The immediate post-war years tend to get left out of the
fashion histories. They fall between the patriotic “mend and make
do to save buying new” years of the Second World War and the extravagant
femininity of the late-forties New Look.
In addition, fashion was not a priority in the aftermath of the war as
most of the world was still coping with ruined infrastructure and shortages of
everything. Even relatively prosperous
Australia had clothes rationing until 1948!
Rockmans was (and is) an Australian seller of mass-produced
women’s clothing. The clothes shown here
are from the top their range (why waste a colour page on the cheap stuff?) but
the styles were similar in every price bracket. Square-shouldered and knee-length, these dresses could almost have been made in any time in the previous seven years. At a second glance, however, you can see that they are more generously cut and use more material than their wartime counterparts.
STYLE RH354. For those smarter occasions. A floral silk crepe frock with pleated peplum. Soft draped bodice. 4 gored skirt. In bright floral crepes.
RH125. Very smart plain silk crepe frock with a long torso finished with pleating and beaded and appliqued motif. Skirt is pleated all round. Black, Blue, Red, Aqua, Rose.
Style No. R400/5. A flattering frock in silk crepe. Features the new cap sleeves with contrasting applique. Lace-up belt. Softly gathered bodice, and the new drawstring neckline effect, finished with bows.
Style No. R300/2. A youthful plain silk crepe frock. The square neckline; the short sleeves and the slit pockets are scolloped. Full skirt. Banded waistline. Beaded shoulder motif.
No comments:
Post a Comment