The 1940s
The 1940s was marked with World War II by splitting the decade between war and post-war years. The wardrobe shows the drabness of the war years while in the post-war years colors again return with a vibrant palette. The new styles included Hawaiian shirts for the men and softer, brighter colors for the ladies. A welcome change from the austerity measures implemented during the War. The Pacific Theater played an important part in the styling of the 1940s. The last half of the decade were styled very differently from the first half and the changes continued into the 1950s and beyond.
The war years constrained supplies of materials and other goods and many products were simply reserved in support of the troops. These years were pivotal years for change in many ways as is seen in the before and after style.
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