DESIGN ORIGINS | NATASHA WILSON

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...

One of my favourite pieces of clothing is this vintage Marks and Spencer’s knitted cardigan, bought from a car boot sale, as it is a staple piece to add to any outfit. The cardigan is made from the natural material of lambswool and is in a rib knitted grey. Lambswool is a soft type of wool, therefore comfy to wear. It is also practical in the sense this type of it can breathe, keeping you cool in the warmer months but warm during the colder months. This is because the fibres in the wool have crimps that create pockets of air. The cardigan is also embellished with 5 grey buttons down the left-hand side of the garment, reinforcing that this is made for a women to wear.  The label states the cardigan is from 'St Michael from Marks & Spencer'. 'St Michael' was part of the M&S brand from 1928 till 2000. This suggests the cardigan is from this period, presumably the later end due to the label being similar to other ‘St Michael’ products from aroun...

Cristobal Balenciaga is arguably one of the most inspiring and innovative fashion designers of his time, and continues to influence the fashion industry today.  In 1917, aged just 22, Balenciaga opened his first dressmaking business in his birth place of Spain. In 1937, Balenciaga's first couture house was opened in the fashion forward city of Paris. And today, in 2017, The Victoria and Albert Museum are celebrating these two anniversaries and the entirety of his 50 year career with the exhibition  Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion.    The exhibition explores Balenciaga's revolutionary designs. He experimented with the shape of women's fashion like no designer had before. Some of his most famous pieces are the baby doll, sack and envelope dresses, which created "sculptural forms that stood away from he body, framing the figure rather than restricting it" (Victoria and Albert Museum, 2017) . The envelope dress (pictured below) was a design from the pinnacle ...