1940s Fashion and Attitude

The last month I have been completely absorbed by the “line” of 1940s clothing. I have been pouring over images from vintage Sears Catalogues. A couple weeks ago I went shopping at Old Navy and TJ Maxx, looking at modern day dress for any resemblance of WWII clothing. Women’s blouses currently look remarkably similar—sleeves have the slight puff on the shoulder, the shirt is fitted for the torso. Slacks, however, couldn’t be more different with the waistband way down on the hip bones instead of up near the ribs.

I am laughing at myself, getting so immersed in “fashion”. I am thinking fondly of my dear friend Cheryl from high school who went off to get a degree in fashion design and how more often than not, I am caught in “sweaty dance clothes” from taking class, teaching class, or coming from rehearsal. The other day, I enjoyed pulling out my sewing machine (wishing it was my grandmother’s vintage machine that I used to sew on before inheriting my mother’s more modern one) to mend borrowed vintage dresses for our photo shoot. (Mendana Productions photo by lola a. katie)

There is something about the 1940s women that captures my imagination more than other decades in history. I am drawn to the stories of independent and self-sufficient women of the time, perhaps because I am continually surprised to find them, even though there are so many! Somewhere in my growing up, I got the notion that women were not independent and self-sufficient until the liberation movements of the 1960s.

On Monday this week, Theron and I took our bicycles to SF to ride along the Embarcadero to look for any of the “tall ships” leftover from the weekend’s extravaganza we missed. I watched the bicycles while Theron went inside to get us some dinner. A young woman in fatigues walked into the restaurant. I have discovered/realized that I am intimidated by anyone in a military uniform. So, I worked up my courage to try to get her attention when she left. When she came out of the restaurant, I said, “Excuse me”, but she had her headphones on and didn’t hear me. As I watched her walk away, I wondered “Where did she grow up? How did she decide to join the military? Has she been in combat? Has she had to do things she wished she didn’t have to do? What music is she listening to? What brings her to the San Francisco waterfront on this cold windy evening?” I desperately wanted to hear her story, yet did nothing to try harder to get her attention.

Creating art is a learning process. It is about asking questions and looking for answers, whether or not the answers get found. I am learning the creative process does not necessarily help me to make sense of the world as much as it reinforces again and again the complexity of the human race.

Love, Joy, Greed, Selflessness, Selfishness, Sorrow, Doubt, Confidence, Pride, Arrogance, Humility, Righteousness, Compassion