Digital History Internship Projects

Soon after the United States’ entry into World War II, fashion became a tool for morale. Clothing and style were promoted as a means of expressing the unique patriotic duty of the American woman. The New York Dress Institute, an organization established to promote the American fashion industry after the Nazi occupation of Paris, stated, “More than any other group, the women of a nation carry the delicate flower of morale in their hands. From them, as ever, must come the fragrance of a life worth fighting for…On them is the burden of relief from the tragic, the grim, and the drab.” Institutions such as the NYDI made it clear to American women that they had a unique role to play in the war effort. And that role was to look good. Ads that ran in the New York times in late 1942 declared, “America doesn’t want its women looking dreary. It wants you looking nice.”

Looking nice, however, was much harder during the war years than it had been previously. Federal laws imposed for the duration of the war placed limits on the use of certain materials that were deemed necessary to preserve for the war effort. General Limitation Order L-85, passed by the federal government in spring 1942, called for the ration of materials such as cotton, silk, rayon, and nylon. Restrictions and outright bans were also placed on particular styles that required the use of much excess fabric, such as attached hoods or shawls. Thus, garments that adhered to the L-85 standards, but still appeared fashionable became the new style of the war years. These garments were “streamlined” and consisted of narrower skirts and shorter hems. Blouses, dresses, and jackets no longer had pockets, ruffles, or belts. This new look became the standard during the war years and served as a means of performing both aspects of patriotic duty assigned to American women: to follow the law and look good doing it.