Fashion in 20th century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fashion in 20th century - Essay Example The government controlled the amount of fabric that a manufacturer could buy and put to use on a garment. The high limitations and rationing of raw materials meant there were no visible class indicators on the clothing styles especially for women. Dressing style for all women during the war was similar, drawing another relational aspect with women who served during the war. Women in war service had to adopt the trousers as an extreme and practical necessity, which also found its way into the streets. Nevertheless, the largest driving factor of the fashion changes that were evident during and after the war came from the government’s stance on rationing. Rationing by the government did not target the fashion industry alone but was meant to increase the raw materials for manufacturing of military regalia. This meant that metals used in corsets, zippers, fasteners were no longer available and would be allocated for military purposes (Mason, 2011). The rationing of materials by the government opened doors for innovation in the areas concerning garment industry. The first real change in the fashion world during World War II came about after the restriction on the fiber fabric to be used in single clothing. Stanly Marcus, who was the head of textiles at the war production board, instituted this mandate. The silhouette was much affected by these changes, as it required quite a large amount of fabric to manufacture (Green, 2012). This meant that the silhouette production would come to a close so as to preserve the fabric for the war purposes. The rules instituted by Marcus came with a limitation order on each garment for which breaking the order meant a jail time or a fine of a particular amount. Army clothing manufacturers used green and brown dye on the clothing, which left civilian manufacturers the option of using red dye. The streets would then be covered in red clothing apart for the army