Fashion Of The 1940s And Industry

The fashion industry is a cut-throat industry. Often aspiring designers can't just climb their way to the top, they have to claw their way there, and most never make it. However don't be discouraged, a handful of them do make it. I think that it would be the more career savvy decision for you to move to the United States, preferably New York City. However, the choice is yours. Montreal and Toronto are both modern, great cities that I'm sure would have plenty of opportunities. However, if you really want this, my advice would be to move to NYC. I don't really know if successful European and American designers travel to Canada to help students, but I'm sure if you enroll in a fine design school in Canada you would have some designer guests, as most schools do.

The International Academy of Design and Technology (located in both Toronto and Montreal), the Ontario College of Art and Design, the Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology, and the Superior Fashion School of Montreal are all great schools that you might want to look into, if you haven't already. I have no idea as to what your odds are when it comes to working with designers like Dior and Dolce and Gabbing, nobody can really determine that.

It's all really a matter of how badly you want it, and how hard you are willing to work. I don't really think the five best fashion jobs in Canada differ from the five best fashion jobs in any other country. Also, I don't think anyone can determine what the five best fashion jobs are in any major country/city, as it is all just a matter of taste. Merchandising, marketing, photography, journalism....the list is endless. Fashion in Canada is nowhere near as in demand fashion is in Europe and the USA. If you want the REAL fashion industry, head to New York, Paris, or Milan.

The 1940's was a very glamorous era in the history of fashion. The stars of the day that you would probably be interested in researching would be: Katharine Hepburn, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Spencer Tracy, Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Lauren Bacall, and Humphrey Bogart. Each of these stars had a style all their own. Kate Hepburn, especially helped usher in a new style, in that she always wore slacks, she was hardly ever seen in gowns or skirts, this was extremely rare for that day, she was definitely ahead of her time. Women of the 1940's emulated what they saw on the screen. For instance, women had their eyebrows either tweezed or painted on very thin and very defined.

They also wore their lipstick in what was called a "cupid's bow" which was where the upper lip was accentuated rather than the fuller, bottom lip.

The hair was worn in a loose "finger wave." If you really want to see a true lady of the 1940's, I suggest you rent the movie "Chinatown," Faye Dunaway's character Evelyn really captures a woman of the 1940's.

Back to clothing, silk stockings were a wardrobe staple for any 1940's woman. However, the United States was rationing silk, being in the midst of World War II. So the only silk stockings woman could get their hands on had a very noticeable line down the back of them. In order to hide this, women would take a permanent marker and draw down the back of their legs in order to hide the large run in their stockings.

The basic silhouette for women from the 40's was broad shoulders, a small corseted waist and full hips. Fabrics were very light as many new synthetics were being introduced. Also, while Hollywood glamour was very 'in', the US was at war at the time, rationing was in effect and many women were not able to afford things like pantyhose and stockings. One thing women did at the time was draw a line of the back of the leg to make it look like they were wearing stockings, even if they weren't. (silk stockings had seams). Shoes had a heel and a slight platform. Round toes, peep toes and ankle straps were common. If you're looking for famous 40's women to model your look after I'd look for images of Veronica Lake, Rita Hayworth or Ingrid Bergman. All had the classic '40's' look.

One of the most effective ways of communicating 40's fashion is through hair and make-up. Hair was worn long, smooth with intricate finger waves. Make-up was striking and simple. A dramatically arched brow, liquid black liner (ONLY on the upper lid) and bright classic red lipstick. But very matte, no gloss ever. You mentioned the New Look, but that style didn't debut until the late 40's and didn't become more popular until the 50's. With the new look shoulder silhouettes became more 'soft', the waist was worn more tightly corseted and hips became even fuller.