Roberta Clerle Sadocco Pereira
Fashion Forecasting
September 13, 2016
Mapping the Zeitgeist in the 40’s
Nystrom’s Framework (1928) of Dominating:
Events
In 1939 World War II started, impacting the lives of millions of families directly and indirectly. The war lasted almost six years ending in 1945 followed by its leaders, Adolf Hitler, suicide. It was not until Japan bombarded Pearl Harbor in 1941 that United States, under Franklin D. Roosevelts (1882-1945) command, joined the Allies to fight against Nazi Germany.
One of the turning points of WWII was the Battle of Stalingrad (July 1942- February 1943) where the Soviet Union stopped the German advances, shifting the tide of war in favor of the Allies. The battle is considered the bloodiest in history with combined casualties of almost 2 million. Another important event was D-Day in 1944 when the Allies invaded Normandy giving them a fighting chance at winning the war.
In 1945, United States bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki as an attempt to end WWII earlier. Years later in 1949 the Soviet Union figured out how to produce atomic bombs and threatens the American supremacy.
The most famous post-war speech given by British ex-prime minister Winston Churchill, about an “Iron Curtain”, marked the end of relations with the communist Soviet Union which until then was seen as an ally to both Britain and United States. Churchill’s speech changed the way the Democratic West looked at the Communist East. In hopes of stopping the spread of communism over Europe, the United States created the Marshall Plan in 1947, which gave over $120 billion to rebuild European countries after WWII. Also in 1947, Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier and the first black baseball player was introduced in the Major League as part of the Dodgers, Jackie Robinson.
Ghandi, leader of the Indian Independent movement when the country was still under British rule, was assassinated in 1948. He became known for applying civil disobedience as a form of protest and his death consolidated the Indian state power. In that same year the policy of Apartheid begun in South Africa, segregating people of different races and bringing oppression to the black majority of the country.
In efforts to increase leverage over the United States rule, the Soviet Union supported China in becoming communist. Countries not interested in joining communism sought American support and protection by creating the National Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949, “NATO’s essential purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of its member through political and military means.
Many products were developed during the 40’s, such as, t-shirts and bikinis that were made thanks to the introduction of Nylon to the market in 1940. Ballpoint pens started being sold in stores as well as Tupperware containers, kitty litter, disposable diapers, Velcro and LEGO’s.
The Abstract Impressionist movement started evolving 1939 and became massive in the late 40’s, with artist like Jackson Polock and Franz Kline. This art movement focused on the feelings and intensity instead of spotlighting images that do not need further interpretation, the artists preferred to have people read into their work and come up with their own conclusions. Art was highly impacted by WWII, since some art works expressed discontent with the political situation and were seen as “degenerate”, resulting in the destruction and confiscation of some pieces.
Music in the 1940’s helped develop what later became Rock with Elvis Presley as its main representative. Big band swing was the music of the decade, with Frank Sinatra being the main star out of a band group, Sinatra was the first teen idol with songs that appealed to the younger generation. Another important icon was Bill Crosby who mastered all the major media formats of the decade, movies, radio and recorded music. At the time Jazz also turned into a favorite with Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday as its main personalities. With idealized depictions in movies, the romanticized cowboy gave space for Western music to spread across the country as well.
Ideals, Social Groups and Attitude
The ideals of the 40’s were patriotism, functionality and feminism. The main social group were working women and soldiers and on the other side of the spectrum housewives. The overall attitude throughout the decade was differentiation, women got industrial jobs and the hopes of being victorious in war illustrate the differentiation.
Technology
The 40’s were a great decade in term of technological evolution. The microwave was invented, polaroid cameras, color television started being tested for mass consumption and Jeep became the first four-wheel drive to be mass produced apart from being the main vehicle used during WWII. In 1942 the first automatic electronic digital computer was developed and tested, the Atanasoff-Berry computer (ABC), it was only able to solve linear equations but it was an advance that shaped modern technology.
The Big Picture/Fashion
The signature look for the 1940’s was the Dior Look, introduced in 1947. It was marked by cinched waist and voluminous skirts, giving women an hourglass figure. When it was first launched, women were not content with the length of skirts since the limitations on fabric made hems shorter during the war, but overall the New Look is considered a turning point in women’s fashion and reestablished Paris as the center of the fashion world post WWII.
Another designer that made a name for himself on the 40’s was Cristobàl Balenciaga, according to the Times writer Prudence Glyn, “In post-war fashion, Dior became a household word through the influence of the New Look, but for the purists there was only one proper direction in which to bow, Balenciaga.”
The fashion look included in-built padding in the hip and shoulder area and mid-calf length skirt to emphasize hips and bust. Women always wore gloves that matched their outfits and fur was very popular at the time, as well as animal skins on purses, sleeves and lining. During the war, the color pallet was dull with dark greens and khakis as the main colors, nautical themes were also incorporated into fashion as pants and wedges popularity increased. The bohemians were mostly black after WWII in contrast with the colorful patterns and fabrics that were being worn. The preferred fabric was rayon or nylon for evening dresses and cotton for staying at home outfits.
The 40’s was the decade of pin-up girls and the Hollywood Golden Age, so movie stars were the biggest influencers when it comes to lifestyle and fashion. Between those were Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers and Veronica Lake; The beauty standard was classic and in the 40’s women started paying attention to what they ate and became more conscious about their body.
Dominating events impact fashion because anything that happens in a large scale affects people and the way they think, during World War II there was a shortage in fabrics, so skirts became shorter and colors darkened. When war was over society was overjoyed and started wearing bright colored outfits. While men were at war, women had to substitute them at the industries, changing the way women dress according to the job
Works Cited
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1940timeline.htm
http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/blogs/544203/1940s-fashion-the-decade-captured-in-40-incredible-pictures.html
http://www.retrowaste.com/1940s/fashion-in-the-1940s/
http://www.idealiststyle.com/blog/beauty-ideal-over-the-decades-part-9-the-40s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan
http://www.nato.int/nato-welcome/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atanasoff–Berry_computer
http://rf1940s.weebly.com/inventionstechnology.html
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/abex/hd_abex.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_and_World_War_II
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1940s_in_music
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_style
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Dior
http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG10275681/The-mysterious-Cristobal-Balenciaga.html