Sometimes it can help to build an impression by seeing what others had done. I know when I started reenacting and doing German civilian, I wanted to see what others had done for a little inspiration. Well, as I am sure you can guess, there was not much out there, and I want to fix that! So, I am making up impressions and dressing up based on how I would interpret the look. To get started, a rural farmer. My inspiration for this look came from a photograph from a 1943 ladies' magazine of ladies dressed in plain dresses covered in aprons, their heads covered in scarves to keep their hair tidy and just out of the way. My other inspiration was a couple of photographs showing plain coats and head scarves.
Before I get to my inspiration, here is the look I was able to achieve and where I found the items I used.
The dress is an original German dress in a wool and mystery fiber blend. The plaid has green, tomato red, white, and black. The wool plaid is textured and has 3/4 length sleeves and large white buttons. I suspect strongly that this dress was a homemade item because there are a lot of wonky fittings with this dress. It ends right at my knee which for German 1940s civilian clothes has been seen. Although 40s hemlines hit below the knee, I have photographic evidence to suggest that for German fashion, that rule was more relaxed. I am guessing that is all thanks to the war making women make do with what they already had in their closets. Of course, age of the wearer does come into play, younger more junior women could wear higher hemlines so it's possible that we are seeing a junior fashion trend instead of a wartime fashion trend. From the photos I have seen, the women vary in age which is why I think it could be a wartime trend.
Over the dress is a grey sweater, a cream colored 40s coat and then over my hair is a silk scarf large enough to tie under my chin and cover a great portion of my hair. If you are not good at achieving a 40s hair style, then a scarf will be your best friend! It can hide a lot of sin. Just sayin' . My legs are covered in a thicker, opaque stocking and my shoes are a plain brown brogue that lace up the front with a low heel. Where I found each item:
Dress - War's End Shop
Sweater - thrifted years ago
Coat - thrifted years ago
Scarf - thrifted years ago
Shoes - BAIT footwear
Stockings - Target (many years ago)
For my hair and makeup, the hair is side parted and not dressed so it's covered with a scarf. Makeup is none at all, a fresh natural face.
My research for this look came from a few different sources, my photo albums and original magazines. The first image is from a 1943 ladies' magazine from an article about homemaking in wartime. This is one of my favorite images because the clothes are so practical and it's too bad this image is in black and white because I love the variety of prints here.
Next are some images from my photo collection. Here you can see an example of the hemlines I mentioned. You can clearly see a little flash of the knees! Gasp! You can see my inspiration for the coat I am wearing and how I am wearing my scarf over my head. The photo of the three ladies is dated "1943" on the back. Both photos here were from the same album but sadly the second photo is not dated on the back as far as I can tell.
Well, how do you think I did with this look of a rural farmer going for a walk to clear her head?
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