During the 1940’s most women used to wear the clothes that were produced immediately after the war. The typical 1940s vintage dresses utilized included narrow hips, squared shoulders, knee-length skirts, and tailored suits. These dressing styles were quite popular for ladies in 1940s. Most of the women followed this dressing style while others were encouraged to enjoy their fashion sense for home and were highly educated to update their old dresses and conserve material for the trending dress styles. The dressing sense for women changed to practical styles which allowed them to work easily. The retro style of the vintage dresses was kept simple and minimal without any delicate embellishments.
After the war, the dressing style for the ladies changed from utility fashion wear. The vintage dresses of the new style had shaped bust lines, rounded shoulders, defined waistlines, billowing skirts with slight padding that used to hang loosely underneath the calves. The dress style for teenage girls included the knee-length skirts, sports sweaters along with bobby socks.
The vintage dresses for the 1940s included shirtwaist dress, button-down dress, wrap dress, shirred dress, swing dance dress, patriotic dress, and many others. However, the wrap dress was one of the commonly utilized ones which are still trendy in the 21st century.
Let’s have a look at the matching guide for 1940s wrap dresses.
SHOES
The shoes paired with wrap dress were sturdy, including the chunky heels giving the ladies a modest look. The shoes had a beautiful bow, design details or decoration clip over the shoes. Ornamentation was loved by the ladies during 1940s. The shoe styles which paired well with the wrap dresses included the peep-toe heels, classic pumps, two-tone MaryJane shoes, low-heels oxford, or moccasin loafers.
STOCKINGS
The 40s stocking was an essential part of your dresses. Before you plan on wearing the shoes, you need to choose the seamed stockings and achieve the authentic look. The natural color seams for the stockings were chosen during the 1940s that had a resemblance to the natural tone of the body. The visible and subtle seams were popular during this era. If during 1940s women were unable to buy stockings, they used to draw lines with an eyebrow pencil to match the look of stockings.
ACCESSORIES
The accessories for pairing it up with wrap dresses during the 1940s includes gloves, hair, hats, jewelry, makeup, and others. Dress and shoes are the essential part to achieve the vintage look but to complete the look with vintage dresses, you need to pair them with these accessories to look awe-inspiring amongst the crowd.
Gloves were usually short wrist-length while long-elbow length gloves were also trendy during those days. The women left the house while wearing these gloves and took them off during smoking, eating, working or drinking. The gloves should be such that they coordinate well with the vintage dress.- Straw or velvet hats were common during the 1940s that matched well with the entire look. The hanging veils, hair snood, and scarves were also trendy during this era. These classical items rocked the entire 1940s look giving a retro feel.
Jewelry enhances the entire look of a lady. In 1940s people loved wearing beaded necklaces and matched them with wrap dresses. Wearing too much jewelry was not loved in the 1940s. Stud earrings, flower jewelry or pearl earrings added a perfect charm to the entire look matched with the vintage dress. The ladies loved adding a flower brooch or a patriotic brooch to their dresses which looked classy and added fun to their overall look.- The vintage makeup style that paired well with the wrap dresses included naturally shaped eyebrows with a tint of dark shade eyebrow pencil. The lighter eyeshadow for the eyes looked beautiful with a tint of silver or gold for the evening and addition of dark-colored mascara to enhance the overall look of the eyes. Light blush-on over the cheekbones was also practiced during this era which enhanced the overall look. Matte red-colored lips also paired well with the entire look allowing the ladies to achieve a flawless look for the day as well as evening.
- Same prints matching your wrap dress looks chic so try adding accessories with the same prints like leopard print but in different sizes and colors that look trendy and stylish at the same time.
Gloves were usually short wrist-length while long-elbow length gloves were also trendy during those days. The women left the house while wearing these gloves and took them off during smoking, eating, working or drinking. The gloves should be such that they coordinate well with the vintage dress.
Jewelry enhances the entire look of a lady. In 1940s people loved wearing beaded necklaces and matched them with wrap dresses. Wearing too much jewelry was not loved in the 1940s. Stud earrings, flower jewelry or pearl earrings added a perfect charm to the entire look matched with the vintage dress. The ladies loved adding a flower brooch or a patriotic brooch to their dresses which looked classy and added fun to their overall look.The wrap dress is easy to wear giving the perfect flattering look to the ladies. It is one of the throw-on styles that gives you a perfect vintage look. Styling the wrap dress is the simplest thing. You can match the outfit with a pair of beautiful shoes, hair accessories, bags, hats, and what not to achieve the coolest look in town.
