mypiggywiggy - J O U R N A L

Vintage Fashion Inspiration: 1940s Overalls

2021-03-05T15:28:46-08:00

Here at mypiggywiggy we rarely look to modern trends and current fashion fads to inspire the garments we choose to grace our online shop pages, instead we often turn to the past to see what the everyday woman wore as she went about her life doing simple, ordinary things. We've recently added some cute vintage inspired overalls in the shop, so we wanted to share with all of you the vintage photos we have collected that were our source of inspiration and reference.

We've gathered together a few inspiring vintage images of women from the past (mostly from the 1940s though) wearing overalls.

In those days wearing pants and especially overalls was much more common place amongst men, but during the war effort, many women took over men's jobs at farms and factories and during this time women's fashion forever changed, again. In the previous World Ward, women's fashion had changed significantly because the entire world changed. Hemlines became shorter, clothing became less fussy, and corsets were no longer worn.

A Brief of History of Overalls

Before the second World War, women were hardly seen wearing overalls. They were made to be worn over your own clothes to protect your garments and were often made of sturdy denim or canvas as they were quite utilitarian. The first patent for overalls was filed in 1873 by Levi Strauss & Company. Many men who worked on the railroads or panned for gold often wore these sturdy garments made of thick denims as they could handle the rough daily wear and tear.

But as more and more women entered the workforce during World War II, their everyday garments were not deemed safe for factory and farm work and so new designs were created and produced. Eventually more feminine details such as waists that could cinch and more feminine pockets emerged eventually paving the way for overalls to be worn as a fashion garment and not just for utility and work. Now you can purchase overalls in a variety of fabrics and in various prints and patterns and different weights of fabrics too!

Vintage Style Inspiration: Overalls

Get The Look

We were inspired by this vintage 1940s photo of a woman wearing a puff sleeve short sleeve blouse and printed wide leg overalls. Our Leighton Floral Overalls paired with either the Cloud Pagoda Top or Seeking Clouds Top would make a perfect vintage inspired outfit without looking too much like a period costume.

As She Was / Down In the Meadow

2020-07-15T17:39:00-07:00

Here at mypiggywiggy we ardently believe that abiding by Henry David Thoreau's quote "live the life you have always imagined" doesn't mean living a life of extravagance and luxury. Quite the opposite really as we aspire to live lives of simple and attainable beauty rooted in kindness, nature, and community.

This small sampling of found vintage photos from the 19th and 20th century depict women in fields and meadows, luxuriating among the flowers with dear friends or in solitude. We hope these photos inspire you to go and seek out a field of flowers this summer season, to pack a small picnic, and to gather stems of wildflowers to later press or craft into a summer crown for your hair.

As She Was: Photobooth Beauties

2020-06-13T15:40:00-07:00

Oh how I adore a good ole fashioned photobooth. I've never really taken the time to pen down my thoughts as to why. I suppose it is similar to the reason I adore polaroids, they are photos that live in the center realm between film and digital. Perhaps a crux between past and future. It is the real present moment. I'll muse on this some more, but for now, I wanted to share these photobooth photos from the past. Who were they? Where did they live? What were they doing that day? What was the significance of these photos for them?

Alas, we shall never know...

As She Was: 1940s Fashion Inspiration

2020-03-15T19:17:00-07:00

So much feminine style inspiration can be found from vintage photos of women and we're especially drawn to everyday style and clothing worn by women from the 1930s and the 1940s.

The 1940s was a huge historical turning point for women's fashion. Women began to take on jobs that men traditionally held due to World War II and their garments both had to be functional and still be presentable.

Perhaps this is the reason we are so drawn to this era for clothing. The women of the 1940s were spirited, resourceful, and still appeared feminine while honestly kicking major ass. These women are our mothers, our grandmothers, our sisters, our aunts, our friends. In our opinion, the 1940s was an amazing era where women's roles began massively shifting as quickly as the fashion was changing.

Vintage Inspired Style Notes from the 1940s

Scarves worn around your head (try this pretty vintage inspired floral scarf in the shop)
Short puff sleeve blouse
Below the knee length skirts and dresses (hemlines significantly shortened during this era due to wartime rationing)
Ruffle accents
Patch pockets
All over floral prints, usually larger scale than the 1930s
Peplums
A-line skirts (we have so many vintage inspired skirts in the shop!)
Lightweight fitted knit tops

To be honest, we're much more into these amazing farmer's market baskets at a Los Angeles Farmer's Market c. 1945 than we are about the clothes...

- F I N -

image credits: main photo / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

As She Was are posts where we share the numerous vintage photos we have come across to celebrate and pay homage to the memories, stories, and lives of the women in these vintage photos.