Before the outbreak of WWII, French fashion represented the very pinnacle of style, and French women the epitome of chic. At home and abroad, couturiers’ wealthy clients eagerly awaited the
latest collections, and design houses throughout the world looked to Paris for inspiration. Unparalleled for glamour and elegance, all things French were noted and emulated - and especially
French fashion.
One morning in September 1939, into this idyllic world of haute couture and Caf矇 society came the shattering experience of war, followed by the German Occupation. French women, determined
not to give way to the inevitable austerities, sought innovation: hats made from blotting paper or newspapers - the latter signalling political allegiances - and blouses made out of
parachute silk, often obtained through dubious means. Not only did life go on, but creativity flourished - culottes, which enabled stylish bicycle journeys, became the vogue, and couturiers
capitalized on deprivation with wit - dubbing designs ‘Coal’ and ‘Black Coffee’, or naming an entire collection after M矇tro stops.
Fashion under the Occupation provides the only in-depth history of these blackest years in French history, long overlooked by fashion history because of the impoverished industry and
deprivations that affected design. Widely acknowledged as the authoritative work on fashion during this period, it is available in English for the first time and will be essential reading
for anyone interested in fashion, French cultural history, and particularly the German Occupation of France.
