on the dissemination of fashion as millions flocked to movie palaces each
week. Dictating fashion trends was no longer the exclusive prerogative of
Paris. Hollywood became a source of new fashion trends, and the Ameri-
can fashion designer was born.
The influence of movies continued through the 1940s, and they played
a prominent role in the war effort. Theaters frequently showed propaganda
films, and rationing and contributing to the war effort were frequent
themes of these films. Veronica Lake, an actress famous for her long, sul-
try hair, began to pull her hair back into an upsweep and publicly
requested women in factories to do the same for safety. Even subtle styling
in movies hinted at the impact the war had on fashion. For instance, Casa-
blanca, with all of its intrigue, showed Humphrey Bogar t with his trench
coat belt knotted, not buckled, as metal was diverted to the war effort.
At the start of the 1900s, the ‘‘S’’ silhouette was fashionable. The
tightly corseted waist of this silhouette was offset by the ample, and often
padded, bosom and the round bottom. By the 1910s, the corseting had
loosened and waists resumed a somewhat more natural shape. Skirts
became shorter and more functional, and women began to wear untucked
tunics over skirts by the end of the decade.
A boyish pencil-thin silhouette marked the 1920s. Hemlines rose to
mid-calf and, in some cases, nearly knee-length. At the same time waist-
lines lowered, hair was bobbed and topped by a close-fitting cloche style
hat. The economic hardships brought about by the Great Depression soon
changed the ideal body shape for both men and women: thin was no lon-
ger in. Shapely curves for women and broad shoulders for men helped
camouflage weight loss brought on by malnourishment.
The 1940s came with renewed prosperity and wartime frugality. Fab-
rics and metals were to be conserved so the silhouette was streamlined to
minimize the use of materials. Details such as lapels, buckles, and pocket
flaps were omitted from c lothing. Women often had to assume the man’s
role at home, and soon the woman’s silhouette sported masculine shoulder
pads and close-fitting skirts.
Every period has its own ideal of beauty, shaped by the political, social,
and cultural events of its time. Taken out of context, fashion can often
appear ludicrous. Only when examined as an element of an era can fashion
be understood. The first half of the twentieth century was marked by
numerous significant political and cultural changes: war, activism, fluctua-
tions in immigrant populations, and changes in the perception of women,
all of which manifested themselves in the fashions worn by men, women,
and children. Society was transformed, changing the way people viewed
the world around them, and fashion reflected those changes.
Fashion
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