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wartime style  • Puff sleeves and gathers.

Puff sleeves are a surprising extravagence during a time of austerity.
Takes six seconds and then returns

Shaping which allowed a dress to fit many sizes was achieved by gathering.
Government restrictions on production methods had a profound influence on clothing design.
The purpose of these restrictions was to save on labour and materials.The number of panels used in a garment was restricted, as were darts and other methods of tailoring to fit.
The tailoring of the dress on the left is achieved by gathering into the seams.
To be specific,here the puff sleeves are gathered into the shoulder seams. The lower sleeves are gathered into the arm caps and the bust is shaped by gathering into the shoulder yokes.
If made from Utility Cloth this dress would come under the Utility Scheme and carry the CC41 Label.
Notwithstanding, this dress because of the style, women would call a Utility Dress.

Padded puff sleeves began in the late 1930s and remained until the end of the forties.

Dated 11/3/42: Age about 18 years old  • Estimate: born 1924 ± 3 years