#letterlust

Shigaraki: [sighing deeply, pinching his nose]

Bicycle and 1943 British fashion design by Norman Hartnell

Just a nice picture taken from a Dutch 1950s ladies magazine. I found it while I was looking for bicycle ads in a pile of all kinds of magazines.

During the Second World War (1939–1945) Hartnell was subject to the same government trading and rationing restrictions as everyone else, the number of buttons, fastenings and even amount and components of embroideries were all calculated – and rationed.

He joined the Home Guard and maintained his designing career with government sponsored collections for show and sale to overseas buyers, competing with the Occupied French and German designers, but also a growing band of American designers.

Private clients ordered new clothes within the restrictions or had existing clothes altered. This also applied to The Queen, who appeared in her best possible clothes in bombed areas around the country. Hartnell received her endorsement to design elegant and innovative clothes conforming to strict rationing , mass produced by Berkertex with whom he entered a business relationship that continued into the 1950s.

French Electric Tandem around 1900, ridden by Dacier & Jalabert by letterlust on Flickr.