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40s Dresses & Clothing
At Mondo Kaos, we think the 40s was a very exciting fashion decade because the Second World War had such a huge impact on everything in society, including fashion and style, and therefore we can divide the fashion of the 40s into two periods: the wartime and the post-war period. During the war, there were restrictions and rationing on many different consumer goods, including fabric, and therefore both designers and ordinary women were challenged to create something beautiful and fashionable with very few resources.
By the late 1930s, simplicity and minimalism began to dominate the fashion scene, and the ultra-feminine look was replaced by practical and wearable clothing. Skirts became shorter and less full, simply because bias cuts and full-length dresses used too much fabric. After the end of the war, the fashion industry flourished again, kicked off by Dior's first two collections from 1947, two collections that would prove to be iconic for the fashion industry ever since.
The 40s dress
As mentioned before, we can divide fashion in the 40s into two periods, and both periods had their own silhouette. The dress in the early 40s was a simple dress with few details, and it had an edgy look with pointed shoulders and a narrow silhouette, inspired by soldiers' uniforms. A-line and pencil cut dresses were the most common, and were worn for everyday wear as well as festive or formal occasions. Women during the war were just as vain as women before and after, so they were very creative in their personal expression - for example, the peplum skirt was actually invented in the early 40s by a designer who wanted to create a full silhouette with a minimal use of fabric. Along with the peplum dress, the shirt dress and wrap dress were the most popular dress styles in the early 40s.
The dress of the late 40s was almost the diametric opposite of the simple, practical dress of the beginning of the decade, because the dress of the late 40s had a full silhouette with a defined waist: the iconic hourglass silhouette recreated by Dior in 1947, which became really popular in the 50s. Dresses with very full swing skirts became popular because with their large amounts of fabric, they showed and symbolized that the war and rationing era was over and that a new chapter had begun. Furthermore, the new look design was also created to show the soft, round and feminine aspects of the female figure that had been hidden away in the masculine and practical uniform look of the early 40s.
The shirt dress in the 40s
Theshirt dress is one of the classic dress styles of the 40s. It's practical and stylish and can be worn for many different occasions, both at home and out and about. The shirt dress is characterized by a waist cut, collar, button fastening and short or long sleeves, often with a small turn-up and puff at the shoulders. The skirt is predominantly A-line, which gives a great silhouette and is practical to move in. The design is simple and minimalistic, inspired by the military uniforms of the war. The first shirt dresses only had a button closure in the bodice, like a shirt paired with a skirt, but later on, dresses with a full-length button closure also appeared, with the most common design being a plain vertical closure - although closures were also designed that sloped to one side or the other, creating more shape!
Swas the dress of the 40s
Another classic dress style in the 40s was the wrap dress. It was versatile like the shirt dress and could be worn for many of the day's activities. In addition, the wrap dress in the 40s was often designed to be folded and tied on both the right and left side. The reason for this was that the dress could be 'reused' when it got dirty on the front, because the woman wearing it could simply untie it and put the inner piece in the front, making it look nice and clean. This meant that the woman could wear the same dress all day, which was both practical and economical.
Cocktail dress in the 40s
Throughout the 30s, the concept of 'cocktail parties' became more and more popular and by the 40s, almost every woman, regardless of social status, owned a nice dress that could be worn to these events. The cocktail dress in the 40s was a simple, semi-formal dress that was 'dressed up' with jewelry and a hat to create a suitably elegant look. As with the other popular dress styles, the A-line cut was the preferred cut in the early 40s, while in the later 40s the pencil cut was the most popular.
Looking for the complete 40s look?
If you don't just want a 40s style dress, but want to complete the 40s look, we have pretty much everything you need. We have nylon stockings with seams that give any 40s outfit an authentic vintage touch. We have 40s shoes and boots that exude classic pinup and Film Noir, and we have 40s coats and jackets that create both the early 40s 'wartime pinup look' and the late 40s 'new look'. If you're not into dresses but still want to create a feminine 40s look, we also have 40s shirts, tops, skirts and trousers in several colors and styles. This way you can easily style yourself in authentic 40s style and create your own personal look!
Click here to see our selection ofplus size dresses & other clothing
See all our 40s dresses in our Copenhagen store
You can browse our webshop to see what we have to offer in 40s dresses and other 40s clothing, but if you have the opportunity to visit our store in Copenhagen, we recommend you do so to see our full range of amazing 40s clothing.
We'll be happy to welcome you and give you guidance and tips for your personalized 1940s look.
Of course, we also offer a great selection of 50s dresses and clothes in both the store and here on the webshop. Check it out here.
Of course, we also offer a good selection of 60s dresses and clothes in both our store and here on the webshop. Check it out here.
Do you have any questions about our 40s dresses?
At Mondo Kaos, our first priority is always happy customers. So if you have any questions about our range of 40s dresses or other clothes, please don't hesitate to contact us.
You can reach us every weekday on 60 95 11 36 between 09:00-12:00 -
beyond this time, it can be difficult for us to answer the phone if we are busy in the store. Therefore, it would be an advantage to write your question to shop@mondokaos.dk where we strive to respond within one business day.