I’m currently in the middle of the amazing and well written book “1940s-Fashion-The-Definitive-Sourcebook” by Emmanuelle Dirix & Charlotte Fiell and I just read a wonderful section on “why floral (and figurative) patterns in the 1940s were favored“.
The simple reason stated in the book was that designs with floral or figurative patterns were easy to match up and hence generated less wastage in garment production. In a time when “Make do and Mend” was becoming the norm, this makes a lot of sense.
After the war was over floral could still be found on many of the women of the 1940s because 1. There was still a shortage of fabric for a while after and 2. Floral dresses were an “Understated Elegance”. Not flamboyant, just wonderful as is.
On a personal level I LOVE a beautiful 1940s floral dress and I own a couple personally and I’m always hoping to add more. So lets take a peak at what beautiful floral dresses were available to the ladies of the 40s, shall we?
Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
1940’s Floral Dresses
The 1940’s Images
Let’s start with the stunning woman from the 1940s that I found on Flickr. Her off the shoulder floral gown is simple but just pure perfection on her. I love the black ribbon belt and the ballet slippers with the ties to bring it all together.
1940s photo. How stylish is this beautiful woman? Look at that jacket…wow! And her accessories are amazing (I want that purse!). I love the floral pattern in this dress and I’m sure once the jacket came off the dress was just breathtaking on her.
Beautiful 1940s Floral dresses times 2! Love these two stylish Black ladies posing together on a chair.
Source: Pinterest
1940s photo. From the same Flickr account, the below image is the wonderful woman above’s, neighbours. Well well what stylish neighbours she had! I cannot tell if her dress is really a floral pattern ( I initially thought it was tropical) but does not really matter the pattern is still fantastic.
1940s photo. One more photo from the same account shows the friend of our floral dress jacket wearing fashionista, two photos above. What a collection of fantastically dressed ladies she hung out with! The floral dress in this photo is beautiful and I love her pose too. I wonder what she is thinking?
1940s vintage photo of 4 women in 1940s fashions posing together at a Garden party.
Pick your favourite dress or fashion accessory out of this photo (I can’t, they are all too amazing).
Source: Etsy – LightSilverAndPaper
1940s Photo. First up…COLOUR! And now..what a dress! That green floral pattern is just wonderful on this mother with her son at the beach. I would totally wear that to work or even a night of dancing.
Source: Flickr-Ross B. CARE
I have shared this image in a past post (link below) but it’s worth sharing again because her floral dress AND matching headscarf during what I imagine to be a USO dance is a favorite of mine. Another great example of how a simple floral style like this can look just pure perfection.
FURTHER READING: What to wear Lindy Hopping -1930s/1940s Real-Life Vintage Images
Examples of 1940s Dresses in Real Life
Now for a small sampling of 1940s Floral Dresses you can buy off Etsy (Updated March 2024)
Vintage Shopping: If the outfit is gone, don’t fret! Etsy is updated daily with 1000s of vintage clothes. Just do a simple search and see what pops up. You can also visit my 1940s Fashion Collection that I update monthly of outfits I like that are for sale on the site. You can find that HERE.
1940’s slinky plum bias cut satin floral asymmetrical dress with all the BEST colors and details of the era.
Source: Etsy – traven7
1940s Dress – Homemade Cotton Floral Day Dress.
Source: Etsy-FabGabs
1940s Dress – Gorgeous 1940s Rayon Crepe Dress in Banded Floral with Heavy, Pleated Skirt.
Source: Etsy-FabGabs
Vintage 1940s Floral Print Dress.
Source: Etsy
Gorgeous 1940’s printed rayon dress. This dress features a unique all over print that has a floral motif and trees in a muted soft blue, green and brown.
Source: Etsy
Vintage 1940’s Gray Floral Novelty Print Cold Rayon Day Dress. This is my kind of silhouette.
Source: Etsy
Absolutly devine original 1940s swing dress with a floral pattern.
Source: Etsy
What a wonderful 1940s sun dress. This dress would be perfect for the summer time picnic or to wear dancing on a beautiful night under the stars.
The fabric on this dress is actually flowers AND umbrellas. Fantastic! The label states that it is a “Brucewood Custom” dress.
The floral detail is again beautiful but the ruffle detailing really takes this dress to the next level. Don’t you agree?
Lastly here are a couple of vintage advertisements for 1940s dresses (and one that is not a dress):
1940s Playsuit with matching over skirt. WANT! Love! So cute! Can I also have the adorable hat with the palm tree and fish on it??
Pretty frocks for all your pinching pennies needs.
BTW if this is a bargain look then sign me up!
And with that ad, that concludes are journey into 1940s florals.
So lovely readers are you a fan of the florals in 1940s dresses? Or do you tend to sway more towards the sequins and simple elegant styles? Or maybe you love them all! Share in the comments section below!
And with that ad, that concludes are journey into 1940s florals.
FURTHER READING:
- Vintage Fashions 1920s-1960s – Archived Blog Posts
- Vintage Fashion Designers – Archived Blog Posts
- Vintage Photo Archive -1920s to 1960s
Liz 🙂
With everyone looking so attractive, it’s no wonder there was a baby boom. 🙂
Ain’t that the truth!
After Electro Swing last night, now I want more 40s dresses!
Also, I always find I find it neat when there are logical reasons behind things!
40s dresses are a really good look on so many body types 🙂 I agree about the logical reasons too and the 40s was filled with them
such gorgeous dresses! ive been wanting that book, actually I planned to purchase the thirties one first, now I really want it
retro rover
The book is really worth every penny. I’m loving it so much. I will 100% be buying the 30’s one as well.
What an awesome post! This sums up everything I love about 40’s fashion. Durable and comfortable. xx
Thanks so much! I 100% agree with you as well. Ya for 40’s fashion!
Massive fan here! Florals of all eras top the charts as my favourite kind of print, particularly because they’re generally very feminine looking, which is something I really gravitate towards with my wardrobe choices. 40s floral had a special, gorgeous charm all their own though for sure and I truly, truly love them to bits!
♥ Jessica
*PS* Thank you very much for your wonderfully nice comment on my post about launching my YouTube videos and for subscribing to my budding channel, I appreciate both immensely, dear Liz.
Florals are a must I believe in every woman’s wardrobe especially a vintage wardrobe. Florals for the win!
You have reminded me that I must hunt down a copy of that book. You have chosen some great photos to show off the floral dresses.
Yes the book is wonderful, you would love it 🙂 thanks for the compliment I picked what I love. Have a wonderful day 🙂
Good article! Can you help me who is on the cover picture of the book? And in which country style is represented? Thanks 🙂
Hi Marianna,
I’m actually unsure who is on the cover, maybe reach out to the writers of the book? I’m not finished the whole book yet but there is US, Canada, Paris, UK, Germany so far represented in the book. Not sure if that is your question.
Jessica from Chronically vintage did a book review on it, which can be found here: http://www.chronicallyvintage.com/2013/09/book-review-1940s-fashion-definitive.html
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Liz
Hi Liz, thanks for the quick reply.
Unfortunately I haven’t have the book yet, I thought it is written in the book :). It looks like Hungarian style, although I am not sure that this style was present in the ’40s in Hungary. We really love it, and would be happy to use it as a source for a new project 😉
Thanks for having the chance to be here 🙂
Marianna
No problem. Wish I could of been a bit more helpful for you. Good luck with your project.
Liz