Dress thumbnail 1
Dress thumbnail 2
Not on display

Dress

autumn 1942 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

In 1942 the British Board of Trade commissioned ten members of the recently formed Incorporated Society of London Designers to create a collection of regulation day wear under the auspices of the Utility scheme, an austerity measure introduced by the Board of Trade during the Second World War, when clothes were rationed. Smart yet practical, this shirtwaister - a kind of tailored shirt-dress - was the only black garment in the designer Utility collection.

The rayon crepe dress has all the characteristics of wartime clothing - broad shoulders (shaped by heavy flock pads), a skirt length just below the knee and a square silhouette, but it also has also eye-catching details, such as bold lapels and a roomy pocket set diagonally on the left hip.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Rayon crepe, with buttons
Brief description
Black rayon with buttons, Utility, London, England, 1942
Physical description
Black day dress
Dimensions
  • Length: 1120mm
  • Circumference: 670mm (Note: waist)
  • Circumference: 840mm (Note: bust)
  • Width: 400mm (Note: Shoulder to shoulder)
Credit line
Given by the President of the Board of Trade
Production
Original inventory label found in dress pocket, initialled C for Creed. (other garments in collection also ID'd by initials on these tags)
Summary
In 1942 the British Board of Trade commissioned ten members of the recently formed Incorporated Society of London Designers to create a collection of regulation day wear under the auspices of the Utility scheme, an austerity measure introduced by the Board of Trade during the Second World War, when clothes were rationed. Smart yet practical, this shirtwaister - a kind of tailored shirt-dress - was the only black garment in the designer Utility collection.

The rayon crepe dress has all the characteristics of wartime clothing - broad shoulders (shaped by heavy flock pads), a skirt length just below the knee and a square silhouette, but it also has also eye-catching details, such as bold lapels and a roomy pocket set diagonally on the left hip.
Bibliographic reference
Mendes, Valerie. Black In Fashion. London: V&A Publications, 1999.
Collection
Accession number
T.60-1942

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Record createdFebruary 19, 2003
Record URL
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