Dresses had small waists

The forties was quite an interesting decade fashion wise; dresses had small waists, tight busts and full skirts, while luxury items such as silk stockings disappeared, as silk now had more important uses, such as making parachutes for the war effort.This is unsurprising when you consider that the war took up half the decade cheap lace wigs
and naturally had a huge impact on our perception on what people were wearing in the forties.

However, if you look around you will discover that this does not necessarily mean you need to go to a forties themed party dressed as a British Tommy or a German SS Officer, there are still some great original 1940's fancy dress costumes that are only loosely based on the World War II theme.

Below are three different 40's outfit suggestions for you to consider if you are looking for interesting 1940's fancy dress costumes to wear to the upcoming party.

Suggestion 1: Home Guard Army costume

One of the most commonly seen uniforms
ED Hardy in England during the war was of course the Home Guard costume worn by those soldiers protecting our shores from a possible attack from the enemy.

Made famous in the seventies, by the likes of Private Frank Pike in the popular comedy Dad's Army, these outfits are a perfect example of 1940's fancy dress costumes and are based around a khaki coloured jacket and a pair of matching khaki trousers.

The outfits also feature metallic gold buttons, military ribbon detailing, a khaki belt and a coordinating hat.

Suggestion 2: Forties Miss Medic outfit

The pretty pink medic uniforms are sexy 1940's fancy dress
lace wigs costumes that the ladies can wear to the party and are of course only loosely based on the medic's uniform of that time.

These great looking outfits have a keyhole zip-fronted top with appliqué crosses and a pencil skirt. They also come with a matching hat.

Taking inspiration from the glamour of the forties, the Miss Medic outfit actually has a cropped top, which is of course something that you definitely would not have seen during the decade.

Suggestion 3: RAF Aviator costume

"Chocks away, old boy!" and we have definitely saved the best for last, with these awesome looking 1940's fancy dress costumes. The RAF Aviator costume is based around a brown leather-look zip-up jacket with a beige faux-fur trim.

The 40's outfit also comes with an authentic looking flying helmet, a white scarf and a pair of beige boot tops.