Make Do and Mend by Ministry of Information

Rosie the Riveter was and is still used as a symbol of feminism and women’s economic advantages, as she encapsulates the fact that women could do the work of men and do it just as well. It was subsequently less of a taboo for women to be wearing trousers instead of a skirt, showing how society’s harsh restrictions and attitudes on the lives of women were gradually changing. This is a great example of how fashion developed in the wartime period, as women had to take up the factory and munitions jobs left behind by conscripted men, and so needed more practical and comfortable clothing. In the poster, Rosie seems to be in dark blue overalls and her hair is tied up in a red, polka-dot bandana, out of the way of her face. We can look at the case of the the iconic character ‘Rosie the Riveter’, who is known from the famous World War Two poster that states ‘We Can Do It’ as she flexes her bicep. High streets adapted in response to wartime conditions, as it was not necessarily style but more practicality that was on the public’s minds. However, fashion did in fact manage to survive and flourish in some ways. Do-it-yourself home fashions were encouraged and clothing rations were introduced in the UK from 1st June 1941 to also help with the situation. The government urged people to ‘Make Do and Mend’ in such times, with The Ministry of Information publishing a pamphlet encouraging people to do whatever they could to extend the life of their clothes, from darning socks to washing nylons more carefully. It therefore became harder for people to express themselves in the way that they had been able to in, say, the glamorous ‘Roaring Twenties’.

Resources and raw materials needed for making civilian clothing were limited, prices rose and fashion staples such as silk were no longer available. In many ways, war did disrupt the fashion scene in Britain.

Make Do and Mend by Ministry of Information