Inspirations From The Past // 1944

it's time for some new inspirations from the past ... 1944 - a magazine from the late years of WWII. the topics of this issue are all about creating new clothes from old garments, patterns that need just a little fabric and designs, especially made for two different fabrics and scraps...

isn't it interesting to see, that finally the shortage of resources had changed the face of this magazine? earlier magazines were quite full with colourful fashion prints (here, here, here) - it went to just black, red and green. ... but, it was still there. between bombings, burned down homes, killed family members - there was still a sewing magazine.

my dear friend jessica from chronically vintage wrote in one of  her past comments on my blog, that she had read about ... that in WWII .... exceedingly few of the garments in their fashion magazines during the time were actually available and that that these magazines were more like propaganda tools unto themselves to keep up the appearances of society operating like usual in some respects. she also asked me, if i think there is truth in this case. yes, i'm pretty sure there is truth in this statement. the nazi propaganda machine in this time was still big and constantly working ... but i have to say, that i have never found a fashion magazine from this era - just sewing/handy craft magazines!

the bombings of the bigger german cities got more intense in 1944, people/women spent a lot of their time waiting in air raid shelters or the cellers of their houses during the alerts fearing death. i remember that my granny once told me, that next to talking about food, chatting about clothes or "where to get a scarf, a pair of shoes, a piece of fabric, an old coat or whatever ... and what to create ou of it" was a big topic.  

she also told me, once she had to stand in line for an entire day and night to get a ration card for a pair of shoes. then when she was lucky to get a card, she had to spend another day waiting in line to get shoes. sometimes the little wooden booth was already almost empty, when it was her turn to run in. she actually didn't have the time to look at size, material or style of the shoe - she had to grab a pair before someone else could grab it! but the young teenage lady she was, had always a good and fast eye for fancy pieces. she came home with a tiny pair of beautiful brown snake skin pumps. i hope, her feet were tiny enough for those ...

whatever women went trough in these times, keeping a nice and neat appearance seemed to be quite important ... don't we still know today, that dressing up makes us feel better on bad days.