Fashion On The Ration: 1940s Street Style

From 'onesies' to wear in the air raid shelter to jewellery created from aeroplane parts, Fashion On The Ration will look at how fashion survived and even flourished under the strict rules of rationing in 1940s Britain, often in new and unexpected ways.

The exhibition will explore how men and women found new ways to dress as the rationing of clothes took hold and displays of original clothes from the era, from military uniforms to functional fashion, will reveal what life was really like on the home front in wartime Britain. This is a story not about the end of fashion but about creativity, innovation and coping in adversity, the impact of which can still be seen in British style today.