OBJECT REVIEW: PAISLEY BLOUSE WITH UTILITY MARK LABEL

When thinking of the rationed clothing from World War Two, dull colours and basic cuts spring to mind. However, this fun paisley print blouse was made during the War, dated between 1941 and 1952.



In Britain, clothes were rationed from June 1941 and continued to be until 1949, four years post war. The War forced fashion retailers to adapt to the difficult circumstances, and so the government introduced the utility clothing scheme in 1941. The utility scheme put in place restrictions on clothing design, for example, the number of pleats in skirts and the number of buttons used. The main reason for this was to save materials and labour, so that these could be diverted to aid the war effort and economy.


CC41 utility mark label
Wikipedia (2017) CC41. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CC$1 [Accessed 18 Oct. 2017]

The blouse has a utility mark label called the CC41, that became more well known as the “double cheese”. The blouse is not obviously a piece of rationed clothing at first glance. It has three-quarter length sleeves, shoulder pads and a bright purple, blue and yellow print inspired by the traditional paisley design. There were no restrictions on print and colour, however, some parts of the blouse indicate that this is a piece of rationed clothing. Instead of buttons and buttonholes, the shirt has popper front fasteners to conserve materials such as thread. The materials also reflect the period the blouse was made. These include viscose and plastic which are considerably cheaper than materials such as silk.





Although the world of fashion was affected by the War, it did not stop the fashion industry from creating the best quality pieces they could and continuing to thrive in a time of hardship. Garments such as this blouse showed the industry wanted to continue to create exciting and trendy pieces, and not be defeated by the War.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Book:

Summers, J. (2015). Fashion on the ration. London: Profile Books Ltd.

Web:

Imperial War Museums. (2017). How Clothes Rationing Affected Fashion In The Second World War. [online] Available at: http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-clothes-rationing-affected-fashion-in-the-second-world-war [Accessed 18 Oct. 2017].


Modip.ac.uk. (2017). AIBDC : 000824 | Museum of Design in Plastics, MoDiP. [online] Available at: http://www.modip.ac.uk/artefact/aibdc-000824 [Accessed 18 Oct. 2017].

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