Applying the Research: A Sunday Best Look

 

Doing all the research in the world can only take you so far because at some point you have to apply it. And that can be the hard part! I remember when I started doing German civilian, I looked for wardrobe and impression examples that other reenactors had done to help get me inspired and to help me figure out what direction to go it. I think it can really help reenactors see impressions that are formed, or in this case, dressed. It can help see how the research can be applied and what a good impression could look like. To help, I have built up a few civilian impressions all based on visual research. To continue, a plain well-dressed civilian in her Sunday best.  I chose this look because I am a sucker for a good 40s tailored suit, and I think a suit can be a solid investment. 

For this look, the suit, hat, blouse, and shoes are all original 40s pieces. If you have access to using true vintage in your impression, then go for it. If not, then do not despair because there are plenty of alternatives that I will go into as we dive into this further. Some of those alternatives including sewing the clothes yourself from vintage or good reproduction patterns or choosing a shop that sells good reproduction clothing. As I progress in this series of applying the research and just progress in this topic of dressing the German civilian as a whole, I will talk about making your own clothes. Eventually! Promise!

Where did I find these pieces? I found the following pieces here:

Suit and Hat - War's End Shop

Blouse - thrifted years ago

Shoes - A Vintage Sole

Seamed Nylons - What Katie Did 

Brooch - thrifted years ago

Extra Fine Hair Net and Hair Combs - vintage hairstyling. com

For my look, I chose no makeup. I chose a clean, well-scrubbed face. As I make up more looks for the German civilian, I have a couple in mind that will make use of makeup but for now, none. It makes getting ready really easy! As for my hair, I did pin curl my hair and then held the curls in place with an extra fine hair net that is held in place at the sides with combs. If you are interested in this hair style and want to try it out for yourself, you can find the tutorial here. I did tease out the sides a little more because I wanted the volume to balance out the tilt hat. 

To document my look, I flipped through the pages of the NS Frauen- Warte. I was able to find two suits that were close to the one I chose (although not quite exact) and I was able to find a couple hats and a pair of shoes that were similar to mine. I have added those pages below for you to check out as well. Can you see my inspiration? 

Well, how did I do as a well-dressed wartime German civilian in her Sunday Best?