Two decades in one. The 1940s split exactly at September 1939 and again in February 1947. Wartime utility (1939–1945, then continuing in Europe until about 1949) imposed fabric rationing, broad square shoulders, knee-length skirts to save material, and an aesthetic of disciplined competence. The Dior 'New Look' of February 1947 was a deliberate, almost confrontational rejection of utility — nipped waists, padded hips, calf-length flared skirts using twenty yards of fabric where wartime utility had used eight. The two looks coexisted in the late 1940s; American women got the New Look first because America hadn't experienced rationing. British and French women got it later, partly because the necessary fabric was still scarce.
Utility — what made it
British wartime clothing (and similar regulations in Canada, Australia, France-under-occupation) carried CC41 labels — the British Board of Trade's 'Civilian Clothing 1941' mark for garments meeting the Utility specification. The mark is a stylised pair of stacked discs that look slightly like two cheeses; surviving CC41-labelled pieces are now collectible specifically for the label. American wartime regulation (L-85, issued 1942) restricted hem widths, sleeve widths, pleat counts, and total fabric per garment. American manufacturers found creative ways to comply — false buttons that didn't function (real buttons would have required more thread), narrow lapels, dolman sleeves (cut as part of the bodice to avoid a separate sleeve piece).
Wartime fabrics shifted as imported silk and wool became scarce. Rayon dominated. Nylon was developed in 1938 (DuPont) but was diverted entirely to military parachute production through the war; the first civilian nylon stockings appeared in October 1945 and caused riots. Cotton became the workhorse of American 1940s day dresses, with prints ranging from cheerful florals (the 'cheering up the home front' colour palette) to military-influenced patterns.
The 1947 New Look — what it actually was
Dior's first collection, shown at his new house at 30 avenue Montaigne on 12 February 1947, was officially titled 'Corolle' (Corolla — the petal arrangement of a flower). The American journalist Carmel Snow, then editor of Harper's Bazaar, said it was 'such a new look' and the phrase stuck. The technical content: nipped waist (often achieved with an interior corset built into the dress), padded hips creating the 'rose' silhouette, calf-length flared skirts requiring 15–25 yards of wool or silk, soft rounded shoulders.
The collection was specifically a rejection of wartime utility, and the political reaction in Europe was strong. Coco Chanel, then sixty-three and not yet returned to fashion, famously called it 'fashion designed by a homosexual for women who haven't been with a man' — she hated it. British women's organisations protested the fabric extravagance. American buyers loved it; the New York Times wrote about it on the front page. Dior had a phenomenon on his hands within forty-eight hours.
For collectors, original 1947–1949 Dior couture is genuinely scarce. The house produced perhaps 200 couture pieces per collection, of which a third went to French clients, a third to American buyers and Hollywood, and the rest to other European clients. Survival rates are uneven; museum-quality early Dior pieces with model numbers and intact labels reach $15,000–$60,000 at auction.
Current market (2024–2026)
| Garment | Range (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton wartime day dress | $80–$350 | Abundant. American market. |
| Wool tailored suit, square shoulders | $200–$800 | The classic utility silhouette. |
| CC41-labelled British utility piece | $150–$700 | Collected for the label. |
| Rayon dress, wartime | $100–$500 | Often printed. |
| Late-1940s New Look-influenced cocktail dress | $300–$1,200 | Made by American manufacturers. |
| Dior couture, 1947–1949 | $8,000–$60,000+ | See /designers/dior. |
| Balenciaga, late 1940s | $4,000–$25,000 | See /designers/balenciaga. |
| McCardell, late 1940s | $400–$2,500 | See /designers/mccardell. |
| Wedding dress, 1940s | $300–$1,200 | Wartime weddings often used parachute silk. |
Authentication notes
- Metal zippers (brass or aluminium) at the side seam are standard 1940s. Talon-branded zippers are American; Lightning is British.
- Shoulder pads in 1940s pieces are sewn-in cotton wadding, not foam. Foam shoulder pads appear from about 1955 onward.
- Utility-labelled pieces have specific labels: CC41 (Britain), 'Made for L-85' (US fabric-restriction compliance was rarely labelled but reflects in narrow construction).
- Linings in 1940s pieces are typically rayon or silk; polyester linings indicate post-1960 manufacture or a later replacement.
- Original prices in 1947 New Look couture: roughly 4,000–15,000 francs at the house, which translates to thousands of dollars at the time. A 1947 piece offered now under $1,000 is almost certainly not couture.
Designers of the 1940s
By Margaret Hale·Published 18 May 2026·Last reviewed 18 May 2026
❦ museum holdings ❦
- · The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute, New York
- · Musée Christian Dior, Granville (the heritage museum)
- · Imperial War Museum, London (CC41 utility archive)
- · Smithsonian National Museum of American History