Turbans, headscarves and snoods are probably just as iconic as red lipstick when it comes to 1940s fashion and even in wartime Germany, women wore them. These items of functions became items of fashion especially as the war dragged on because they were simple items that could really do double duty for women. Scarves worn as head wear could help hid dirty or untidy hair and also offer some protection too by keeping hair out of the way when working in a kitchen or factory.
In photos, magazine spreads, and even in pattern books, women in wartime Germany can be seen wearing one of these simple and humble pieces of fashion. For today, I have selected a few images from a German lady's magazine that show that these could be worn for function or fashion. What makes a turban worn for fashion different than one worn for functionality? I think it depends on what you wear with it. If you study the images below, the head scarves tied up as turbans as a fashion item are worn with chic suits and stylish dresses. The ones worn for function are with simple dresses suitable for bring in the laundry. How you wear yours depends on what your goal is, fashion or function?
Alongside turbans, snoods were also worn, and I have already covered them in a past post which you can find by clicking here. I also did a little tutorial on how to wear a snood which you can find here. Snoods were worn by German wartime women but do not show up near as much as a scarf tied up as a turban or head covering. Why? I'm not sure but they were worn for work around the house, for sports, and for fashion as well. For this post, we are going to focus more on the turbans and head scarves.
If wearing a turban to keep your hair out of place is not your thing, then that's ok, there are other period ways to wear a headscarf. From one of my pattern books, check out the lady below sporting a head covering to keep her hair tidy and out of the way for what looks like some heavy-duty work. Note her footwear too which looks a lot like a summer sandal.
From a German lady's magazine from 1943, two ladies hard at work wearing printed head scarves. If you look extra closely you can see what looks like pins helping to keep the scarf in place.
Adding a head scarf or a turban to your wardrobe is a great idea. These items are not only very well documented but incredibly practical as well. These are also fairly cheap too. Below is a simple white cotton head scarf that I cut from an old sheet. I folded it in half diagonally and then tied it under my hair. Simple, fast, and super period correct too. I was inspired by original photos to recreate this look when I was a cook for a German field kitchen.
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