Ha. Im 5’7 and just feel awkward… have you found any ‘mini wedges’, The only thing I am unsure about is wearing wedges. I used to feel identical way about maxisI bought one and had it hemmed, and now it looks awesome AND I can’t wear it with flats! My favorite way to wear I know it’s with the chambray pullover from Crew factory, it’s a great transition for spring ALSO, I am in love with the blue Vince Camuto dress that was at the bottom of the post…I mentioned it in a post a few weeks ago for my spring/summer wish list and I seriously think about buying it each day. I take it. Evening wear was one of the concerns that still had glamour in the ’40s.
Blackish was the most popular color, and pinks, reds and blues were often used as well.
Sequins and beads were not rationed or restricted, and were put on everything.
Dresses and gowns were simple but shiny, and did tend to be more on the casual side than anything in the decades before or after. Vintage Knitting Pattern to Make a 1940’s Lace Evening Gown, was worn on p of the dress. They will have similar decorations and would close with a button at the p or middle or should be left open. Dinner jacket was decorated with sequins and beads, either all over or down the front and had square shoulder pads. Consequently, a bolero jacket was also worn a lot as a dinner jacket. Buttons on dinner jackets were often decorated themselves with beads or rhinestones. I’m sure you heard about this. While coming only to the waist, with rounded edges at the front, these were short. Suddenly fashion turned back in time to the Victorian age, especially formal gowns and dresses, that embraced fitted bodices, puffed sleeves and large full skirts.
It’s an interesting fact that the result is classic, pretty, and simple 1940s formal gowns and dresses that teens wore to prom and women out to a fancy dinner with dancing.
The economy still wasn’t very good so the 1940s compromised and blended Victorian style with budget friendly design.
In 1939 Gone with the Wind came to theaters with amazing success. Semi full A line skirts in the 1940s, the very full skirt of the Victorian age was reduced to long. That said, a petticoatwas worn underneath to add fullness otherwise skirts were simply cut wide or pleated at the waist or layered in tulle. Later in the 1950s skirts shortened and expanded even wider with the use of multiple petticoats and hoop skirts. Besides, the princess ballgown was inspired by Gone with the Wind.
Princess ballgown was the most popular style for teens attending a prom. Prom dance was a relatively new invention in the late ’30s and ’40s and teens made extra effort to wear their best dresses to the dance. Did you know that a high neck beaded or rhinestone necklace in single or multiple stands was the most popular. So a shawl of identical material as the dress was a less costly alternative to furs. Beauty of 1940s formal dresses was all that was needed for a night out. There’s a lot more info about this stuff here. Although the design shouldn’t overpower the dress, a pair of sparkling earrings was a must. Jewelry was minimal as well if worn really.
Some semi formal or cocktail dresses may have had a fancy brooch worn instead of a necklace. Quite a few women did choose to accessorize their gowns with long grey or white gloves.To keep warm, a fur stole, was frequently prominent on movie stars and in high end fashion magazines. Often also had short or ¾ length sleeves, they could’ve thin straps. These dresses often had shirring in the waist, one panel on either side, or in the bust. Make sure you drop some comments about it in the comment form. Evening dresses were usually highcut in the neck, similar to day dresses of the time.
They also often had a cross wrapped bodice with draping that ok on the look of Grecian goddesses.
With a similar flowing skirt, semi formal evening dresses also called cocktail dresses were also worn shorter, just below the knee.
Skirts were sometimes draped. It surely had the ever present sharp ’40s shoulder pads, if the dress had sleeves. Heels were a bit thinner than day time shoes which featured sturdy cuban or military heels. Generally, long dresses usually uched the floor hiding any evidence of shoes altogether. Besides, without straps or ornamentation of the e box, shoes were usually simple pumps. Plenty of info can be found online. Although a light color dress should need lighter shoes, blackish was the standard color.