--- description: See the fashions of the 1940s in photos from LIFE Magazine, from structured wartime suits to more feminine postwar styles. title: See the Best Fashions of the 1940s image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff35bf9f3bbe4d0c/69887086e20a870191a8e260/151104-1940s-fashion-25.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [fashion](/tag/fashion/) ## fashion Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # See the Best Fashions of the 1940s  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Nov 18, 2015 2:12 PM CUT  January 8, 1945 issue of LIFE magazine. January 8, 1945 issue of LIFE magazine.Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Nov 18, 2015 2:12 PM CUT Two events define 1940s fashion more than any others. The first was the beginning of World War II, in 1939\. The second was its end, six years and one day later. American trends in the decade can be distinctly divided into those influenced by the changes brought by war—in particular the rationing of materials and the increase in women’s participation in the workforce—and those inspired by the freedom of post-war peace. By the end of 1942, materials like wool and nylon had joined sugar and coffee on the growing list of rationed goods. Leather shoes would follow suit the next year, and Americans were strongly urged to donate scrap metal to the war effort. As a result, the silhouettes _de rigueur_ at the beginning of the decade were essentially frozen in time, and fashion entered a no-frills period. (Quite literally—ruffles were among a list of details, including extra buttons and pockets, eliminated during times of austerity.) As a growing number of women entered the workforce to fill posts vacated by men at war, the popularity of pants skyrocketed—in part because factory work required the range of motion afforded by trousers, in part because nylon had been diverted from the manufacturing of stockings to the creation of parachutes. Many women sported tailored suits with squared shoulders and narrow waists, sometimes repurposing the suits that languished in their husbands’ closets. And simple styles ruled the day as European fashions ceased to be available stateside. But the tide shifted following the war—not all at once, but gradually—as Paris resumed its place as the headquarters of couture and Christian Dior’s “New Look” reintroduced more traditionally feminine styles. Utility gave way to softness as square shoulders were rounded and slim skirts became fuller. And the late ‘40s introduced a newly defined segment of the population, and with it a whole new style icon: [the teenager](http://time.com/3639041/the-invention-of-teenagers-life-and-the-triumph-of-youth-culture/ "undefined"). _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk "undefined")_._  March 4, 1940 issue of LIFE magazine. George Karger—LIFE Magazine  April 22, 1940 issue of LIFE magazine. Peter Stackpole—LIFE Magazine  May 13, 1940 issue of LIFE magazine. Alfred Eisenstaedt—LIFE Magazine  October 21, 1940 issue of LIFE magazine. Gjon Mili—LIFE Magazine  January 13, 1941 issue of LIFE magazine. George Karger—LIFE Magazine  March 24, 1941 issue of LIFE magazine. Herbert Gehr—LIFE Magazine  April 7, 1941 issue of LIFE magazine. Gjon Mili—LIFE Magazine  May 19, 1941 issue of LIFE magazine. Herbert Gehr—LIFE Magazine  April 20, 1942 issue of LIFE magazine. Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  May 11, 1942 issue of LIFE magazine. Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  July 20, 1942 issue of LIFE magazine. Walter Sanders—LIFE Magazine  August 24, 1942 issue of LIFE magazine. Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  October 5, 1942 issue of LIFE magazine. Philippe Halsman—LIFE Magazine  November 16, 1942 issue of LIFE magazine. Walter Sanders—LIFE Magazine  March 1, 1943 issue of LIFE magazine. Philippe Halsman—LIFE Magazine  May 3, 1943 issue of LIFE magazine. Philippe Halsman—LIFE Magazine  September 13, 1943 issue of LIFE magazine. Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  October 11, 1943 issue of LIFE magazine. Philippe Halsman—LIFE Magazine  November 15, 1943 issue of LIFE magazine. Walter Sanders—LIFE Magazine  December 6, 1943 issue of LIFE magazine. Walter Sanders—LIFE Magazine  May 8, 1944 issue of LIFE magazine. Philippe Halsman—LIFE Magazine  July 17, 1944 issue of LIFE magazine. Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  August 28, 1944 issue of LIFE magazine. Zoltan S. Farkas—LIFE Magazine  October 9, 1944 issue of LIFE magazine. George Karger—LIFE Magazine  January 8, 1945 issue of LIFE magazine. Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  February 19, 1945 issue of LIFE magazine. Alfred Eisenstaedt—LIFE Magazine  July 9, 1945 issue of LIFE magazine. Ewing Krainin—LIFE Magazine  October 15, 1945 issue of LIFE magazine. Alfred Eisenstaedt—LIFE Magazine  November 19, 1945 issue of LIFE magazine. Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  December 10, 1945 issue of LIFE magazine. Philippe Halsman—LIFE Magazine  January 14, 1946 issue of LIFE magazine. Philippe Halsman—LIFE Magazine  April 15, 1946 issue of LIFE magazine. Ralph Crane—LIFE Magazine  June 17, 1946 issue of LIFE magazine. Lisa Larsen—LIFE Magazine  October 14, 1946 issue of LIFE magazine. Ralph Crane—LIFE Magazine  November 18, 1946 issue of LIFE magazine. Loomis Dean—LIFE Magazine  January 13, 1947 issue of LIFE magazine. Philippe Halsman—LIFE Magazine  March 31, 1947 issue of LIFE magazine. Philippe Halsman—LIFE Magazine  May 5, 1947 issue of LIFE magazine. Andre De Dienes—LIFE Magazine  June 23, 1947 issue of LIFE magazine. Philippe Halsman—LIFE Magazine  September 22, 1947 issue of LIFE magazine. Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  January 12, 1948 issue of LIFE magazine. Philippe Halsman—LIFE Magazine  March 29, 1948 issue of LIFE magazine. Sharland—LIFE Magazine  June 7, 1948 issue of LIFE magazine. Lisa Larsen—LIFE Magazine  October 18, 1948 issue of LIFE magazine. Gordon Parks—LIFE Magazine  November 29, 1948 issue of LIFE magazine. Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  January 17, 1949 issue of LIFE magazine. Leonard McCombe—LIFE Magazine  April 25, 1949 issue of LIFE magazine. Gordon Parks—LIFE Magazine  June 6, 1949 issue of LIFE magazine. Lisa Larsen—LIFE Magazine  August 29, 1949 issue of LIFE magazine. Philippe Halsman—LIFE Magazine  November 14, 1949. Arnold Newman—LIFE Magazine ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4108137/1940s-fashion-photos/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4108137/1940s-fashion-photos/"},"headline":"See the Best Fashions of the 1940s","datePublished":"2015-11-18T14:12:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:46:49.653Z","description":"From square-shouldered suits to Dior's \"New Look\"","url":"https://time.com/4108137/1940s-fashion-photos/","keywords":["fashion","Newsfeed","photography","LIFE Magazine"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff35bf9f3bbe4d0c/69887086e20a870191a8e260/151104-1940s-fashion-25.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliza Berman","jobTitle":"Berman is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff35bf9f3bbe4d0c/69887086e20a870191a8e260/151104-1940s-fashion-25.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"1940s LIFE Fashion Cover","caption":"1940s LIFE Fashion Cover","creditText":"Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/fashion/","name":"fashion"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4108137/1940s-fashion-photos/","name":"See the Best Fashions of the 1940s"}}]}] ```