1940s Shopping Guide: Fashion, Home And Tech

Utility clothing and make do and mend, wartime paperbacks, big band records and a family wireless.

Below: what to buy for a 1940s theme, a 1940s birthday or someone who grew up then - clothes, books, records and gadgets, with what to check before you pay.

Straight answer first: we don't sell clothing, books, records or technology. We draw and print cards, art prints, pin badges and stickers in the UK, and we stock party decorations. Everything else here is advice on where the genuine items come from.

Years covered in the 1940s

• 1940 - Rationing, Dunkirk, Churchill and the Blitz - the year everything changed. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1940
• 1941 - The Blitz continued, clothes went on the ration and America entered the war. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1941
• 1942 - The Beveridge Report, soap on the ration and the first American troops arriving. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1942
• 1943 - The tide turned, the Dambusters flew and the country got used to going without. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1943
• 1944 - D-Day, the V-1s and the Education Act that changed school for everyone. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1944
• 1945 - VE Day, VJ Day, a landslide election and street parties on bomb-damaged roads. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1945
• 1946 - Television came back, bread went on the ration and the family allowance started. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1946
• 1947 - The worst winter in memory, a royal wedding and Indian independence. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1947
• 1948 - The NHS began, the Olympics came to London and the Windrush docked at Tilbury. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1948
• 1949 - Clothes rationing ended, the pound was devalued and the decade closed on austerity. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1949
• That is every 1940s year we have written up so far: 1940 to 1949.

1940s clothing and accessories

• Utility clothing carried the CC41 label - genuine pieces are collectable and getting scarce.
• Tea dresses, headscarves tied at the front, and wedge or lace-up shoes.
• For men: demob suits, braces, a flat cap, and knitwear that has clearly been darned.
• Victory rolls need no shopping at all, only pins and a tutorial.
• Reproduction 40s wear is a huge market because of re-enactment, so quality is good and prices are fair.

1940s books worth buying

• Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh (1945).
• Animal Farm, George Orwell (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).
• The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank (English edition 1952, written 1942-44).
• Wartime cookery and Ministry of Food leaflets - reprints are cheap and genuinely interesting.
• Wartime Penguins printed on thin paper are common and very of their moment.

1940s music and records

• Vera Lynn, Glenn Miller, the Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby - all still easy to find on 78 and on reissue.
• 78s remain the format all decade; the 7 inch single does not reach Britain until 1952.
• Forces' Favourites style compilations on CD are the practical choice for a party.
• Original wartime song sheets cost very little and make good framed gifts.

1940s home and interiors

• Utility furniture stamped with the CC41 mark - plain, solid and built to last.
• Blackout curtains, an Anderson or Morrison shelter in the garden and a tin bath.
• Enamel mugs, Pyrex dishes and a pressure cooker once rationing eased.
• A Bakelite wireless, still the centre of the room.
• Hand-knitted blankets, rag rugs and everything mended rather than replaced.
• Ration books, gas mask cases and ARP kit, now the most collected items of the decade.

1940s tech and gadgets

• A family wireless set is the object of the decade - the whole house gathered round it.
• Utility furniture and household items, also CC41 marked.
• Wartime memorabilia sells fast and is widely faked; buy from established dealers.
• Ration books and identity cards are cheap, real and make excellent reminiscence props.

Where to buy and what to check

• Re-enactment suppliers are the best source of wearable 40s clothing, and they know their dates.
• Anything described as wartime issue needs provenance; reproduction insignia is everywhere.
• Paper ephemera - ration books, leaflets, song sheets - gives the most era per pound.

How to shop a decade without overspending

• Set the budget before you start; period shopping is where budgets quietly double.
• Reproduction for clothing, genuine for the small objects - it looks the same in photographs and costs a fraction.
• One real item plus three cheap nostalgic bits beats one expensive present every time.
• Check the year, not the decade. Plenty of what people file under one era actually arrived in the next.
• Music last: a compilation of the era does more work at a party than any decoration.

Shop prints and posters

Milestone birthday cards

Blank inside, kraft envelope, printed in the UK.

Decorations for a decade party

Banners, balloons, cake toppers and confetti, plain enough to take any era theme.

How to write it so it lands

• Buy for the year they turned eighteen, not the year they were born - that is the era they actually remember.
• Photograph the label or the pressing before you buy online; reissues and reproductions are rarely described as such.
• Leave the clothing to last. The objects are harder to find and the outfit can be sorted in an afternoon.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1940
• Look back to 1941
• Look back to 1942
• Look back to 1943
• Look back to 1944
• Look back to 1945
• Look back to 1946
• Look back to 1947
• Look back to 1948
• Look back to 1949
• 1940s history: events, politics and culture
• 1940s calendar: year by year
• 1940s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1940s films and directors
• 1940s books, films and TV
• 1940s books: novels and authors
• 1940s art: artists and styles
• 1940s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1940s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1940s travel: destinations and holidays
• 1940s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1940s games: board, card and video
• 1940s trivia: fun facts
• 1940s quiz: questions and answers
• The 1940s: the whole decade
• The decade before: the 1930s
• The decade after: the 1950s
• All decade guides in one place
• Card messages by occasion: every guide in one place
• Card hub: cards, badges and messages by occasion
• Decade history by era
• Decade calendars: every year from 1920
• Decade music: songs, genres and trends
• Decade films: best movies and directors
• Decade books: novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends
• Decade fashion: styles, designers and trends
• Decade food: dishes, restaurants and eating trends
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays
• Decade technology: gadgets and computers
• Decade shopping guides
• Decade games: board, card and video games by era
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade quizzes: questions and answers by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade quiz: test your memory
• Shop art prints and posters
• Shop greetings cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Shop funny cards
• Milestone birthday cards
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Wartime and 1950s party games
• Traditional British party games
• Pen and paper games
• Card games your nan taught you
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Wedding cards
• Wedding cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What 1940s homeware is worth buying?

Utility furniture stamped with the CC41 mark - plain, solid and built to last. The home and interiors section above lists the rest, from furniture to kitchen kit.

What should I wear for a 1940s theme?

Utility clothing carried the CC41 label - genuine pieces are collectable and getting scarce. The clothing section above covers the rest, including accessories and where to buy.

What are the best 1940s books to buy as a gift?

Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh (1945). Every book listed was published in the decade, so the date on the title page does half the work.

What 1940s records are worth buying?

Vera Lynn, Glenn Miller, the Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby - all still easy to find on 78 and on reissue. A single or album from the year they turned eighteen is the most personal option and usually the cheapest.

Do you sell 1940s clothing, books or gadgets?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints, pin badges and stickers, and we stock party decorations. For the rest, charity shops, car boots, eBay and independent record shops are the honest answer.