1940s Fashion Costumes

Few publications illustrate so comprehensively what American men, women, and children wore in the 1940s than the Sears catalogs of those years, when the company's fashions typified the tastes of the American mainstream. This book is a compilation of 122 fully illustrated and captioned pages selected and reproduced from rare copies of Sears catalogs of the World War II era.Over 120 large-format pages have been carefully reprinted on high-quality glossy stock. They reveal in sharp detail the broad... [Read More]

For thousands of women across America, hard hit when the frivolity of the twenties ended so resoundingly with the Crash of '29, the pages of the Sears catalog became an essential resource in maintaining a wardrobe. An ambitious marketing operation, it could not afford to take chances on haute couture; its fashions were geared as closely as possible to the prevailing tastes of the American people. For this historically accurate sampling of authentic 1930s fashion, Stella Blum, former Curator of t... [Read More]

The Smiffy's vintage nurse costume. Please note that all our Smiffy's products will always come in full Smiffy's branded packaging.

This scrupulously researched, meticulously rendered collection spotlights multiple generations of a family for each decade of the twentieth century. Apparel includes everything from ankle-length tennis outfits and men's formal wear of the 1910s to military outfits from both World Wars, high-fashion suits and dresses in the post WWI years, and wedding finery spanning several decades.These immediately useable illustrations have a host of applications for fashion and costume designers, fashion hist... [Read More]

For everyone who has wanted to not only learn about 1940s fashion but actually wear them comes the 1940s Style Guide. Packed with detailed style history for women and men, hair and makeup tutorials, and links to hundreds of shopping resources the Style Guide is a road map to recreating the 1940s look. The 1940s Style Guide will walk you through the clothes, shoes and accessories that a man or woman in the 1940s would wear. From dresses to swimsuits, neckties to earrings, and pajamas to girdles ... [Read More]

Tracing the evolution of fashion — from the early draped fabrics of ancient times to the catwalk couture of today — Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style is a stunningly illustrated guide to more than three thousand years of shifting trends and innovative developments in the world of clothing. Containing everything you need to know about changing fashion and style — from ancient Egyptian dress to Space Age Fashion and Grunge — and information on icons like Marie Antoinette... [Read More]

How to Draw & Paint Fashion & Costume Design, the third book in the Walter Foster Collectibles series, contains yet another extraordinary collection of vintage Walter Foster titles from the 1940s through the 1960s, including Female Fashion, How to Draw and Paint Today's Fashions, How to Draw and Paint Fashions, and the Art of Costume Design. In addition to providing an overview of basic drawing and painting techniques, artists will learn how to capture figures in various poses, as well as the dy... [Read More]

Fashions from the 1940s rank among the most popular and most influential in modern times. In vogue again today, these classic designs — characterized by wide, padded shoulders and slim silhouettes — were born, largely, from the need to conserve materials during World War II. With the war's end, designers rejected the austere conditions imposed on them earlier in the decade and the New Look was inaugurated — an ultra-feminine line that displayed close-fitting bodices and long, full skirts.F... [Read More]

"A fascinating narrative… Great stories, remarkable acts of patriotism…mark the indomitable spirit of humanity."―Booklist Here is a definitive look at fashion in the 1940s―from French style under the Occupation and the “make do and mend” approach to wartime clothing shortages through the development of faux fabrics, the rise of American fashion houses, and the New Look of the post- war period. The illustrations reveal the wide range of fashions and styles from the 1940s in North Amer... [Read More]

Featuring 600 totally original, never-seen-before photographs and illustrations - completely redefining the appraisal of 1940's fashionPicks up on the current trend for vintage fashion, retro style and nostalgia—the 1940's is a key fashion trendIntroduction offers a unique perspective pulling together the social, economic, and cultural factors that influenced this unique period, including the Wall Street crash and Hollywood glamorAn essential sourcebook for fashion designers, students, vintage... [Read More]