Tribes
by Nina Raine
This a theoretical costume design assignment. Students were asked to choose a play or musical and design costumes for two characters.
The two characters I chose to design for were the plays leads: Billy and Sylvia. This play is set in Britain and for this assignment I have set the time period as the 1940s.
Britain in the 1940s has a rich history. This year was dominated by the second world war. Unsurprisingly this heavily affected the fashion industry.
In the 1940s mens suits were plain in style due to a shortage of materials. Suit colors were usually in muted tones.
Men also often wore knitted v-neck tank-tops
Clothes rationing began in 1941, this was the birth of "utility clothing"
British women's fashion consisted of a wardrobe of knee-length dresses, skirts, and blouses with colorful fabrics and prints. The shape was triangular, with broad shoulders and a nipped waist
Women also wore luminous broaches and buttons that made the wearer more visible during "blackouts"
(pictured in the corner).
