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“.

1940s fashion the definitive sourcebook

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 vintage photo of a young woman posing for a photo in a an off the shoulder floral dress with a ribbon belt. She is wearing a choker as well.
Source: Flickr-Hans

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.

1940s vintage photo of a young woman in a floral dress and stunning 1940s jacket and hat and purse. Fantastic 1940s fashion inspiration!
Source: Flickr-Jasperdo

Beautiful 1940s Floral dresses times 2! Love these two stylish Black ladies posing together on a chair.

1940s vintage photo of 2 Black Women in 1940s Floral Dresses. Super 1940s fashions

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 vintage photo of a man and woman posing together in 1940s fashions. The woman is wearing a pretty 1940s dress and cute peep toe shoes. Our man is in a stylish suit.
Source: Flickr-Jasperdo

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 a young woman sporting a pretty 1940s hairstyle and 1940s dress in a floral pattern and cute 1940s peep toe shoes.
Source: Flickr-Jasperdo

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).

1940s vintage photo of 4 women in 1940s fashions posing together at a Garden party - 1940s patterned & floral summer dresses with hats and handbags

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.

1940s vintage photo of a woman in a green floral dress posing at the ocean with a child. Lovely 1940s fashion inspiration.

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

1940s vintage photo of people swing dancing in the 1940s. The woman is wearing a floral 1940s dress and matching hair turban / hair scarf.

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.

1940s Fashion: 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.

1940s Dress - Homemade Cotton Floral Day Dress

Source: Etsy-FabGabs

1940s Dress – Gorgeous 1940s Rayon Crepe Dress in Banded Floral with Heavy, Pleated Skirt.

1940s Dress - The Midsommer Dress - Gorgeous 40s Rayon Crepe Dress in Banded Floral with Heavy, Pleated Skirt

Source: Etsy-FabGabs

Vintage 1940s Floral Print Dress.

1940s Fashion: 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.

1940s Fashion: 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.

1940s Fashion: Vintage 1940's Gray Floral Novelty Print Cold Rayon Day Dress WW2 Era

Source: Etsy

Absolutly devine original 1940s swing dress with a floral pattern.

1940s Fashion: 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.

1940s Fashion: 1940s womans floral summer dress
Source: Etsy-Ella and Frank Vintage

The fabric on this dress is actually flowers AND umbrellas. Fantastic! The label states that it is a “Brucewood Custom” dress.

1940s Fashion: 1940s floral dress
Source: Etsy-Planet Claire Vintage

The floral detail is again beautiful but the ruffle detailing really takes this dress to the next level. Don’t you agree?

1940s fashion: 1940s Ethel Lou Jrs cotton dress features a colorful floral print. Ruffle detailing with eyelet trim at neckline and front skirt. Metal zipper up side of dress
Source: Etsy-Tuesday Rose Vintage

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??

1940s womens fashion: 1940s Playsuit with matching over skirt in a floral pattern.
Wakes of Melbourne catalogue, Summer 1946-47

Pretty frocks for all your pinching pennies needs.

BTW if this is a bargain look then sign me up!

1940s cotton house dresses as seen in a vintage catalog page from the 1940s.

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:

Liz 🙂