Forties Make-up and Fashions
Make up artist Amanda Sharkey and Photographer Lee Malone tell us how to create the classic 1940's look.
The 1940's era redefined women and set the stage for later feminist thought on the history of women. For the first time in the country's history, the average woman was expected to lead two different lives; homemaker and wife of a man at war, and factory worker. Women had learned their places so well, that when the majority of men went to war, there was no one to work in the factories and shipyards. It didn't take long for the government to realise that women were the only way to produce the equipment and supplies needed to run a war. Some women were delighted to enter the workforce, seeing it as the first time in their lives that they could achieve economic independence. Other women really believed that it was unfeminine to work outside the home. They refused to go to work, but using cajolery, flattery and outright threats, the government sent the women to work.
Forties Clothing Fashions
Fashion for real women follows function and form. Women were 40's morale-boosters; dresses had small waists, tight busts and full skirts. Women were expected to tighten their belts, silk stockings disappeared when silk was used for parachutes and other wartime items, and women drew lines up the backs of their legs with eyebrow pencils to simulate stocking seams. Thin figures were in:shoulder pads made their first appearances on the female figure. Women's jobs were male jobs such as welding and soldering, building and production, so at work, they were wearing costumes like coveralls and denims. Many women discovered the comfort and ease of wearing pants, and actresses like Katherine Hepburn and Bette Davis made trousers for women into lasting trends.
Forties Make-up Trends
Make-up was affected by the war, which turned many women's thoughts away from romance and towards simplicity. Lips were a true, patriotic red, creamy skin was powdered and smoothly pink. Mascara had found its place on a woman’s face, although more often worn after work hours. Romance and practicality fought each other on the home front, where women wanted to look beautiful even whether swing dancing or working shifts at a shipyard or factory. To make up was a way of maintaining one's feeling of femininity in a world that was challenging women to take on more of the man's role than was ever allowed before.
Create the look...
Make-up Artist, Amanda Sharkey tells us how:
“The creative direction behind the shoot was inspired by the modern look with an underlying vintage 1940s feel. The theme has strong resonance with the current trends in fashion and makeup, especially coinciding with popular theatre shows such as Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire. Working with this brief I aimed to perfect a flawless, glowing complexion using a mix of Illamasqua Satin Primer and Cream foundation. I then worked to build a sultry, soft smokey eye using Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow (in Bone), layered with shades of Woodrose and Cocoa. I added more depth with MAC Eye Shadow (in Carbon), blending into the outer edges of the eyes. I shaped the brows and filled them in to create a strong frame, go for Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake (in Dark Brown) for striking definition. I finished this with highlights using Illamasqua Pure Pigment (in Furore); a metallic, high-shine, pure-colour powder that highlights eyes, cheeks and brows. Add a slick of black liquid eye liner to create the perfect 40s flick! Finally, no 1940s lady (modern or vintage!) would be found without her red lippy; the Chanel Rouge Allure lipstick (in Passion) is the perfect blend of red”.
Behind the scenes, with Lee Malone.
“The shoot was based in the 1940s and I thought that this was the style that all the magazines here were missing out on. It was such a cold day and it was also raining, so shooting had to be fast and the change of clothes too! I work very hard on every editorial I shoot, and the research process lasts about 2 months to make sure everything is planned carefully for each image. I create a storyboard for the shoot; planning is the key and will help to understand exactly where and what has to be done. For this shoot I have the exact drawing of each shot. The perfect location had to be scouted - in this case an old country manor that captured the scene just as we had envisioned it”.
About the photographer...
Lee Malone is an up and coming photographer, whose imaginative concepts are making waves and earning him an ever expanding following. Lee began by shooting documentaries on a film camera four years ago and has been developing his style of photography ever since. Lee Malone is well versed in the areas of graphic design and photography after studying in Ballyfermot College of Further Education. His portfolio boasts a collection of portraits, documentaries and impressive high fashion editorial shoots. In addition to being published in many magazines, one of his portraits made the final three in the Metro Newspaper Photo Challenge in 2009.
Inside the magazine
Photographer:Lee Malone
Model: Alyson Boyle @assets
Stylist: Sara O'connor
Make-up artist: Amanda Sharkey
FACEON_i8-Vintage-1940's-Fashions-(Pages-8-12)
