Posted in 1940s Fashion Ireland, tagged 1940s Fashion, 1940s Ireland, Cassidy's Shop Dublin, Found Photographs, Irish Snapshots, Switzers Department Store, The Emergency, Vernacular Photography, World War II on August 18, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Just a quick post to say that I’ll be giving a talk tomorrow, Friday 19th of August, at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, on the subject of fashion and dress in Ireland during World War Two. Amongst other things, I’ll be talking about rationing, demob suits and how according to Switzers Department store “slacks were playing an increasingly important role in the modern young lady’s wardrobe.”
The tour starts at 12.30 and further details can be found here.
Posted in 1940s Fashion Ireland, tagged 1940s cosmetics, 1940s Dublin, 1940s fabrics, 1940s fashions, 1940s Ireland, Found Photographs, Irish Photography, Studio Portraits on May 9, 2011 | 1 Comment »
This striking portrait was pasted down in an album containing mostly Dublin images. Unfortunately, I have no way of seeing if there is any information on the back of it. The woman’s hair, makeup and clothing are typical of the 1940s. Dark lipstick, with the top lip slightly exaggerated, was also popular during this decade.
When researching the fashions of this era, I find the following titles invaluable: Jonathan Walford’s Forties Fashion:From Siren Suit to The New Look (2010) and Colin McDowell’s Forties Fashion and the New Look (1996).
The unusual numerical pattern on the above dress reminds me of a 1941 fabric called ‘Coupons’ which was based on the number of ration coupons required for certain types of clothing during the World War Two. This pattern was reproduced by Persephone Books for the endpapers of their beautiful edition of wartime stories by Mollie Panter-Downes entitled Good Evening, Mrs Craven.
In Ireland, clothes rationing was announced by the Minister for Supplies on the 8th June 1942. See Clare County Library’s site for examples of Irish ration books in their collections.
Posted in 1940s Fashion Ireland, tagged 1940s, 1940s Fashion, 1940s Ireland, An Óige - Irish Youth Hostel Association, Avoca, County Wicklow, Cycling, Floral Frocks, Found Photographs, Ireland, Irish Photography on October 12, 2009 | 1 Comment »
This series of snapshots shows a group of young women travelling around Wicklow in the 1940s. They were members of An Óige – the Irish Youth Hostel Association which was founded in 1931 to encourage young people to appreciate the Irish countryside through hostelling. It was part of a larger movement in Europe which promoted wholesome outdoor activities!
The first photo shows a group who are all wearing floral dresses. Jo Turney and Rosemary Harden compiled an excellent book on floral frocks throughout the 20th century to mark an exhibition held in the Bath Fashion Museum in 2007. The Victoria and Albert Museum’s Costume Collection also includes a cotton floral dress from this period and a rayon dress with a similar cut to the blouses and skirts shown in the third image above.
