Since adopting this impression in 2018, I have heard my share of myths when it comes to WWII German Civilian fashion. Some are really bizarre and have made me scratch my head and some are . . well . . .I am not sure how to put them. Today I want to address them because these are bubbles that need to be popped. I am not sure how some of these got started but someone, somewhere got them going and they have so far persisted. I think part of the origins of these myths is that this topic is not well known by many like American 40s fashion is.
German fashion is so niche. German fashion is also very heavily seeped with propaganda which often did not reflect the reality. The Nazi party wanted women to dress and look a certain way and many women did not live up to this ideal. Many women also were faced with two conflicting images: the pure Rhine maiden and the chic modern woman . . .I think these myths that I am going to address today are a result of modern eyes confusing reality with the political image and just a general lack of understanding of 40s attire. So, without further hesitation, here are some of the myths I have had to bust at events:
They did not wear seamed nylons.
German woman did wear seamed nylons because seamed nylons were the only way nylons came. Seamed nylons have a seam not for aesthetic reasons but because the seam is part of the manufacturing process. 1940s nylons are made flat and then need to be stitched up the back of the leg to create the full nylon. A seamless nylon did not make an appearance on the fashion scene in the United States until 1944/ 1945 and was a very fashionable item. So, for wartime Germany, all nylons must have a seam.
They did not wear make-up.
German propaganda discouraged the wearing of makeup because the Nazi party thought make up was dishonest. However, photographs, magazines, and even films depict women wearing makeup up. So, it was being worn by some women but probably not all women. Not all women in wartime Germany were equal, some had access to luxury goods (nylons, perfume, lipstick, etc) and others were just barely trying to survive. Looking at the photos in my own collection and those of others, most women did not wear makeup, but a minority did so to say all women did not wear makeup is a myth. In fact, Eva Braun, Hitler's sweetheart and later wife was known to wear lipstick often.
They did not wear colorful clothes.
I am not sure where this one came from but German women in wartime Germany did indeed wear clothes that had color. I have in my personal collection many original clothes that come in colors of deep wine red, tomato red, cobalt blue, and more. They wore color.
They did not wear colorful shoes because the Gestapo would have arrested them.
I am not kidding, I was told this at an event. I have not read or seen any primary source material that would suggest this to be true. I don't think the Gestapo really cared about what shoes women were wearing. Colorful shoes, red, blue, green, etc. did exist in the 1940s, there is a LOT of documentation to prove it. Are black and brown more common? Yes, but that is from a practical fashion perspective. they hide dirt better and go with more outfits easier. So, bottom line, your shoe color did not influence the decisions of the Gestapo.
They did not wear high heels/ pumps.
I am not sure where this one came from either . . . I have photos of German women wearing heels.
They did not wear fur.
I have an idea where this one came from . . . Hitler loved animals and thought wearing fur was cruel. Not kidding. . .Ironic? Yes. . . As a result, women were quietly discouraged from wearing fur however many women did anyway. Fur came in the form of collars, trimmings on coats, and as fashionable accessories. Furs as a fashion accessory was seen on the wives of Nazi officials and other well to do women.
The only fashionable women in Germany were the prostitutes.
Yes, I have been told this one . . . . I am sure there were some fashionable women in WWII Germany that were prostitutes but that does not mean EVERY fashionable woman in Germany was engaged in that occupation. Many fashionable women were simply wives, mothers, sisters, etc. who cared about their appearance and were fortunate enough to maintain it.
German women only wore clothes from the 1930s during the war.
Many women in wartime Germany had to make their clothes last longer and that meant wearing clothes from the 1930s either in their original form or in some altered version to stay somewhat current. This one is complex because some women did continue to wear clothes from the 1930s, I have wartime dated photos of many mature women that are wearing clothes that are more 30s than 40s in terms of their construction but styled with a more 40s tilt to stay current. So, some women did wear 30s clothes, but some also did not. This myth has often been used as a blanket statement to describe all German women and like I have mentioned before, not all women in wartime Germany were equal. Some had access to ready-made clothes that are very typical of the 1940s and some made up their clothes at home to be more fashionable or as fashionable as they could get.
To reenact German civilian you need to have wide hips.
My personal favorite. . . .When I started reenacting in 2018, I was told I could not do German civilian because my hips were too narrow. In fact, because my hips were "too narrow" I could not do German anything . . . Not kidding. Well, based on photographs, one does not need to have any body shape in particular to do German civilian.
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