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Postwar • 'A' Line Evening Dress

1948-1960
postwar evening dress

The material used for these dresses may appear too heavy and more suitable as a furnishing fabric.
It often was furnishing fabric.
Postwar Britain needed to concentrate textile production for export. The home market the shops in Britain was kept waiting until 1953 before clothes rationing and control was finally lifted.

For the six war years followed by the eight austerity years the women of Britain had to endure clothes rationing and design control.
The clothing industry was still tightly controlled by the government. A few relaxations in controls were introduced and the first fabrics made available were for curtains and household furnishing. These were seized upon by home dressmakers to produce evening dresses. The consequence was expressed in the extravagant use of heavy cloth displayed in wedding dresses, evening dresses and party dresses. .

Most of these dresses would have been run-up at home from a paper pattern.

Above photo inscribed on reverse: August 1948

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