Monday, October 3, 2011

Lewoolin Clothes Book of Fashion, Spring 1950 (1)


I found this little catalogue (it's only 15 cm. high!) on eBay.  It was issued by a firm called "Lewoolin Clothes", based in Regent Street in London, that appeared to specialise in women's coats and suits.  Over the next few days I'd like to share images from the catalogue with you.


Notice the designation "Utility" on these pictures.  Utility was a scheme devised by the British government during World War II to ensure that clothing manufacturers produced most of their clothes to a fixed standard and sold them at a set low price.  Though manufacturers could produce a number of non-Utility garments and charge what they liked for them, these attracted a higher sales tax than their Utility counterparts.


Though the war had been over five years when this booklet was produced, and clothes rationing had ended early in 1949 in Britain, the Utility scheme lingered on into the early 1950s.  

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