The Deepings Dolls

The War Years and In Between 1915 - 1945

We remember the airmen and the nurses of WWI, years that heralded many changes for women's rights and freedoms, before plunging into ... the 1920s, and all that jazz, with The Bright Young Things. The fashion of the flapper style did not, however show the knees, as we may have supposed, but an awful lot more leg was on view that had been previously. This style became very popular with the emerging middle classes, and a clever seamstress could run up her own garments much more easily. Chaps relaxed into jackets and blazers, caps and trilbies, and children's clothes began to shed formality. The 1930s saw a return to a more ladylike and genteel appearance. Gone were the flat chest and the fringe. The 1930s woman had waistline curves, a softer, prettier look. Practical daywear made an appearance, and eveningwear became glamorous again.

WWII, utility fashion took the fore, and knitting came back with a vengeance. Being patriotic meant growing vegetables and knitting, garments for yourself and for the troops. So Grandad 'Dug for Victory' and Granny knitted socks. Many women took their men's places in factory and farm, and wearing overalls and boilersuits became just as common as a nurse's uniform for women.