The (Sewing) Struggle is Real: A 1930s Suit

And now for something different!

This past weekend Fort MacArthur in San Pedro hosted it's annual Old Fort MacArthur Days' historical timeline.  This is a weekend-long event where crazy people like me set up representations of military encampments of time periods ranging from Viking to Vietnam, dress up in clothing of the period, and do our best to bring some living history to the general public.  The event is always the weekend after the 4th of July and, at $10 per person, there is a ton to see and do.  I highly recommend putting it on your calendar if you are in the area next year.

The group I'm part of represents the men and women of the Army Medical Corps during WWII.  Specifically, we represent the 45th Field Hospital of the Army Nurse Corps.

Here we are (portraits taken by the lovely Carly Hopkins):

                         

 And here is our home sweet hospital for the weekend:

One of the challenges of re-enacting & living history events is the hair and makeup: one wants to look as attractive as possible, but the Army wasn't particularly interested in it's women being attractive.  Women were only admitted to the Army because of the undeniable need for medical aide and the fact that the Medical Corps were short-staffed.  Women as a part of the Army during WWII was a highly controversial & experimental thing.  There was doubt about whether or not women would be able to act competently under the stress of battle and while surrounded by so many men. 

It is notable that, even though the Army arguably has the most unflattering uniforms of all the branches of service (valuing practicality over fashion), and though they made very few concessions to the particular needs of women (being different shapes than men and having bodies that function slightly differently), part of their issued uniform was powder and red lipstick.  The idea was, that even on the battlefield the nurses represented every GI's mother/sister/sweetheart/wife.  They were symbols of hope and of home--and therefore, needed to look as pulled together and polished as circumstances would allow.  It's not an easy task in ill-fitting men's coveralls (a commonly used field uniform for the ETA) under the best of circumstances, let alone under the stresses of an active field hospital, but these ladies managed it.  

To that same end, Army regulations were that hair was to be pulled back from the face and off the collar--no Veronica Lake-style glamour girls in the field hospitals.  (Incidentally, I can't remember where I got this magazine article.  If anyone finds it, I will be more than happy to give proper credit.)

The recommended military hair cut was 3 inches long.  The diagram is taken from the book 1940s Hairstyles by Daniela Turudich.  I believe it is out of print, but if you can find a copy, I highly recommend it.

Adapting a modern haircut to vintage styles can be challenging.  My own modern hairstyle is in long (mid-shoulder blade) layers, so I roll the back and sides into "Victory Rolls" to keep things tidy and off the collar.  My hair is naturally curly, so I prep with pincurls, but because of the length, I don't need to use a rat, I wrap the length of my hair under and that creates the necessary volume.

Beccie's hair is finer, shorter than mine, and permed.  The side bits are pulled back with hair combs instead of rolls, which also keeps the hair close enough to her head to fit comfortably under her hat.  The rest of the hair is divided into 3 sections, rolled into half-buns at the nape of the neck, & pinned in place.  This leaves her curls fluffy, yet contained and off the collar. 

(Thank you for modeling, Rebecca Bobier!)

Whew!  That's enough for this installment.  I'll be doing a mini-series on elements of vintage hair styles.  Please feel free to shoot me any questions so I have a better idea of what you'd like me to cover.   :)