Can we thank WW1 for the mini skirt?

In honor of Memorial Day I am dedicating this post to how war changed fashion.  In times of war women's roles had to change requiring their clothing to adapt to their new roles.  Women took over work in the fields; enter stage left:  blue jeans.

With a shortage of money and fabric women were required to mend and make do.  Magazines featured articles on how to turn a pair of mans pants into a woman's skirt or how to make underwear from a wedding dress.  This is a trend we still hold on to.  Just google "reconstructed clothing tutorials".

Ever tie a scarf on your head?  This is another fashion trend that took off during war times when women had to work in the factories.  Long hair was a hazard around machinery.

So, can we thank WW1 for the mini skirt?  Well in many ways we can.  During World War I, thanks again to factory work, long skirts were a hazard.  So up came the hemline!  Well it wasn't that drastic, the skirts only came up to mid calve, but since then the skirt started it's gradual ascend up the leg.

So this weekend as you remember those that committed or commit their lives to keeping our country the land of the free and the home of the brave, pay a little tribute to the women.  It is the women that have and still hold down the fort while men are at war and by adapting to their new roles have paved the way for the fashion trends you appreciate today.