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| The war took its toll on the availability of products, especially in Britain. In the States advertisers took advantage of the situation to illustrate how they were aiding the war effort and how patriotic they were. In the UK we learnt to “Make do and mend” and “Lend a hand on the land”. Towards the end of the decade, while we were still struggling with rationing, the Americans were injecting glamour into fashion, inspired by the movie stars of the day. Icons such as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Judy Garland and Betty Grable endorsed a huge variety of products ranging from Chesterfield cigarettes, Stetson hats and hair wax to gas ovens. While the British coped with economical food recipes and home dressmaking, through cinema, TV and consumer magazines the American public was bombarded with images of glamorous, successful people whose lifestyles they longed to emulate. Aspiration and optimism was the order of the day. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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