Presented by:
Linda Przybyszewski, associate professor of history
Women’s fashion faced some of its greatest challenges in the 1940s. World War II meant that fabrics and plastics were devoted to the war effort, Paris—long the source of all fashion trends—was cut off from the world, and women entered the work force in record numbers. But necessity was the mother of invention. Designers created uniforms for women in the armed forces and factories, and women learned to use what they could find.
Fashion controversies flared. Men’s zoot suits sparked the worst fashion riots since the French Revolution. After the war, a style revolution for women came when Christian Dior’s New Look rendered entire wardrobes obsolete in 1947. Was it return to luxury or to oppression?
Location: Scholars Lounge, Hesburgh Library
Contact:
Helen Cawley
o: 574-631-4039
e: hcawley@nd.edu
Learn more about One Book One Michiana
March 31 – April 30, 2017
Originally published at conductorshare.nd.edu.