The A-Z of Vintage part 4: S-Z

A big thank you to Retro Jet Girl for helping me with some tricky letters! Muchly appreciated :)
Also I couldn't think of anything for X. That is all.

S is for Stocking one of the key foundations in an outfit during the 20^th century. Initially made with silk or rayon and in 1940 the introduction of nylon saw stockings being made from the said material. During the war when resources were used for the war stockings were scarce. Women tried different means to give the appearance of stockings like painting a line at the back their leg to give the illusion of a stocking seam.

T is for Teddy Boys a sub culture and fashion style in the 1950s worn predominately by teenage boys. The look was inspired by the Edwardian period and they brought attention to the teenage fashion market. The sub culture first started in Britain following the war where boys would save up to buy tailored suits. Today Teddy Boys is associated with the other sub culture of Rockabilly.

U is for Undergarments. If you were to wake up in 1950 and have to get dressed for the day you'd the have to start with foundation, undergarments. You'd have to wear high waisted knickers, pointy shaped bra (possibly longline), a girdle, stockings, slip and crinoline. Through out the 20^th century underwear went through some major changes. In the earlier part of the century women were still expected to wear the corset but by the 1920s differences in materials made it less restrictive. In the 40s women camisoles and drawers were sewn out of old parachutes and in the 50s advancements in fabrics introduced colours to undergarments.

V is for Victory Rolls a commonplace hairstyle during the war time/1940s, hence the name. They are a section of hair rolled towards the head and pinned down. They can achieve many different styles including giving the illusion of a fringe (reverse victory roll). In the 1940s when women's clothes were rationed more attention was paid to hair to make an outfit more interesting, intricate and complex were born out of this such as the victory roll.

W is for World War 2 one of the defining events of the 20^th. Starting in 1939 the war had a mass affect. Men were off to fight and women were expected to pick up where they left off. As I have written before rationing affected those at home. Materials, resources and food were rationed leaving morale down. To combat this the government issued posters for people to keep spirits up and to focus on victory.

Y is for Yves Saint Laurent the designer who took over the house of Dior after the death of Christian Dior. He moved the from the new look to the swinging sixties (I hate saying that, I'm feeling uninspired with my vocabulary) with shift dresses and he even made the beatnik look mainstream. His most famous look though was his women's tuxedo.

Z is for Zoot Suit a type of suit that I personally familiarise with penguins. The zoot was popular in the 1930s and 40s with its distinctive wide shoulders, long jackets and pleated baggy pants. It first rose to prominence in jazz culture.