What Did Teenagers Wear in the 40s?

The wear of the 1940s in the United States was influenced greatly by one of the most well known wars in United States history, World War II. As the men went off to fight for their country, women left the home to work and keep things running smoothly back home. At this point in time, teenagers were finally recognized as an important part of the American society, often getting jobs to help maintain the home while their fathers were away fighting the war. However, with both mom and dad gone, this also gave rise to the first juvenile delinquents. Teenage fashion was influenced by the war going on overseas as well.

Teenage fashion was very different between teenage boys and teenage girls.

Teenage Boy Fashion

Prior to the 1940s and World War II, the zoot suit was popular. The suit was made popular throughout the 1930s by the influence of jazz artists. The zoot suit consisted of:

• A long, oversized jacket flowing to mid calf
• Baggy pants that tapered to the ankle with a three inch high waist and suspender buttons
• A pair of suspenders
• A dress shirt
• A tie
• A hat
• A pair of shoes

In 1940, restrictions on how much fabric was allowed to be used to make clothing changed the popularity of the zoot suit since they were no longer allowed to be made. This led to teenage boys wearing more fitted clothing such as:

• T-shirts
• Jeans
• More form fitting suits

Teenage Girl Fashion

The same restrictions posed on clothing for teenage boys and men was also imposed on women and teenage girls. Prior to the restrictions of the 1940s, girls fashion included long and flowing dresses that required a lot of material to produce. Also popular with girls prior to 1940 was nylons.

However, in the 1940s, teenage girl’s fashion changed in a number of different ways:

• The convertible suit became popular. This suit consisted of a blazer, a shirt, and a skirt that came to just below the knee. For a more casual look, teenage girls would remove the jacket and simply wear the shirt and skirt.
• Form fitting clothing: With the ban on how much material could be used to make articles of clothing, skirts became shorter, blouses became tighter, and the introduction of the sweater look as popularized by the American icon Rita Hayworth became the norm for teenage girls.
• The end of the war: When the war ended, restrictions were lifted on fabrics for clothing. However, much of the style remained form fitting over the hips and the bust line. The only thing that changed for girl’s fashion was the length of certain garments such as dresses.
• Shoes: In the beginning of the 1940s, teenage girls wore flat shoes. However, during the height of the 1940s after the war, the flat shoe gave way to the high heel.
• Nylons: During the war, nylon was not a readily accessible fabric. Therefore, to give the appearance of nylons, often women and teen girls would use black eyeliner to draw a line up the back of their leg to give the appearance that they were still wearing nylons.
• Hairstyles: Teenage girls and women during the 1940s also wore their hair in tight curls on top of their heads in the style of Betty Grable and other famous pin-up girls of the era. 

So, now you know what teenagers wore in the 1940s.