Forget ration cards, talcum powder and weird puddings involving creamed rice and stewed prunes; the 1940s were so much more than that. This season you only have to peruse the pages of the fashion magazines to see that there's a lot about the 1940s which is very contemporary. After a few seasons of utility dressing and androgyny, fashion is finally returning to its roots. The classic female shape is coming in once more and, to reflect that, clothes are becoming ultra feminine, without being girlie; the look is feline and confident and very, very sexy.
To get the look, take a few good staples - a flirty dress, a tailored jacket and a great bag - then add a headpiece, a faux fur and ultra-pointy shoes, a dash of jewellery and a smear of red nail polish. Keep your powder-puff on hand and your lipstick as thick and red as possible (just make sure it stays off your teeth). This is a look that will attract both twentysomethings and fortysomethings alike, and may even delight your granny.
Touches of the 1940s turned up in the spring/summer 2000 show at Prada when silk blouses, flippy pleated skirts and patent pumps were the order of the day. For autumn/winter 2001, both Miu Miu and Prada, as well as a stable of other fashion houses, carried this look through; Miu Miu showed tailored coats and suits, and blowsy dresses with furs and vintage jewels. Prada did delicate chiffon dresses and the detachable fur collar, while Narciso Rodriguez (available in Ireland for the first time at Brown Thomas this season) had movie-star pearls and diamonds, with tea dresses and tailored suits. From Valentino and Max Mara, to Chanel and Cerruti, nearly every fashion house did a version of the tweed coat and sculptured suit.
The high street did not take long to react. Now you can find faux-fur collars in Debenhams (prices from £18), and ankle strap shoes in Kookai, Clarks and Nine West where prices start at £49.99. If you're aiming to fake it without breaking the bank, look out for fake crocodile-skin and snake-skin bags and purses at Oasis and River Island (prices from £7). Miss Selfridge and A-Wear have sheer chiffon blouses, and Warehouse and Whistles have an array of floaty dresses. You'll find great wool tweed coats in Next (from £80) and some very Garbo-esque twopieces in Kookai.
Of course, nothing gets quite so much kudos as the real thing, and for an original 1940s Grace Kelly-style suit, look no further than vintage shops such as Jenny Vanders in Dublin's George's Street Arcade, A Store is Born (on Saturdays only) on Clarendon Street, and Harlequin on Castle Market. This is also where you will find those long, pleated gloves (great if you've got small hands) and fur stoles, such as the ones featured here, which have already become hot property with the fashion set.
"Since the articles which appeared in Vogue this month, showing all the furs and 1940s dresses, we've already been called and asked what we have," says Marion Sullivan at Jenny Vanders. "One lady bought a fox-fur and customised it by cutting it smaller and attaching ribbon - to give the impression of Prada, and bring it right up to date. Younger women love buying original 1940s shoes like the ones the designers copy."
This look is the stuff of gangster films and Hitchcock stories - picture scenes in black and white movies where the heroine catches someone's eye, before slowly slipping off her gloves and saying "How do you do?" It's sophisticated, elegant and oozes sex appeal, as well as a certain level of sassy charm. Call it lady-like chic or fashion for grown-ups, the age of elegance - without innocence - is most certainly back. Just remember to think more 21st Century Fox than Granny-thrift and you'll be clicking your kitten heels all the way to Christmas.
