Historical Fashion How-To: 1940's Formal

   Greetings all! I hope you are having a restful Sunday. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this comeback post of Historical Fashion. My best friend had a mystery party that was set in the 1940's, and I'm here to show you what I wore and how I did my hair and makeup for this special event!

   I'm going to be completely honest and tell you that for once, I wasn't being picky about historical accuracy with my costume. I had two formal dress options and ended up going with this one, borrowed from a friend. However, this lovely gown does have a certain degree of 40's style. Its skirt is not very full, which would have been typical for the wartime era. Also, its shiny fabric and sparkles would definitely have been in use by the 1940's. The shrug I wore for modesty mimics the bolero jackets which were worn during the time (see below). Accuracy aside, I felt quite elegant in my floor length evening gown!

Source

Source

   My hair and makeup were both historically inspired. The ends of my hair were curled using the flat iron method (courtesy of Mom), while my crown was kept smooth and straight. Having shorter hair certainly helped to make this more period correct! Meanwhile, my makeup was influenced by the glamorous screen stars of the 40's (such as Gene Tierney, see above!). I wore cocoa colored shadow on my eyelids and creamy shadow on my brow bone, and used black liner, and put on plenty of mascara. On my lips, I wore a dark red shade. After putting on some pearls and silver heeled sandals, my look was complete! 

   In wrapping up (pun not intended), I'd like to share a brief modesty tip! The corset-back bodice I wore did not fasten all the way. A camisole in a nearly matching color that my mom let me borrow came to the rescue. Yes, it looks awkward and rumply in this photo, but I think it actually worked well. :) 

Have you ever been to a mystery party? 

How about an event where you wore formal historic fashion?

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Psalm 121:7-8