1940s Stanwyck Dress - Rosewood
Including duty
Our best-selling 'Stanwyck' style, is the ultimate 1940s 'many-way' dress. It is the epitome of a versatile day-to-night staple, serving as the ideal foundation for accessorising.
Named the 'Stanwyck' in homage to 1940s film star Barbara Stanwyck - a woman known for her consummate professionalism and slick dressing. This dress personifies the practical and stylish silhouette of the early 1940s and employs classic tailoring with skillful pattern cutting techniques.
New 'Rosewood' is a muted rose-red with softly smoky undertones, lending the fabric a beautifully aged, romantic character. Rosewood joins our full Stanwyck range, also available in Aubergine, Black, Navy, Racing Green, Red and Steel.
The late '30s/early '40s was all about practical and prudent dressing due to austerity and wartime thrift. There were many styles described as a 'background' dresses - meaning that the dress was a great base which could be transformed using accessories, jewellery or trim. "Perfect when worn unadorned yet takes accessories with the greatest of ease".
Dress has a demure high neckline with fitted shoulder yokes above a sunburst pintuck arrangement; 5 pintucks fanning out from the shoulder seam, a hallmark 1940s tailoring detail that adds structure without bulk.. Simple bodice then has two tucks into the waistline with a simple panelled swing skirt. Sleeves are extra special - three darts in the head with a tuck into the hem.
Let's just finish off with the cinch belt... This is a real beauty and you will likely use this with other garments. Based on belts found in many original dresses of this era, this is a self fabric covered belt which ties at the front making it fully adjustable and gives a lovely cinching effect.
The fabric is a stretch crepe with a touch of spandex means it will stretch a little to accommodate waist variances.
Key Features Include:-
- high neckline
- shoulder yokes with pin tucks below
- panelled swing skirt
- back zip
- darted sleeve with tuck
- cinch belt with tie
Made in Yorkshire, England.
Fabric: 60% polyester 37% viscose 3% spandex
Length from natural waist: approx 68cm
What is a 1940s 'background dress'?
A background dress was a wartime wardrobe staple: a plain, versatile style designed to be worn unadorned or transformed with accessories, jewellery and belts, reflecting the practical dressing of the austerity era.
What is a sunburst pintuck?
A sunburst pintuck arrangement is a set of narrow, stitched folds fanning out from a single point - often the shoulder seam - used in 1940s tailoring to add structure and visual interest without extra fabric bulk.
Is the Stanwyck dress named after a real person?
Yes: it's named for 1940s film star Barbara Stanwyck, known for her polished, professional style, which inspired the dress's practical yet elegant silhouette.
Does the Stanwyck dress come with a belt?
Yes, it includes a self-fabric cinch belt that ties at the front for a fully adjustable, cinched waist.
Love this era? Read our 1940s Vintage Style Guide →
Our best-selling 'Stanwyck' style, is the ultimate 1940s 'many-way' dress. It is the epitome of a versatile day-to-night staple, serving as the ideal foundation for accessorising.
Named the 'Stanwyck' in homage to 1940s film star Barbara Stanwyck - a woman known for her consummate professionalism and slick dressing. This dress personifies the practical and stylish silhouette of the early 1940s and employs classic tailoring with skillful pattern cutting techniques.
New 'Rosewood' is a muted rose-red with softly smoky undertones, lending the fabric a beautifully aged, romantic character. Rosewood joins our full Stanwyck range, also available in Aubergine, Black, Navy, Racing Green, Red and Steel.
The late '30s/early '40s was all about practical and prudent dressing due to austerity and wartime thrift. There were many styles described as a 'background' dresses - meaning that the dress was a great base which could be transformed using accessories, jewellery or trim. "Perfect when worn unadorned yet takes accessories with the greatest of ease".
Dress has a demure high neckline with fitted shoulder yokes above a sunburst pintuck arrangement; 5 pintucks fanning out from the shoulder seam, a hallmark 1940s tailoring detail that adds structure without bulk.. Simple bodice then has two tucks into the waistline with a simple panelled swing skirt. Sleeves are extra special - three darts in the head with a tuck into the hem.
Let's just finish off with the cinch belt... This is a real beauty and you will likely use this with other garments. Based on belts found in many original dresses of this era, this is a self fabric covered belt which ties at the front making it fully adjustable and gives a lovely cinching effect.
The fabric is a stretch crepe with a touch of spandex means it will stretch a little to accommodate waist variances.
Key Features Include:-
- high neckline
- shoulder yokes with pin tucks below
- panelled swing skirt
- back zip
- darted sleeve with tuck
- cinch belt with tie
Made in Yorkshire, England.
Fabric: 60% polyester 37% viscose 3% spandex
Length from natural waist: approx 68cm
What is a 1940s 'background dress'?
A background dress was a wartime wardrobe staple: a plain, versatile style designed to be worn unadorned or transformed with accessories, jewellery and belts, reflecting the practical dressing of the austerity era.
What is a sunburst pintuck?
A sunburst pintuck arrangement is a set of narrow, stitched folds fanning out from a single point - often the shoulder seam - used in 1940s tailoring to add structure and visual interest without extra fabric bulk.
Is the Stanwyck dress named after a real person?
Yes: it's named for 1940s film star Barbara Stanwyck, known for her polished, professional style, which inspired the dress's practical yet elegant silhouette.
Does the Stanwyck dress come with a belt?
Yes, it includes a self-fabric cinch belt that ties at the front for a fully adjustable, cinched waist.
Love this era? Read our 1940s Vintage Style Guide →
| SIZE | BUST | WAIST | HIPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6* | 79cm 31" |
61cm 24" |
84cm 33" |
| 8 | 84cm 33" |
66cm 26" |
89cm 35" |
| 10 | 89cm 35" |
71cm 28" |
94cm 37" |
| 12 | 94cm 37" |
76cm 30" |
99cm 39" |
| 14 | 99cm 39" |
81cm 32" |
104cm 41" |
| 16 | 104cm 41" |
86.5cm 34" |
110cm 43" |
| 18 | 110cm 43" |
91.5cm 36" |
116cm 45.5" |
| 20* | to 117cm to 46" |
to 97cm to 39" |
123cm 48" |
| 22* | to 124cm to 49" |
to 104cm to 42.5" |
130cm 51" |
| 24* | to 131cm to 51.5" |
to 110cm to 44" |
137cm 54" |
| 26* | to 138cm to 54" |
to 117cm to 46" |
144cm 57" |
Delivery
Enjoy free delivery on orders over £150.
For orders under £150, UK standard delivery is 2 to 4 working days — £4.50 EU standard delivery is 3 to 6 working days — £15 USA standard delivery is 3 to 6 working days — £20 International standard delivery is 5 to 10 working days — £20
Need it a little sooner? Express delivery is available.
A little note on duties: any applicable import taxes are calculated and added at checkout. We ship DDP (Delivered Duty Paid), which means we take care of everything on your behalf — your parcel passes straight through customs and arrives at your door with nothing more to do.
A little note on duties: any applicable import duties are calculated and added at checkout. We ship DDP (Delivered Duty Paid), which means we take care of everything on your behalf — your parcel passes straight through customs and arrives at your door with nothing more to do.
A little note on duties: import duties or taxes may be applied by your country's customs authority when your order arrives. We'd recommend checking your local customs guidelines before ordering if you're unsure — we'd hate for any surprises to take the shine off your new piece.
Returns
We offer a 30 day return window, just in case your piece isn't quite the one.
For all the finer details, you can visit our Delivery & Returns page.
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