Brand spanking new to the world of WWII German civilian attire? Totally overwhelmed on where to start? Hey, I get it. I was in your shoes at one point to. Getting started is scary and can feel chest crushing because there's so much that has to be done, and it feels like it has to be done all at once. Let me help you out by offering a quick guide. This page is my advice to you on getting started and them my most popular posts for additional reading. I highly recommend that you go check out those posts because they will give you some in depth detail on the clothes for the building out an impression. I know getting started can be really overwhelming so take it all one step at a time. A great impression does not happen overnight or over the course of a year. A great impression is never done being formed. We are all always learning!
Getting Started: Clothes
For starters, get a basic set of clothes. I would recommend a simple blouse and skirt combination or a plain dress. Then, a plain pair of shoes in black or brown. Seamed nylons or stockings are period correct but can be expensive so I would recommend a plain pair of ankle socks. Ankle socks are just as period and are cheaper and more readily available. Hats can be an investment of both time and money and a scarf tied under the chin is just as period correct and a heck of a lot cheaper. You can find nice, period correct scarves at thrift stores or you can even make one yourself at home from plain material. Personally, I think a hat is worth the time and money but do your homework before buying one, so you know you are getting a good one. Speaking of hats, if you are sewing and crafting inclined, there are lots of tutorials and patterns to make your own. Before buying anything, look at original images - photos (which are the BEST resource) and even magazines to get an idea of what styles and shapes are period, lucky for you there are LOTS of such images here on this blog. Also on this blog is a "shopping list" of sorts to help you build a wardrobe, that can be found further down this page for easy access.
Getting Started: Shoes
Choose good, plain footwear, in either a heel or a low heel or no heel at all. Study originals the best that you can, and old catalogs offer great visual research. If you are new to the hobby, you will find out that period footwear, originals or reproductions, are expensive. To help you save money and make sure that this hobby is for you before you shell out a small fortune on shoes, I recommend a flat. Like a ballet flat that is a plain as possible in black or brown. A good flat will allow you to enjoy the event and determine if this is something you want to commit too. Flats are also period for many time periods and will just blend. I don't want you to sink over $100 on shoes only for you to find out that reenacting isn't your thing. You have better things to spend money on.
Getting Started: Holding your Stuff
Where are you going to put your personals? Like your wallet or make up or other bits? I would recommend a basket with a cloth over the contents. Baskets are easy to find and fairly cheap if you shop the secondhand market. A period purse is a great option as well, but original purses can be pricy, and reenactments can really put a beating on original purses. Original purses also do not hold a whole lot, they tend to be smaller than most modern purses. To old your modern purse, any purchases you make at the reenactment, and even water and snack, I would recommend a nice basket. To hide the contents, a good period cloth.
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Getting Started: Hair and Makeup
Hair and makeup. Terrible at doing your own hair? Don't despair, women even back then who did their own hair were not always great at it either. Many photos show women with very plain hairstyles such as a simple bun at the back of the head sitting just at the nape of the neck. Other examples include curled hair with a side or center part secured at the sides with simple, unadorned hair combs. More advanced hair styles include pompadours and other waved looks. Leave the victory rolls to your American counterparts. Makeup - best makeup for a German civilian look is none at all. Yes, a good clean face! There is some documentation of German women wearing makeup for this period but none at all is the best. Before choosing a look, study original images for inspiration, lucky for you, there are LOTS on this blog.
Getting Started: Underwear
It is amazing what wearing the correct underwear/ underpinnings can do for a look. When you wear a period correct bra, girdle or stockings, it can not only elevate the look overall but make you truly understand what it was like to wear the clothes they wore back then. I do recommend investing in a basic set of period undies at some point which should include a bra, girdle or garter belt, seamed nylons, and a dress slip as well as tap pants or panties. The bra and girdle can fall under the category of shapewear and for good reason, they can alter the body shape into a more period correct shape. Once you wear 1940s appropriate underwear and compare it with modern underwear, you will fully understand the difference!
Posts for Further Reading:
Dress Prints, Colors, and Solids in German Fashion
A Collection of Hair and Make Up Tutorials Based off of Photographs
A Shopping List for Building a WWII German Civilian Look
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