The Playsuit

The playsuit is one of my favourite 1940s garments, because it's so cheerful. It's the decade's summer leisure outfit: shorts and a top for gardening, cycling, the beach, or just sitting in the sun, and it shows the practical, sporty side of 1940s fashion at its most relaxed.

The name covered a few related designs. The classic playsuit was a one-piece outfit, with a fitted bodice or blouse top joined at the waist to short, often slightly flared shorts, buttoning down the front or the side. There were also two-piece versions, with a matching top and shorts. Many came with a matching skirt, either separate or buttoned on over the shorts, so the wearer could look respectable in town and then take the skirt off for the beach or the garden. They were usually made from cotton - gingham, seersucker, piqué, or bright prints - or sometimes rayon, in cheerful colours and patterns.

The playsuit had grown out of the 1930s sportswear boom, but the 1940s gave it new uses. In Britain, travel for holidays became difficult during the war, and the government encouraged "holidays at home," so a garden, a local park, or (where it was still open) a nearby beach became the setting for summer leisure. In the United States, the new American sportswear designers, Claire McCardell among them, made "play clothes" a real category: simple, comfortable cotton separates and one-pieces that were cheap, easy to wash, and designed for movement. With slacks and shorts much more acceptable than before the war, a playsuit felt modern rather than daring.

It was also very home-sewing friendly. A playsuit needed very little fabric, which suited rationing and fabric restrictions, and pattern companies produced plenty of designs. Worn with wedge sandals, a headscarf, and sunglasses, it's a very recognisable 1940s summer look. For me, the playsuit is a nice reminder that even in the war years, fashion had room for fun: people still went outdoors, played, and wanted to look good doing it.