Fashion on the Ration

Last week my friend Kate and I went to the Imperial War Museum for their exhibit, Fashion on the Ration. 

I took a bunch of photos before someone told me there was no photography allowed (I actually looked for signs this time and didn't see any). It was interesting to be able to compare London landmarks now to how they looked in during the war. The photo on the left is Oxford Street outside Selfridges and the one on the right is Piccadilly Circus. 

The exhibit showed that the war did not stop trends and actually had a long lasting impression on fashion. Uniforms were worn regularly by both men and women. People wanted more durable clothing and the phrase "make do and mend" became the motto of many households. Trousers became acceptable clothing for women as their roles changed to include more manual tasks. 

I enjoyed seeing advertisements from stores that are still popular in London. Fortnum and Mason is best known for their fancy grocery selection and Church's is a fancy shoe store with many locations around the city. 

The siren suit was a onesie that people would put over their clothing if they had to quickly escape to an air raid shelter. Many women added details such as hoods, belts, and piping to make their siren suits more fashionable.

Functional fashion became necessary during the war. The two purses below have compartments for gas masks. The off-white circle pins below glow blue in the dark to prevent collisions during blackout periods. Blackouts began in 1939 as a way to make it more challenging for German bombers to find their targets. 

These next two dresses feature map style prints. The one on the right is made from silk maps given to those serving in the allied airforce as an escape map in case they were shot down. Silk was used rather than paper because it could get wet or crushed without damaging the map. 

The London-based textile company, Jacqmar, created these scarves with patriotic messages such as "Salvage Your Rubber" and "American Forces in London" (that one was designed as a souvenir for American troops). Scarves as head coverings became very popular as shampoo was scarce so women wanted to cover up their unwashed hair. They also prevented long hair from getting caught in factory machines. 

I really enjoyed the exhibit and was glad that Kate went with me. The exhibit typically costs £10 but I had a 2 for 1 coupon from taking the train. It was definitely worth seeing but I know I wouldn't have gone if I had to pay full price.