The Dressmakers of London | Fashion, Rationing, and Sisterhood in WWII with Julia Kelly

👗5 Things You Didn’t Know About Fashion Rationing in WWII (and Why It’s Perfect Historical Fiction Fodder)

In this week’s episode of For the Love of History, we sat down with historical fiction powerhouse Julia Kelly, whose latest novel The Dressmakers of London gives us everything we love: women’s history, emotional drama, and vintage fashion under pressure. Set against the backdrop of WWII Britain, Julia’s story follows two estranged sisters forced to keep their late mother’s dress shop afloat — while dodging bombs, grappling with conscription, and learning how to survive on just 66 clothing coupons a year.

If you’ve never thought about how fashion rationing in WWII worked, prepare to be gloriously obsessed.

Here are 5 things you probably didn’t know about utility clothing and rationing — and why they make for perfect historical fiction.

1. You only got 66 coupons for clothes... for the whole year.

That’s right. A dress could cost 11 coupons, a coat might take 17. And if you wasted two on a pair of stockings? Good luck when winter hit. Suddenly, your wardrobe became a spreadsheet of survival.

2. The government dictated how your clothes could look.

The Civilian Clothing Order of 1942 laid out rules so specific they’d make Coco Chanel sweat. Only 4 knife pleats per skirt. No cloth-covered buttons. Definitely no double-breasted coats — too much fabric. Thus was born the Utility Clothing Scheme, where drab met regulation chic.

3. Red lipstick was considered patriotic.

According to Julia, makeup was framed as morale-boosting — and also, a giant middle finger to Hitler, who supposedly preferred “natural” women. The result? Bold lipstick shades like "Victory Red" became wartime staples.

4. Sewing was a feminist act.

In a world of rationing and regulations, being able to mend, make, and modify your clothes wasn’t just resourceful — it was revolutionary. Julia shared her personal connection to sewing (and some hilariously relatable Great British Sewing Bee struggles), reminding us that historically, “women’s work” was always more powerful than it looked.

5. Letters were the emotional lifeline of war — and the novel.

Can’t text your sister when she’s serving in a barrage balloon unit? You write letters. Lots of them. Julia wove epistolary elements into her novel to show just how deeply meaningful — and complicated — written communication became during war.

💌 Bonus nerd tidbit: Julia almost sent one sister to Egypt, but had to scrap the plot twist after discovering letters would’ve taken months to arrive. Welcome to the pain and beauty of historically accurate fiction.

If you’re a fan of WWII historical fiction, curious about the history of utility clothing, or just someone who thinks buttons should come in more than one style — this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen to the full episode now wherever you get your podcasts, or watch it on YouTube for bonus stationary talk, letter-writing love, and more.