[ can't go wrong with polka dots--and I love the flower embellishments on the patch pockets. ]
Juniors styles were still a relatively new concept in the 1940s. The term “juniors” referencing a particular fashion size range and style offerings at a specific age-group, started showing up in the 1930s. Though the juniors market wouldn’t fully realize until the 50s (and continue gaining strength), manufacturers and retailers latched onto this demographic very quickly in the 40s as the buying power of American youth was realized. If you want to see some 40s juniors fashions in motion, be sure to check out films like “Since You Went Away” and “The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer”. (I’m sure there are many other films I’m forgetting–if you have suggestions, please feel free to comment!)
The 40s junior styles are some of my favorites–I love the pretty-girlish silhouettes and details; they have a more romantic flair to them, which appeals to me. In many ways they were just slightly different variations of what was available in the misses size range, but I find they tended to be a bit more lighthearted! I hope you’ll enjoy these scans from the 1944 Sears catalog–and the two pages of floral “adornments” that I threw in too!
[ pretty, summery dresses in checked gingham. ]
[ I love the bow-tie waist treatment on the dress at the lower right! ]
[ noticed the decided emphasis on a slim midriff these gowns sport. ]
[ the "two piecer" sets are really cute! ]
[ ric rac, lace and ruffles--so fun! I particularly love the center top dress. ]
[ floral hair adornments--I really love the double clusters (G). ]
[ more bows and flowers--be sure to click to see the large version with the descriptions! ]
I want to try some of those bottom hairstyles!
Ohhh! I love the adornments. Did you see my last post – I just made a little course in London about making fascinators (http://neu4bauer.blogspot.com/2010/07/festive-fascinator-workshop.html) – you would probably have loved that. I really want to look into making vintage adornments. Thank you for this headstart!
I hope you are having a lovely summer day.
Best greetings, Theresa
Thank you for posting these! So many ruffles, and apron-like details.
These are amazing Casey!
I love that look so much. Of course, all the Andy Hardy movies are full of dresses like those, and a little later, anything with young Jane Powell from the mid-to-late 40s. Another good one is “I’ll Be Seeing You” with Ginger Rogers and a teenage Shirley Temple, who really does epitomize that look.
I love seeing these scans!
I always love the jr. fashions, sometimes better than the womens’. Unfortunately, they didn’t make “jr.” size 20 back then! LOL!
Wow! Those hairstyles are amazing!
Vintage Vintage!♥ so lovely now I want to go purchase a dress just like these! I must!! They are sooooo charming♥
Those outfits are so lovely! It makes me sad when I look at today’s clothing for juniors and see how cheap and immodest they can be.
I love how sophisticated and still youthful all the offerings are. If only juniors clothing was like that today, I’d snatch it all up in a heartbeat!
Love these! The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer is one of my favorite old movies, Shirley is just the cutest! What I find interesting about 40s fashions, especially for girls/teens is how much they seem to be influenced by the sort of ‘German Milkmaid Look” if that makes sense, especially seeing that we were at war with Germany at the time. The pinefores and heidi braids (Love the heidi braids that Shirley Temple wears to the basketball game) it intrigues me that we were fighting a people in a war but also having a love affair with their style, whether we’d admit it or not
too gorgeous! I love those hair styling ideas – I usually wear my hair up in one roll with a big flower to the side, but I’m saving these to my ‘inspiration’ folder to try out different looks with flowers.
xx Charlotte
Tuppence Ha’penny Vintage
thanks for this! so pretty and wonderful. I love vintage junior fashions– even bought such a dress this week. I agree that they are very carefree and also I think flattering for petite women
Wow, Casey, these are great! I find myself loving each dress, and those hairstyles, gosh, so much eye candy! Thanks for sharing, doll
No you are right, you can’t go wrong with Polka Dots.
I would love to try and make some of these dresses. I have some squared fabric just ready for something like picture 2.
Great post. That is one of the things I love about old movies, the clothing, hairstyles and the homes. Movies made today to look like the different eras just don’t have the same look.
Thanks so much for posting all these photos! I am sewing my first junior style dress right now, and was curious about trying more such styles, but have a hard time gauging from the patterns whether the style will be too young for me. These photos are encouraging because most of the styles do look wearable for someone in her 20s.
I really love the “junior” fashions too! And really just a bit “sweeter” version of adult women’s clothing, making them exactly appropriate.
I don’t know if Heather will be back to read this, but for anyone else who might be interested in that “Heidi” look… the Tyrolean style became very fashionable in the late 30s after a lavish musical production called White Horse Inn came to America (before that it was extremely popular in Europe). It’s a little hard to find information on the phenomenon, but I have an old Effanbee doll encyclopedia that has a chapter on this phenom, because the Tyrolean influence was even felt in doll costuming! The author included news clippings and articles from the period describing the sudden fascination with all things Swiss after the success of the musical. Note that White Horse Inn debuted on Broadway in 1936, and Shirley Temple filmed Heidi in 1937, so perhaps the play’s success influenced that choice of film for her. Which is ironic since we now attribute that Swiss milkmaid fashion influence to Heidi and few have heard of White Horse Inn.