“We Publish Fashions Because They are News”: The New York Times 1940 through 1945

Solving the Problem of Couture versus Quotidian Fashion: Commercial Sewing Pattern Publications, a Neglected (and Uncollected) Historical Source

“…Though pattern supplements do not appear in Prairie Farmer, which is available through the University of Illinois online collections, sewing pattern illustrations are offered in that newspaper's pages ("Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections" n.d.). During World War II, the New York Times tried to reassure readers that fashion carried on despite the absence of French design imports by organizing fashion shows called the Fashions of the Times (Buckland and O'Neal 1998;"Fashions of the Times" 1942). Then in 1949 New York Times fashion editor Virginia Pope introduced "Patterns of the Times," a sewing patterns feature that ran for several years until petering out in 1964.…”

We wore “sloppy sweaters [and] tweed skirts”: Apparel for Wartime College Co‐eds with a Case Study of College Towns in Oregon

“…Scholars have examined the influence of World War II on apparel styles and the textile and apparel industry. This has included investigations on patriotic fabrics and scarves (Atkins; Boardman), changes in newspaper editorial policies that impacted the fashion industry (Buckland & O'Neal), and the use of fashion to help support the war effort (Buckland). However, there has been little discussion on college women and their clothing choices during World War II.…”