New York fashion journalist Gertrude Bailey wasted little time in applying for her overseas press pass after the news broke that the Germans had been driven from the banks of the Seine in August of '44. When Paris fell to the Nazis in June of 1940, the fashion worlds of London and New York lost all contact with the great taste makers of that city and their contributions were sorely missed. Bailey knew that the first fashion shows after the liberation were going to be the talk of the swanky - and she knew that Paris was the place to be. This is her report concerning the Fall collections of 1944 and what the couturiers needed to do in order to fully restore the French fashion industry. Although the article tends to anticipate the glorious return of Paris chic, there is mention made of what Paris fashion was like during the occupation:
"For four years they had concentrated on extravagant, flamboyant creations in deliberate defiance of the Germans. Everything above the silhouette had been inflated. Yardage, while limited to 100 tons a year for 90 houses employing 12,000 workers, was flaunted... They lavished fabric into parachute sleeves, elaborately draped bodices, skirts that bunched fullness at the front , and hats that were over-trimmed."
More about W.W. II fashions can be read here.
From Amazon:The Parisian Women Under Occupation
Click here to read about the woman who dictated many of the fabric restriction rules on the American home front.
CLICK HERE to read about the beautiful "Blonde Battalions" who spied for the Nazis...
