World War 2 brought a change in the way Londoners presented themselves. Women wore a Victory Roll hairdo which mimicked the turn of the British bomber’s wings when they dropped their deadly load.

And turbans became a thing for working on shift in the weapons factories so hair didn’t get caught up in the production line or smell of machine oil.

The rationing of clothes was introduced in June 1941 and the most luxurious of textiles – silk – didn’t appear in the war years.

When young Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947, clothes rationing was still in force, so her dressmaker Norman Hartnell had to use coupons to buy the satin material.

Clothing was still formal – there were no modern trainers or sweatshirts and women often wore hats and most men wore a jacket and tie to go out to an event.

Make do and mend was a phrase to encourage women to repair or recycle clothes and clothes exchanges were set up so items could be swapped.

Make do and mend meant unusual fabrics were used and a Dutch dress was exhibited in the Imperial War Museum in London which was made from a potato sack. Julie Summers wrote about the job of the editor of Vogue Audrey Withers in WW2 and how Withers was tasked to keep up morale by continuing to promote fashion.

And the so-called siren suit came into Vogue – even the prime minister Winston Churchill wore one and it was handy for wearing to bed when you knew that the air raid warning would sound at night and you would have to go to the shelter quickly. It was an all in one suit – not unlike the ‘onesies’ popular today.

Note to editor. SL Roman is the pen-name of Sarah Onions and Laura Meloni Bywaters who both live in the borough of Kingston in SW London. Sarah was born in Brighton in southern England and Laura was born in Rome.

Now on sale everywhere: in the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Year-Night-S-L-Roman/dp/B09GZPYRJ4 and in the US: https://www.amazon.com/One-Year-Night-2nd/dp/194715981X.

Also, at Barnes and Noble in North America. And in Surbiton, SW London at The Regency bookshop.