Rationing 

Rations were in place for several reasons. Rations were often in place to prevent rushes on supplies and hoarding on the homefront. People were afraid that they would not have access to an item, so they would buy more than they really needed when it was available. (Do you remember toilet paper during 2020?) In other cases, the material had been imported and was no longer available. For example, 90% of the silk sold in the United States, which was widely used for women’s stockings, was imported from Japan. In response, most women switched to the synthetic alternative Nylon which could be made domestically. But soon even Nylon was allocated for the war effort for things like parachutes, and women resorted to painting on their stockings instead. In some cases, the materials in question were needed for the war effort like rubber used for tires or boots for troops. This meant that shoes were rationed. In the UK, a woman might have enough coupons to get a total of one new outfit and a pair of shoes per year. Families were encouraged to buy oversized clothing for their children which would allow room to grow since they could not necessarily get new clothes every year. Even if you wanted to make your own garments, you would need to plan ahead. In the UK, you would only be allowed to buy a certain amount of cloth each year, so if you wanted to get enough cloth to make a dress for a special occasion or your own wedding, you would have to save up or ask other people for their cloth ration coupons.

“Make Do and Mend”

But what happened if your shoes wore out before you could buy new ones? There were many government campaigns around thrift and “making do” in the 1940s. Pamphlets were created to teach women how to patch clothing to prolong its useful life. There were instructions on unraveling outgrown sweaters to make them anew. In the United States, feed and flour manufacturers began to use colorful printed cloth on their product packaging that could be repurposed into quilts or garments. These “feed sack” dresses continued from the Great Depression when they started for economic reasons through World War II when thrift was front and center. Women were encouraged to pick up knitting if they didn’t know how already. In the United States, the Bureau of Home Economics created slogans like “Patching is Patriotic” and “Darning May Save the Day” which emphasized the shared burden of the war effort.

Regulation 

There were government restrictions on clothing in both the UK and the US during World War II. In the US, Regulation L-85 placed restrictions on women’s fashion. Manufacturers had to limit how much fabric was used for each item. Hem lines became shorter to save on fabric. Pockets were limited to one per garment. Large sleeves and hoods were banned. Belts couldn’t be more than 2 inches wide. The pressure to conform to this new way of dressing was social too. Double-breasted suits and cuffed pants were seen as unsupportive of the war effort. Instead, one should where the more economical victory fashions.

In the UK, there were also government restrictions. They even went so far as to create a government-produced line of clothing called Utility clothing. Utility designs used cloth that was not being used by the war effort and chose designs that were streamlined with little decoration. The government ordered existing clothing manufacturers to produce at least 85% Utility designs, with the remaining 15% reserved for non-Utility garments. Available in a range of styles and pricepoints, Utility dresses were quite popular.

Despite the austerity measures, women were encouraged to “keep up” their appearance by not skimping on makeup and continuing to make an effort to look as fashionable as possible. Check out what happened next in fashion from Vogue. 

Want to learn more about World War II? Check out 1940s Unboxed! 

Watch a short film produced by the UK government about “making do” here. 

Listen to oral history accounts from Irish women about their experiences with rationing.