How we dress 40's at work

We have a special place in our hearts for fashion from certain prior decades and we absolutely love when they come back in to popular fashion. Gucci's Fall 2011 ready to wear (rtw) line is so fantastically 70's, Ludlow has her heart set on wearing Fedora's and silk dresses until spring.

A tidbit you may not be aware of is that fashion in the 70's, and particularly the late to mid 70's, was an update of the 40's. So, naturally we love anything 40's too. Of course, a lot of times what you see on the runway, can be difficult to translate when dressing for the office.

So, here is one example of how we would do 40s/70s in the office:

Lex found this super cute top from Tibi (that is actually a body suit) and matched it with a delicious belted pair of redish/burnt sienna trousers from J.Crew. Gold accesories, such as a thin gold necklace to accentuate the neckline, could be added.

Given the 40's was a decade where more women went to work, since their men were off at war, denim-like shirts became popular fashion. That also looks really good with these trousers and is a little more casual - for a Friday if your office is a bit more formal. A chunky gold bracelet would top off the look.

After we wrote this, we were interested in the employment trends during WWII. We found out that more than  an estimated six million women joined the workforce during the war - the majority of them married women. In 1940, before the war, only 36% of women workers were married. By 1945, after the war, 50% of women workers were also married. The middle class taboo against a working wife had been repealed.