1940s Suits

The 1940s suit was practical elegance under pressure. Our 1940s suits for women are designed by our in-house team and made in Yorkshire, and built around the details that give the decade its silhouette: double-padded shoulders, a curved peak lapel, a nipped waist and a neat skirt or wide-leg trouser.

What did a 1940s suit look like?

A wartime suit was tailored from as little fabric as possible. Our Utility Belle suit takes that discipline as its starting point: an 8-panel jacket with a two-piece sleeve, designed to get the best fit from the least cloth, in keeping with Britain's CC41 utility guidelines, worn with a matching skirt. The Bacall blazer, based on a vintage original, adds the strong shoulders and covered buttons of the classic 1940s jacket and mixes with pleated skirts or trousers.

Skirt suit or trouser suit?

Both are authentic. The 1940s skirt suit is the classic: a fitted jacket over a straight or pleated skirt just below the knee. The trouser version was made famous by film stars such as Katharine Hepburn, and our Hepburn pleated trousers, with their very wide leg, deep pleats and turn-up, are an easy way to build one. If you want the full story, see our 1940s trousers.

Finish your suit with a 1940s blouse tucked in at the waist, then add a hat, gloves and red lipstick. Browse 1940s jackets and coats for the outer layer, or read the 1940s style guide for more on wartime dressing. Sizes start at a UK 8; many styles go up to a 24.