Fashion on the Ration

Author: Julie Summers
Publisher: Profile Books
ISBN: 1782830979
Category : Design
Languages : en
Pages : 335

Book Description
In September 1939, just three weeks after the outbreak of war, Gladys Mason wrote briefly in her diary about events in Europe: 'Hitler watched German siege of Warsaw. City in flames.' And, she continued, 'Had my wedding dress fitted. Lovely.' For Gladys Mason, and for thousands of women throughout the long years of the war, fashion was not simply a distraction, but a necessity - and one they weren't going to give up easily. In the face of bombings, conscription, rationing and ludicrous bureaucracy, they maintained a sense of elegance and style with determination and often astonishing ingenuity. From the young woman who avoided the dreaded 'forces bloomers' by making knickers from military-issue silk maps, to Vogue's indomitable editor Audrey Withers, who balanced lobbying government on behalf of her readers with driving lorries for the war effort, Julie Summers weaves together stories from ordinary lives and high society to provide a unique picture of life during the Second World War. As a nation went into uniform and women took on traditional male roles, clothing and beauty began to reflect changing social attitudes. For the first time, fashion was influenced not only by Hollywood and high society but by the demands of industrial production and the pressing need to 'make-do-and-mend'. Beautifully illustrated and full of gorgeous detail, Fashion on the Ration lifts the veil on a fascinating era in British fashion.

Make Do and Mend

Author: Great Britain. Ministry of Information
Publisher: Imperial War Museums
ISBN: 9781904897644
Category : Clothing and dress
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"First published by the Ministry of Information in 1943"--T.p. verso.

The Ration Book Diet

Author: Mike Brown
Publisher: History Press
ISBN: 9781803993447
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
In 1939, Britain was preparing for war. As well as building aeroplanes and digging Anderson shelters, this meant managing food supplies for the home front. The Ministry of Food rose to the challenge, introducing rationing, encouraging the nation to dig for victory, and issuing cookbooks and health advice. Drawing inspiration from Britain's 'finest hour', when the thrifty British housewife had to grow her own veg, stretch the butter ration and still keep her family fighting fit, this is both a social history of wartime dining and a collection of over sixty delicious and healthy seasonal recipes with a vintage twist.

Dressed for War

Author: Julie Summers
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781004021987
Category : Fashion design
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
This is the untold story of our most iconic fashion magazine in its most formative years, in the Second World War. It was an era when wartime exigencies gave its editor, Audrey Withers, the chance to forge an identity for it that went far beyond stylish clothes. In doing so, she set herself against the style and preoccupations of Vogue's mothership in New York, and her often sticky relationship with its formidable editor, Edna Woolman Chase, became a strong dynamic in the Vogue story. But Vogue had a good war, with great writers and top-flight photographers including Lee Miller and Cecil Beaton - who loathed each other - sending images and reports from Europe and much further afield - detailing the plight of the countries and people living amidst war-torn Europe.

Spuds, Spam and Eating for Victory

Author: Katherine Knight
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0752472941
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 277

Book Description
The battle to keep the nation fed during the Second World War was waged by an army of workers on the land and the resourcefulness of the housewives on the Kitchen Front. The rationing of food, clothing and other substances played a big part in making sure that everyone had a fair share of whatever was available. In this fascinating book, Katherine Knight looks at how experiences of rationing varied between rich and poor, town and country, and how ingenuous cooks often made a meal from poor ingredients. Charting the developments of the rationing programme throughtout the war and afterwards, Spuds, Spam and Eating for Victory documents the use of substitutions for luxury ingredients not available, resulting in delicacies such as carrot jam and oatmeal sausages. The introduction of Spam in America in the forties led to this canned spiced pork and ham becoming an iconic symbol of the worse period of shortage in the twentieth century. Seventy years after the outbreak of the Second World War, this book listens to some of the people who were young during the conflict share their memories, both sad and funny, of what it was like to eat for Victory.

Wartime Fashion

Author: Geraldine Howell
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 0857854291
Category : Design
Languages : en
Pages : 268

Book Description
A comprehensive analysis of Second World War dress practice and appearance, this study places dress at the forefront of a complex series of cultural chain reactions. As lives were changed by the conditions of war, dress continued to reflect important visual narratives regarding class, gender and taste that would impact significantly on public consciousness of equality, fairness and morale. Using new archival and primary source evidence, Wartime Fashion clarifies how and why clothing was rationed, and repositions style and design during the war in relation to past expectations and ideas about clothes and fabrics. The book explores the impact of war on the dress and appearance of civilian women of all classes in the context of changing social and economic infrastructures created by the national emergency. The varied research elements combined in this book form a rounded and definitive account of the dress history of British women during the Second World War. This is essential reading for anyone with an active interest in the field, whether personal or professional.

Jambusters

Author: Julie Summers
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 085720047X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 434

Book Description
The compelling true story that inspired the hugely successful major ITV drama series HOME FIRES – now in its second season. The Second World War was the WI's finest hour. The whole of its previous history - two decades of educating, entertaining and supporting women and campaigning on women's issues - culminated in the enormous collective responsibility felt by the members to 'do their bit' for Britain. With all the vigour, energy and enthusiasm at their disposal, a third of a million country women set out to make their lives and the lives of those around them more bearable in what they described as 'a period of insanity'. Through archive material and interviews with many WI members, Julie Summers takes us behind the scenes, revealing their nitty-gritty approach to the daily problems presented by the conflict. Jambusters is the fascinating story of how the Women's Institute pulled rural Britain through the war with pots of jam and a spirit of make-do-and-mend.

Clothing Goes to War

Author: Nan Turner
Publisher: Intellect (UK)
ISBN: 9781789383461
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 312

Book Description
The story of civilian clothing use during World War II. Manufacturing for civilians across the globe nearly stopped at the outset of World War II, as outfitting troops took precedence over nonmilitary production. Raw materials were prioritized for the armed forces and the majority of non-military factories were shifted to war work, resulting in shortages and rationing of consumer products. Civilians, especially women, responded to the resulting scarcity of goods by using ingenuity and creativity to "make do." In Clothing Goes to War, Nan Turner offers a critical look at some of the resourceful results of this period as necessity paved the way for fashionable invention.

Ration Book Cookery

Author: Gill Corbishley
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 104

Book Description
One of a series of books which look at the art of cookery in Britain at different periods in history. The recipes, which have been adapted for the modern kitchen, provide a taste of the times and the book also includes information on food, cooking equipment, kitchen designs, serving of meals and the development of etiquette.

Eating for Victory

Author: Amy Bentley
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
ISBN: 9780252067273
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
Mandatory food rationing during World War II significantly challenged the image of the United States as a land of plenty and collapsed the boundaries between women's public and private lives by declaring home production and consumption to be political activities. Examining the food-related propaganda surrounding rationing, Eating for Victory decodes the dual message purveyed by the government and the media: while mandatory rationing was necessary to provide food for U.S. and Allied troops overseas, women on the home front were also "required" to provide their families with nutritious food. Amy Bentley reveals the role of the Wartime Homemaker as a pivotal component not only of World War II but also of the development of the United States into a superpower.