silk like rayon, light layers of chiffon or soft velvet. A ruched bodice, draping folds, and lack of man-ish collars made cocktail dresses more feminine than daytime looks.

My 1940s vintage cocktail dress attire

I lucked out and found this beautiful vintage 1940s blue velvet cocktail dress. There are many 1980s velvet dresses that look ’40s, too.

Online, I look for velvet, satin or chiffon dresses with ruching or long drapes down the side. A satin wiggle dress is a nice look too. Shop 1940s party dresses. 

A fluff feather clip is a formal alternative to hair flowers.

For the accessories, I had to include my vintage fur stole (I have a few faux fur stoles as well). It adds a richness to the look that belongs in fancy evening wear, although they were worn with formal daywear, too.

For the jewelry, I added a rhinestone pin to the front of the dress and a single strand rhinestone necklace (it was actually a headband I made into a necklace). This added a splash of sparkle–because every gal needs a little sparkle in her life.

The headpiece is a vintage veil with little velvet bows on top. Another piece I have is a fluff of feathers that clip into the hair. These are both easy formal alternatives to a hat.  A fascinator is a similar little feather hat/veil headpiece that is easier to buy new.

Black cocktail dress

1940s Evening Dress

While I haven’t a need for a 1940s evening dress, it is on my bucket list to attend the 1940s Ball in Colorado. For that event, I would certainly want to re-create a 40s ballgown and go all out in Old Hollywood glamour!

1949 purple evening gown

Thankfully, many modern-day formal dresses still embrace the 40s evening dress or ballgown style.  I suggest a long column gown with side draping or a fuller tulle gown with an embellished top. Floor-length evening dresses with ruching in the middle or draping around the shoulders are also very ’40s. Some of the sleeker ’30s bias cut gowns can also work for an early 40s look just as the full 1950s ballgowns started in the late 1940s too.

1940s evening dress plan- Hair, accessories jewelry and shoes

Accessorize your 40s evening gown with an updo hairstyle. You can add a pretty hair flower to one side or wear a velvet turban if you don’t want to style your hair.

Formal jewelry was heavy and sparkly (rhinestones, gems, gold) or clean and simple (pearl necklace and multi-strand bracelets). Elbow-length ruched gloves are a nice touch, as is a small flat clutch bag to carry your cell phone.

A fur wrap or shawl is a lovely accessory that oozes glamour. Finally, a pair of heels – either peep toe, ankle strap, T-strap or basic pumps in black with nude or black back seam stockings will complete the outfit.

Learn more about dressing in a 1940s formal dress.

1940s Costumes: Women’s Casual Fashion

For most 1940s themed events you will need one of the above styles of dresses. However, if you want something different or need a costume for a housewife or working woman in the 1940s, then you need one of these casual clothing costumes.

A woman at home in the morning, before going out into town (or all day if she was doing chores), would wear a house dress. They were usually made of cotton in fun little prints like polka dots, checks, small stripes, and florals. They then had rick rack, ruffles or piping trimmed along the sleeves, neckline, pockets, etc.

The buttons down the front make this a shirtwaist style dress, which was a very common house dresses. This dress was a gift from a friend. We believe it was handmade more recently than the ’40s, probably as a costume.

My handmade 1940s house dress

Shirtwaist dresses are still being sold today.  It’s a classic style that never left us. You can also easily make a simple dress from current sewing patterns on the market. Just look for the right shape, cotton print fabric, add some trim, and voila! The dress on the right is one I made from an older Simplicity #2615 dress pattern. It had a round neck that I adjusted to be a sweetheart neckline (very ’40s) and sleeves to match the inspiration dress. While this pattern is out of print, there are many similar ones in the big 3 pattern lines.

There are not many accessories to wear with a house dress. A thin belt is good to add, as well as some low heel shoes. Oxfords are classic low heel house shoes. I found mine at Nordstrom Rack. With the small perforations around the body, they are more of a ’30s style, which many women still wore in the ’40s, too.

You can also add a vintage style apron. Half aprons were very popular in the 1940s, as well as smock top aprons.

Here are a few more daytime/shirtwaist dresses:

Summer Day Dress

In summer, a day dress was simpler than in the fall. Lighter colors, pretty folk art inspired embroidery, and fewer accessories were part of the style. A straw hat was a nice choice for summer but so was no hat at all — just a simple ribbon headband or flowers pinned to the hair was quite common.

My dress is a late 1940s style Graphic Floral Vine Embellished Poplin dress from eShakti. The fuller gathered skirt gives it that early ’50s look. With eShakti, you can customize a few features on any dress. For this one, I opted for short sleeves (it was sleeveless) and a knee length. It turned out great! I could become addicted to eShakti and their dress customization. It is a very easy way to get a 1940s style dress with long sleeves, a longer skirt length, or in a plus size, which are all frequent requests I receive.

The shoes are a pair of yellow Miss L Fire peep toe heels I bought on clearance at ModCloth. They don’t have these exact pair anymore, but they do have others by Miss L Fire that I just love. The teal blue and yellow combination is so summery!

A Peasant Summer

Another option for summertime was the peasant look. The vintage trend was for European folk patterns and prints in both blouses and skirts. For this look, I found a vintage gathered skirt with a border print. I am still on the hunt for a dirndl skirt with a single big ruffle along the bottom.

I then found a vintage peasant top with a gathered neckline and puffy gathered sleeves. It is a small polka dot blue print. So cute! Many peasant skirts have pretty folk pattern embroidery. Those would be perfect.

I added a pair of lace up wedges, also called Espadrille shoes. The lace ties up around the leg. Any pair of wedges with a slingback or peep toe would look great with a summer skirt, too. The heels don’t have to be high – a low heel or even flat shoe is perfectly fine.

A pretty white ribbon headband with hair flower clip decorates the hair. The vintage scarf draped around the neck adds a touch more of the Carmen Miranda style.

1940s peasant skirts and blouses

The Not-a-Dress Outfit

“But I hate to wear dresses! ” say the voices of many women who need to dress 1940s style but despise wearing dresses or skirts. I hear you, ladies. With three small kids, running around in a dress and heels is not my ideal costume to wear anymore.

Luckily, women in the 1940s started to wear pants as part of their sporty or casual wardrobe. Pants, no matter how formal the material, even if paired with a nice blouse and belt, were still not welcome to semi-formal or office work settings. They were, however, worn at home, while running errands, on vacation, or for attending outdoor events.

This pant and blouse look uses a vintage pair of rayon pants. They are wide leg and high waisted, with a belt loop set in the middle of the wide waist band. You can still find wide leg pants like this in stores today. It’s a trend I see coming back in fashion now. The blouse is a classic silk purple button down with collar.

The shoes are two tone loafers from Aerosoles. I also added a pair of round tortoise frame glasses. Retro style glasses and sunglasses are in fashion right now, so it’s a very good time to buy them before they go out of style again. I could add a hat, but for a casual look, hatless is best.

Summer Sporty

With a quick change into a short sleeve blouse, a pair of pants can become even more casual. This look is ready for a nice bicycle ride along the beach. The blouse is the Ruthie 1940s reproduction blouse made by Wearing History Clothing. I love it and all her 1940s clothing. I changed the shoes into another pair of two tone Oxfords by Aerosoles which are the closest thing I have to saddle shoes – the ultimate ’40s casual shoes.

1940s style sunglasses and eye glass frames

A changed out the glasses for sunglasses, too. The ’40s loved round or slightly cat eye plastic frame sunglasses in white or bright colors. I found both the glasses and sunglasses at Forever 21 for less than $5 a pair.  The hair scarf is a new sheer scarf with a vintage travel theme on it. Themed scarves were a big trend at the time. Sort of like a vacation souvenir to collect and wear in the summer. To tie it, I kept it simple and just folded it into a long flat roll and tied it at the top tucking the ends underneath. Use bobby pins to hold it in place.

For Work or Play

A 1940s pant suit wasn’t the business attire I think of today. Instead, pant suits were matching top and bottom sets worn for house work, factory work, or when out for “play,” such as sports and leisure activities. These same pant suits were common in the 1980s and 1990s, too, which is why they are easy and cheap to find in thrift stores. Add a pair of saddle shoes or penny loafers, colorful socks, a pair of leather work gloves, and a hair scarf, and you are all set in a costume no one would think to wear. It’s a conversation starter for sure!

Rosie the Riveter

I couldn’t possibly leave out the most iconic 1940s costume– Rosie the Riveter! Her look is a fun one and fairly easy to put together, although finding just the right overalls was a challenge for me.

1940s denim overalls had wide legs and a full top with sweetheart or square neckline and two wide straps that crossed in the back. Most denim overalls in thrift or new clothing stores have narrow or skinny legs and a bib flap front with buckles, aka the Oshkosh brand look. These overalls are ok in a pinch, but going the extra mile to find a more authentic 1940s style overall is worth it. I stumbled upon these Kim Kardashian overalls at Sears last year. Lucky find!

1944 Women’s Cotton Overalls

My Rosie Look

The shirt was a vintage ’70s knit top with banded rolled sleeves and ribbed collar. I try to find ’40s style knit T-shirts in stores, but they are again not as easy as they seem. 1940s T-shirts had ribbed sleeves– something modern T-shirts often don’t have. They also fit rather snug–no frumpy modern T-shirt look. An easier shirt to find is a short sleeve button down blouse in a solid color or print. If the fit of your overalls comes up high enough on the front and back and it is a hot summer day, you can certainly leave out the shirt. Many girls and teens did this for beach wear in the ’40s.

The hair scarf in this photo is my mom’s 1940s themed scarf. It’s a soft cotton knit, which is much easier to tie and hold in place than a slippery sheer scarf. The shoes are my two tone  Oxfords.

See more 1940s casual outfit ideas for summer.

1940s Costumes: Teenager Fashion

Teens were the leaders of casual fashions in the 1940s. They were the first to choose less tailored and less accessorized clothing for themselves. They set the tone for future women’s clothing fashions.

The teenage girl of the 1940s had a set uniform to wear at school. It was not a uniform chosen by the school administrators. but by each other. It consisted of a plaid A-line skirt, blouse, cardigan or pullover sweater, white socks, and saddle shoes. The plaid skirt could also be a solid color with or without a matching thin leather belt. The button down or knit pullover short sleeve blouse was usually white, but solid colors were ok, too. A pullover or button up cardigan knit sweater was worn in cooler weather. It was two to three sizes too big for a “Sloppy Joe” style or snug and tight for the slightly naughty “sweater girl” look of the late ’40s.

A ring on a chain necklace. Easy.

Girls didn’t wear stockings. They wore white bobby socks either rolled all the way up or neatly folded once over. The shoes were either slip-on penny loafers or two tone brown and white or black and white saddle shoes. The shoes had to be dirty. That was the trendy thing to wear. I’m not sure I would dirty up my saddle shoes for this look. I use them for my ’50s costumes, too, when they had to be perfectly clean to be trendy. Teenagers and their ever-changing fashions!

Jewelry was limited to a locket necklace or a special ring or charm on a chain necklace. A charm bracelet or ID bracelet was also trendy. Pearls were absolutely never worn– much too grown up. Hair was worn shoulder length with a middle part or deep side part. No Victory rolls or fancy finger waves. Teens avoided hats, too, except for church.

The Teenage Rebel

The final costume and other common fashion for teenagers is the rebel. 1940s teens rebelled against stuffy women’s fashions and chose to raid their father’s or brother’s closet. Dark wide leg denim jeans worn one size too big and held up with a western motif belt was the foundation of the fashion. Jeans had rolled cuffs all the way up to the knee in summer. I borrowed my husband’s jeans for this costume.

Next is a men’s button down dress shirt, also with rolled up sleeves. This is a vintage ’40s shirt, but any men’s dress shirt will work. You can tuck it in or leave it untucked.

Finally, you need some classic white socks and a pair of saddle shoes or loafers to complete the look. It is surprisingly the casual “boyfriend” style of today.

More 1940s Outfits

If you want more outfit ideas, check out casual 1940s outfit ideas for summer and 1940s outfit ideas for fall. This round up of 1940s outfits inspiration is yet another one to look at.

How about these Film Noir outfits? Learn more here.

More 1940s costumes?

So there you have it. 16 different looks and how to put them together from new or used clothing.

Sometimes it is just easier (and cheaper) to wear a ready-made Halloween costume. There are some great options for WWII uniforms, nurses, pinups, sailor dresses, Rosie the Riveter, and my favorite, the Rockford Peaches (vintage baseball) costumes. Shop 1940s costumes.

1940s WWII Uniform costumes

Sailor and Nurse. Adorable vintage Halloween costumes

1940s costumes idea- Halloween party costumes