Look of the decade

During the war, cloth was scarce and clothes were rationed. Women's clothes were plainer and used less fabric. In the US nylon began to replace silk and rayon stockings but nylon stockings were difficult to get in Europe. Men's fashions, too, felt the pinch because of the war - the single-breasted "demob" jacket was an economical cut, and the shortage of fabric often meant that clothes were recycled.