Women Civilian Fashion During WWII

 

I’ve always been interested in rationing during WWII and having to use coupons to get food, tires, etc, but only recently read about restrictions on clothing.

 

To reduce textile use by 15%, the US War Production Board's Regulation L-85 and Britain's Austerity Regulations mandated strict manufacturing rules.

 

Women's Wear:  Fabric was rationed, so clothes were different. To cut down on excess cloth, ruffles were banned as were attached hoods, voluminous sleeves, and excessive pleating. Skirt sweeps (hem circumference) were tightly regulated, and hems and fabric belts could not exceed two inches in width

 

Trimmings: Pockets were limited (e.g., no more than one pocket per garment for women), and luxury embellishments like lace, embroidery, and decorative buttons were heavily restricted.

 

Nylon & Silk: Nylon was entirely redirected for military use (such as parachutes), leading to a complete ban on nylon stockings. Women resorted to painting on "stockings" with leg makeup and drawing the back seam with an eyebrow pencil.

 

Rubber & Elastic: The use of elastic and rubber in foundation garments (like girdles) was banned.

 

Dyes: Shortages of green and brown dyes caused clothing manufacturers to use more red dyes in civilian wear.

 

In addition to restrictions on how clothes were made, civilians were limited on how many pieces of clothing they could buy.

 

Hems and belts could not exceed two inches in width.

 

Skirts rose to knee-length.

 

Since metal zippers were unavailable, wraparound dresses and skirts were introduced.

Metal buttons were entirely restricted on civilian garments.

 

Trousers for women became acceptable for work.

 

Materials like cotton denim, jersey, striped mattress ticking, gingham, and calico became more common and rayon, a synthetic material developed in the 1930s, became a popular substitute material for nylon and silk blends.

 

Consumers were restricted to buying 3 pairs of leather shoes per year using stamps in their ration books. This was later cut to only 2 pairs. No extra rations for growing children. Clothes were bought big for the child to grow into.

 

To spruce up drab, utilitarian clothing, women used bright floral brooches, necklaces made from affordable new plastics like Bakelite, and patriotic-themed jewelry.

 

And of course, everything was used, reused, altered, patched together and treated with care. One phrase was popular at that time:

“Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do, or do without.”

 

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Random Thought:

Everything is figureoutable.

 

Wanna Meet Up For A Drink??

 

Or, as my daddy would say “Wanna go bar-hopping?”

 

In the winter, I enjoy a splash of Jack Daniel’s in my tea, or Kahlua in my hot chocolate. In the summer, it’s all about the fun stuff. I did a little research on drinks I knew about, and some I had never heard of before. I do NOT do exact measures. I do stuff on the fly. So if you want an exact recipe, Google it…

 

The Kalimotxo (Calimocho): Equal parts red wine and Coca-Cola. This sounds awful to me. I don’t like red wine. But apparently it’s a very popular and refreshing drink originating in Spain.

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The Pickleback: A shot of whiskey followed immediately by a chaser of brine straight from the pickle jar. YUCK!

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Scotch and milk: A favorite old-timer drink originally believed to settle the stomach. Um…no.

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The Phoenix: 1 part coconut rum – 2 parts pineapple mango juice – 1 part pomegranate liquer – slice of pineapple for garnish

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Redhead: 3 parts copper crafted vodka (no idea what that means) – 2 parts carrot juice – 1 part lemon juice – 1 part honey – 2 sprigs coriander – ginger beer to top – carrot slices for garnish. I always thought ginger beer was the same as ginger ale. It isn’t. It has trace amounts of alcohol and is carbonated and sweet and has more ginger taste. I would go the cheap route and use ginger ale. This actually sounds quite healthy, since it has fruits and vegetables in it. *wink*

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Diamondback: 2 parts rye whiskey – 1 part apple brandy – 1 part Green Chartreuse (never heard of it before) – brandied cherry to garnish. I have no idea the dif between rye and other whiskey. I use Jack for everything calling for whiskey.

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Flaming Rum Monkey: This was a drink invented by author Pat Murphy in her sci-fi book “Adventures in Time and Space with Max Merriwell” (2002) The book is a hoot and I highly recommend it. The book only mentioned the drink and so many people wanted to know how to make one. So she came up with a recipe. Quite a long recipe… For this one, I will use her measurements.

2 oz. Dark Jamaican rum – 1 oz. Dark Crème de Cacao – 1 tsp. coconut or piña colada syrup – 1 tsp. brown sugar – pinches of ground cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon. Boiling water – 151-proof rum (for the flame)

Mix the base: In a warm mug, combine the coconut syrup, brown sugar, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add a splash of boiling water and stir to dissolve the sugar.

Combine: Pour in the Jamaican rum and Crème de Cacao. Fill the rest of the mug with boiling water and stir. The Flaming Garnish: Fill a large spoon with 151-proof rum and add a small pinch of brown sugar. Carefully warm the bottom of the spoon over the hot mug. Light the rum in the spoon with a lighter, then tilt it slightly into the mug to ignite the top of the drink with a blue flame.

Serve: Blow out the flame before drinking, sip carefully, and enjoy. And then send a “Thank you” to Pat Murphy. She’d be delighted to hear from you.

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Needled beer 1920s – My dad was a big fan of the books by Damon Runyon and my brother and I got him a couple of books of his short stories. I quickly became a big fan as well. His stories took place in the Prohibition Era of the 20s and 30s. Some of the stories mentioned needling beer. During that era, “near beer” had very low alcohol and was legal. To make it drinkable, bartenders would inject ethyl alcohol into the bottle. The beer would then have about 8% alcohol. They kept a syringe behind the bar for this. I asked my dad what needling beer meant. He claimed not to know. Years later I learned he was a bootlegger in that era. Interesting guy, my dad…

Modern version: Can or bottle of non-alcohol beer – Food-grade ethanol (e.g., Everclear). I couldn’t find an exact amount you’re supposed to put in the beer. Swirl gently and wait until the carbonation stabilizes.

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Espresso martini: 2 oz. vodka – 1 oz. coffee liqueur – 1 oz. espresso – simple syrup to taste. If you don’t have an espresso machine, use 1 oz. cold brew concentrate. Pour over ice and put 3 coffee beans on top to garnish.

Cold Brew Substitute: If you do not own an espresso machine, you can use 1 oz of high-quality cold brew concentrate.

I first learned about this drink from a book by Naomi Kuttner, “The Retired Assassin's Guide to Country Gardening” (2025) Very cute mystery. One of the characters drank a lot of espresso martinis.

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The Vintage "Ammonia Coke"

Another drink I learned about from a book. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was common for pharmacists and soda fountains to serve an "ammonia Coke.” They would mix about 1/2 teaspoon of aromatic spirits of ammonia (smelling salts) into a glass of Coca-Cola.

Purpose: It was used as a pick-me-up, hangover cure, or remedy for hysteria. NO THANK YOU!

 

So…what’s YOUR favorite adult beverage??

 

More Random Questions – June 2026

 

What’s one thing you never thought you’d need that you can’t live without?

Grab bars and handrails!! I could probably live without them, but life is sure easier (and safer for me) with them. Handrails go without saying. They are always a good idea. But when we installed grab bars in the bathroom and shower for my dad when he lived with us, I had no idea how important they’d become for me late on.

 

What still makes you as happy now as it did when you were a kid?

So many things. Cats. The color blue. Fireworks. Cotton candy. Coloring with crayons. READING.

 

What’s the main thing you take to a potluck?

We almost never have potlucks at church anymore. Growing up, we had them all the time at church. We would brown a pound of hamburger, add it to a large can of ravioli and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. We’d also get a package of oatmeal cookies, make frosting and make sandwich cookies. As an adult I would usually make taco salad.

 

Do your pets sleep with you?

Of course! What’s the point of having them otherwise? Molly was a yellow lab and Marv didn’t allow her on the bed because we only had a double bed and there was no room. But the cats have always had access. Growing up, Maize was a collie/sheltie mix and she would sleep with me. Sarah’s two pit bulls sleep with her.

 

Biggest first world problem in your life?  

Closet space!!! OMG!!! Growing up, I had a WONDERFUL two door closet! I had NO idea just how wonderful this was until I got married… *sigh*

 

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Random Thought

In honor of Father’s Day, here are a couple of “Dad jokes”

 

A: There’s a wooden shoe in the toilet!!

B:  So, you’re saying it’s clogged?

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A: Why did they send the kindergarten girl to prison?

B: Why?

A: She refused to take a nap.

B: ???

A: She was resisting a rest.