As the 1940s rolled in, women everywhere began to embrace a new fashion statement – embellishing their hair with beautiful and colorful accessories. From pretty hair flowers to the useful & stylish snood, 1940s hair accessories spiced up women’s hairstyles and brightened up their looks. For those looking to add a retro twist to their style, learning about the various hair accessories of the 40s is a must.

In this article, you will discover the most popular 1940s hair accessories, how women wore them, and how you yourself can incorporate them into your look today (including where to purchase).

Put on your best vintage outfit and join us on a fascinating journey through the history of 1940s hair accessories.

1940s women vintage photo vintage hairstyle

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, Unique Vintage, RocknRomance Vintage & Collectif are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Note: If an item you click on is no longer available, don’t fret! All the websites featured on my post are updated with new products daily. Do some searching and see what you can find. Happy shopping!

A Vintage Guide to 1940s Hair Accessories

1940s Turban / Draped Turban

1940s womens Turban design from a 1942 1943 Montgomery Ward Vintage Catalog

Hand draped, tucked turban from a 1940s Montgomery Ward Catalog-Personal collection

I cannot tell if our lady in this 1940 photo booth image is wearing a turban with a ruffled top or if it’s just a headband? Whatever it is, both looks are a great way to take curls or even straight hair that is a bit unruely, not washed etc. and give you a super fashionable look. She looks great!

FURTHER READING: Vintage Photo Tuesday: The Photo Booth

1940s vintage image of a woman in a photo booth with a 1940s hair accessory covering her hair (a headband).

Source: Etsy

How a British Woman Dresses in Wartime- Utility Clothing in Britain, 1943

A model sits on a flight of steps to show off her scarlet wool Utility frock by Dorville at John Lewis and Co. Ltd., with front-gathered skirt and shirt-waist top (cost: 11 coupons and 60/-). She is also wearing a scarlet silk jersey turban and black suede gloves and shoes. Her ensemble is complete with the addition of a black wool Utility topcoat by Harella, costing 18 coupons and 90/9d. This dress is also featured in D 14782 but worn with different accessories to illustrate the versatility of the garment (Source).

1940s Vintage Photo during WW2 of how a woman dresses during wartime. She is in a dress, 1940s turban, jackets, gloves and shoes.

Carmen Miranda helped raise the profile of the draped turban as glamour wear.

1940s photo of carmen miranda in a draped turban 1940s turban

Source: Pinterest

Search terms to use when looking for vintage style hair turbans on websites like ETSY:

1940s Hair Turban
1940s Turban
1940s Draped Turban
1940s Hair Accessories
1940s Turban Pattern (Sewing & knitting patterns)
1940s Hairscarf (to be discussed further down)

Examples of online stores selling this 1940s turban look:

AliceBrownsCupboard on Etsy – Handmaid turbans (I might need to scoop myself up one of these beauties).
FeralVintage – Vintage style 1940s turbans. These are works of art!

1940s Hair turban / 1940s Vintage Hair Acessories / 1940s Folded Turban / 1940s Fashion — **AliceBrownsCupboard on Etsy**

1940s Vintage Style Turbans-1940s Women's Hair Accessories. — **FeralVintage** on Etsy

Maybe you can sew…

Here is an example of a ruffled turban sewing pattern (PDF) like the one our lovely lady is wearing in the first picture. Avail HERE.

1940s sewing pattern for a 1940s turban headband, 1940s Ruffled Turban, 1940s Turban Style

Source: Etsy

Are you a knitter and can’t decide what style of turban suits you best?

This pattern has three of the most popular versions in one pattern PDF.

Contains:
– The Roll Turban
– The Scarf Turban (great for holding in your pin curls)
– The Turban with Crown – a great hat substitute (Avail HERE).

1940s vintage knitting pattern for 1940s ladies turbans in different styles.

Source: Etsy

Fashion Tutorial: How to Tie a Turban & Accessorize! (1942)

Further Reading by Flashback Summer: Who can wear headwraps?

Excerpt: Two things I think we can all agree on to start (or the vast, vast majority of us at the very least can agree on), is that 1.) The question is not whether or not each of us can or cannot wear head wraps, but which head wraps we can rightly wear, and 2.) Religious head wear (such as specifically Muslim or Sikh styles) should only be worn by the people adhering to those religions or ideals.

Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s get into the not-so-clear part of head wrapping: Who can wear which wraps? (READ ARTICLE HERE)

Hair Flowers

I’m obsessed with this hair accessory and I have quite a collection (& still growing) since I started getting into the vintage lifestyle many moons ago. They are truly an easy way to make your hair have that 1940s look. I even dedicated a full post in 2013 to them called, “Hair Flowers-A girls best friend for an easy 1940’s vintage look“.

Please make sure you visit the blog post linked above for images of how to wear hair flowers, vintage photos of people wearing hair flowers and other tips.

In the meantime here are some new imagery and where to purchase hair flowers (updated).

Pretty white hair flower worn in the back of 1940s hairstyle is a great look.

1940s vintage photo of a young woman with a 1940s hairstyle in a 1940s dress with a hair flower in her hair posing in a photobooth

Source: Etsy

I 1000% support matching your hair flowers to your blouse / dress/ swimsuit whatever! What a stunning photo of this woman with a flower on each side of her hair that perfectly matches her blouse.

1940s vintage photo of a woman wearing 2 hair flowers in her hair that match her blouse. She is also wearing a string of pearls. Fantastic 1940s Fashions & 1940s Hairstyle Inspiration.

Source: Etsy

“Lovingly, Gloria”. Well Gloria we are loving your perfect hair flower placement in your photo. Very glamorous.

1940s vintage photo of a pretty woman posing for a photo with hair flowers in her 1940s hairstyle

Source: Etsy

Two bathing beauties on the beach with victory rolls and super hair flower placement.

Search terms to use when looking for vintage style hair flowers on the web (or Etsy)

Hair Flowers
Hair Flowers Pinup
Rockabilly Hair Flower
Tiki Hair Flower (if you want to be a bit more tropical)
1940s Hair Flower

Examples of online stores selling 1940s hair flowers clips:

LaCasaDeFlores (USA)
LilaJo (USA)
ShazamHairFlowers (UK)
Fancy Fruits
Collectif (UK store)
Lady Luck’s Boutique (UK)

TIP! Are you a bit crafty?

Head to your local craft store and make them yourself. It’s super easy (and this is coming from a person who can’t craft without glueing my fingers together). Here is a helpful tutorial (link HERE).

Here is my crafty version (flowers from Michaels) for a Tiki look.

How to wear a hair flower-make it yourself

Hair Snoods

According to ‘Vintage Dancer‘ Hair Snoods… were a popular hair accessory in the 1940s for both daytime and work. They were a rayon or cotton crocheted net fitted with a headband. A headscarf could also be tied like a snood. The band, which was pinned in place, was worn around the top of the head and all of the hair would be encased in the snood. It was popular in the factories due to the fact that the women had to wear their hair back. This was a great way to do this.

1940s vintage photo of a young woman wearing a snood in her hair.

Source: Good Housekeeping

Here is a photo of Ginger Roger in the 1940s wearing a snood and pants heading off to help the war effort (or at least posing like she was).

Ginger Rogers, 1940s. Long hair in a snood in this 1940s vintage photo during WW2. Ginger is also wearing 1940s pants.

Source: Pinterest

1940 Fashion Frocks sample card showcasing early 1940s women’s fashions including how to wear a snood with your hat.

1940s fashion frocks fashion illustration featuring 1940s dresses and a woman wearing a snood with her hat.

Source: Pinterest

The below cover is from a Montgomery Ward Catalogue 1942 1943 and it’s from my personal collection (click the link or the image to see inside). Great example of how popular snoods were that it made it ONTO the cover.

Montgomery Ward Catalogue 1942 1943 Vintage WW2 Homefront front cover 1940s fashion

Search terms to use when looking for hair snoods on the web (or Etsy):

Hair Snood
Vintage Hair Snood
Hair Snood for Women
Hair Snood Pattern
1940s Hair Snood
Vintage Snood
Vintage Hair net / Vintage 1940s Hair net

Examples of online stores selling 1940s style snoods.

RavenMaddBoutique (UK)
CliptacularCreations (US)
CuffburnCustoms (Canada)
VintageRomanceShop (Canada)
GinPoodle (UK)
VintageBoutiqueChic (UK)
CarolsFrenchVintage (France)

For the Knitters & Crochetiers

The web is once again filled with patterns you can buy and videos you can watch. Here are a couple pattern samples I found on Etsy.

Pattern/instructions to make a 1940s/WW2 Snoods. 1 x knitted snood and 3 x crocheted snoods. The perfect finishing touches to that vintage/WWII style outfit (avail as a PDF HERE).

1940s hair snood crochet knitting pattern vintage hair snood

Source: Etsy

1940s Vintage Snoods Crochet Patterns: Two snood crochet patterns done in easy single crochet and chain stitch, one with beads and one with bows (avail as a PDF HERE).

1940s Vintage Snoods Crochet Pattern for Women

Source: Etsy

How to wear a snood? Many ways! Here a couple of good tutorials that show you how, but feel free to do your own research.

How to Wear and Style a Vintage Snood – Easy Pinup Hair with Miss MonMon (Video Link)

Ribbons

I love ribbons. Why? They are an inexpensive way to get a pretty 1940s look in a very short amount of time. I wear them all the time, in my typical 40s hairstyle I wear on the regular (seen below).

How to wear a bow in your 1940s Hairstyle as seen on the Vintage Inn Blog-Liz

The tip with a ribbon is to wear it anywhere on the head that makes the most sense for your hairstyle. Trust me when I say…”You will know”. Below are some examples of where your ribbon placement could be.

Now I understand this is a junior look in this image but as you can see in my photo above, you can 100% wear it as a 40 something old woman and still look classy. It’s all in the clothes you are pairing with it.

1940s vintage photo booth image of a young woman with a bow in her hair.

Source: Etsy

Candy Apples, Hair Bows and Bumper Bangs. Simple style for anyone to try.

1940s vintage photo of 3 young Black women in school eating candy apples in 1940s fashions

Looking for 1940s hairstyle inspiration? Vintage sewing patterns are super resources! They were always showing off some of the popular styles of the day. Here is a super example from a sewing pattern for 1940s playsuit and pinafore dress. Look at the two cute ways the fashion illustrations are wearing their hair ribbons? Love it!

Vintage Sewing Pattern 1940s Ladies' Playsuit Blouse, Shorts and Pinafore Dress

Source: Etsy

1940s school photo featuring not one but two ribbons in our cute teenage girls hair.

1940s vintage image of a young woman with ribbons in her hair. Cute 1940s hairstyle

Source: Etsy

Where to buy Ribbons?

Well that one is easy…any craft store, dollar store, Walmart, Micheals etc.

Headscarves & Bandanas

Kerchief style of the head scarf (where it is tied under the chin) was a popular look to keep the elements off your set. Headscarfs were also being warn like snoods where it went under the back of the hair (see second photo). Want a Rosie the Riveter look (like our lady on the right in the first image below)? This was another option.

1940s vintage photo of young young women dressed in 1940s winter coats and 1940s hats and headscarfs in the winter

Idea on how to wear a headscarf in the 1940s

Source: Pinterest

A woman working on a dive bomber in Tennessee, 1943.

This next photo is another great example of how scarfs were worn by women enjoying the winter weather but who also did not want to ruin those curls they spent hours sleeping on.

Pictured… the under chin option and the “Rosie” version.

1940s vintage photo of 3 women in the snow wearing 1940s winter fashions and 1940s hairscarfs

Source: Etsy

One more! LOVE the curls on our pretty young woman posing in a photo booth. This is a clear as day example of how you can make a hairscarf / regular scarf the perfect 1940s hair accessory. Everything works so well together.

1940s vintage photo of a young pretty woman in a photobooth wearing a hairscarf on her 1940s hairstyle

Source: Pinterest

Search terms to use when looking for hairscarves or bandanas on the web (or Etsy):

1940s Hair Scarf / 1940s Hairscarf
Vintage Hairscarf
Rosie the Riveter Bandana
1940s Headscarf
Rockabilly Bandana / Rockabilly Headband
Land Girl Headscarf
Pinup Hairscarf
Nylon Hairscarf / Pinup Nylon Scarf
Nylon Scarf
Chiffon Scarf / Chiffon Headscarf

Note: For scarves you can use whatever makes you happy. Can be modern or vintage, does not matter.

Examples of online stores selling bandanas and headscarves:

AyeAyeboutique (UK)
HandmadeRetroTopShop (US)
retroluxeshop (US) – Nylon Hair Scarfs
serpentsdelight (US)

How cute is this crochet Rosie the Riveter bandana by CuffburnCustoms (Canada)? (avail HERE).

Rockabilly bandana rosie the riveter look rockabilly pinup style

Source: Etsy

Sewing…

Once again, if you are handy in the sewing world here is a digital pattern for a collection of 1940s hair accessories (avail HERE).

Source: Etsy

How to wear a 1940s head scarf like Rosie the Riveter?

Take a look at Flashback Summer helpful post “1940s Scarf Tutorial“.

One more! Here is the very first video I ever watched where I learned how to do a simple head scarf look. Trust me, once you see this you will be shocked that you never did this sooner (video link).

Further Reading: Check out this great post written by the Women’s Museum of California – “Why did Rosie wear a bandana?”

1940s hairstyle vintage image featuring Ida Lupino — Use of a hair comb in this 1940s photo featuring Ida Lupino

Here is a breakdown of other 1940s hair accessories not featured in this post:

Women’s Hats
Grips / Bobby Pins & Combs / Slides
Artificial Braids

For further reading on other vintage hair accessories from this time period (I could not possibly get to them all), make sure you check out the FANTASTIC website “Vintage Hairstyling” and her post entitled “Elegant Vintage Hair Accessories from the 1940s“.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you found this post helpful and inspiring and if you wish to share your looks with me on social media or via email, please do! Here is how you can find ‘The Vintage Inn’ aka Liz:

Instagram
Facebook
Email: thevintageinnblog@gmail.com

FURTHER READING:

Liz

PIN THIS so you never forget about it!

A Vintage Guide to 1940s Hair Accessories like the Snood by the Vintage Inn Blog.

When I was a little girl I LOVED playing with paper dolls. The clothes that you could put the tiny ladies & men in, were stunning and forever endless it seemed. These dolls were also one of the reasons I started designing clothing and then eventually attend University for Fashion Marketing at Ryerson in Toronto. So they are quite special to me.

For today’s post I want to share a collection of paper dolls from the 1920s-1960s (some vintage & some reproduction) as well as a brief history lesson.

Let the fun begin!

1940s Rita Hayworth Paper doll. 1940s fashion

Vintage Paper Dolls 1920’s – 1960’s

Did you know! Some facts about the Paper Doll….

This lovely lady of 1912 models her elegant trousseau for a spring wedding. 1 doll and 7 authentic outfits including a beautiful wedding gown. 3-page collector's set by Brenda Sneathen Mattox.

Source: Paper Doll Review

First manufactured paper doll: Little Fanny, produced by S&J Fuller, London, in 1810 (Source).

The first American paper doll commercially produced as a children’s toy was Boston-based J. Belcher’s “The History and Adventures of Little Henry” in 1812. The dolls accompanied a children’s book and were designed to act out various scenes as the narratives unfolded (Source).

Early paper dolls came in books, boxes, folders, magazines, newspapers, and advertisements. By the 1920s and 1930s, most paper dolls came in a book with the doll figures on the cardboard covers and the clothing on the paper pages within (Source).

Paper dolls were most popular during World War II probably because materials needed for other kinds of toys were directed to the war effort (Source).

First celebrity paper doll: A doll portraying the renowned ballerina Marie Taglioni, published in the 1830s (Source).

Paper dolls declined in popularity in the 1960s and 70s, and some blame Mattel’s Barbie. With her fashionable wardrobe, Barbie fulfilled much of the same fantasy play role as paper dolls. Paper dolls’ heyday endured over one hundred years (Source).

Paper dolls as artifacts illustrate the social expectations for women at particular moments in time. As products of both popular culture and mass marketing, paper dolls are intentionally designed to reflect that society’s idealized version of womanhood. The dolls’ little paper wardrobes communicate a wealth of information about the ideal woman of the past (Source).

For an excellent historical breakdown of the history of paper dolls, please check out ‘The Original Paper Doll Artists Guild” blog post HERE.

Make sure you also check out from the ‘National Women’s History Museum’, “History of Papper Dolls and Popular Culture“. Another great look into it’s history.

Beautiful Examples of Vintage Paper Dolls

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy and eBay are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Note: If you click on an item and it is no longer available, don’t fret! The websites I have provided are updated daily with 1000’s of new & vintage items. Just do a quick search and see what you find.

The 1920’s

“Sister Nell Goes to a Party”. Gorgeous art deco flapper (1920s) paper doll with her party wardrobe.

1920s Vintage Paper Dolls - "Sister Nell Goes to a Party". Gorgeous art deco flapper (1920s) paper doll with her 1920s party wardrobe.

Source: Etsy

1920s Paper Dolls featuring ‘The Angel Family’-The Women Folks. Very stylish 1920s Fashions!

Source: Etsy

The 1930’s

Tillie the Toiler in her 1930s fashions.

1930s Fashion-Tillie the Toiler paper dolls.

Source: The paper collection

Who was Tillie the Toiler? She is a newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Russ Westover who initially worked on his concept of a flapper character in a strip he titled Rose of the Office. With a title change, it sold to King Features Syndicate which carried the strip from January 3, 1921 to March 15, 1959.

Stylish working girl Tillie was employed as a stenographer, secretary and part-time model. An attractive brunette, she had no problem finding men to escort her around town. Comics historian Don Markstein described the story situations:

Tillie (last name Jones) toiled for a fashionable women’s wear company run by clothing mogul J. Simpkins. Or usually did, anyway—she’d occasionally quit or be fired, as the plotline, which ran at breakneck pace and didn’t always make perfect sense, required. During World War II, in fact, she even joined the U.S. Army. But she always came back to Simpkins. Mostly, she worked in his office, but she also did a little modeling. Whatever she did and wherever she went, however, she was impeccably dressed in the very latest styles. (Except when she was in the army, of course.) This helped her in the pursuit of charming and often wealthy young men, who came and went at an alarming rate, providing grist for the story mill. She did, however, have one steady male associate, Clarence “Mac” MacDougall, a short, bulb-nosed co-worker who loved her persistently even though she returned little of the feeling (Source).

PLEASE NOTE: It appears from my high level research that the paper dolls were not seen until the 1930s as I cannot find any examples of 20’s fashions on Tillie in this format (please let me know if I am wrong in the comment section).

Source: www.blackgate.com

“Tillie the Toiler Fashion Parade”. 1930s Evening Desses for a fun night out on the town.

1930s paper doll for Tillie the Toiler. Fun 1930s fashions

Source: Paper Doll Convention

The next 2 dolls is from the Sunday Funny newspaper paper doll section of TOOTS & CASPER by Jimmy Murphy.

Toots and Casper was a long-run family comic strip by Jimmy Murphy, distributed to newspapers for 37 years by King Features Syndicate, from December 17, 1918 to December 30, 1956. The strip spawned many merchandising tie-ins, including books, dolls, paper dolls, pins, bisque nodders and comic books (Source).

1930s Paper Doll: Sunday Funny newspaper paper doll section of TOOTS & CASPER by Jimmy Murphy.

Source: eBay

1930s Men’s fashion for Casper’s paper doll.

1930's Paper Doll: Great Old Toots & Casper Sunday Funnies Paper Doll, 1930’s mens fashion

Source: eBay

Adorable vintage 1930s ladies awaiting their clothes. Let’s see what stylish 30’s fashions we have….

1930s vintage paper dolls featuring dolls in 1930s swimsuits and their 1930s fashions.

1930s fashions for women as seen on paper dolls

Source: Etsy

The 1940’s

Even in paper form, 1940s Lana Turner is still so stylish.

Vintage 1940s Lana Turner Movie Star Paper Dolls with Outfits

Source: Etsy

Who is a fan of the movie a “League of their Own?” ME ME ME!!! I have seen that movie a million times and it really was one of the reasons I got into blogging and focusing on 1940s content…a lot! Anyways, here is a downladable paper doll from “Retro Paper Dolls” that will make your dreams of becoming a Rockford Peach a reality (well in paper format)!

When your done with this blog post, make sure you check out an archived post I did all about the “All-American Girls Baseball League” (it’s super fun with great photos!).

1940's Retro Style Baseball Player Paper Doll Printable - League of their own Rockford Peach.

Source: Etsy

Have you ever wanted to play dressup with Bette Davis 1940s wardrobe? Here is your chance, with this 1940s vintage paper doll book. See inside HERE.

Source: eBay

Tillie the Toiler is still around in the 1940s and still sporting those stylish threads.

1940s vintage paper doll of Tillie the Toiler in 1940s fashions.

Source: AJH shop

Before I close out the 1940s, take a moment to read this heartwarming story about a father who drew a paper doll & her 1940 wardrobe for his beloved daughter. The collection still exists today! Take a read HERE.

Source: Union Bulletin

The 1950’s

Torchy

Torchy Togs was a paper doll cut-out panel that educated Black Women on how and when to wear exquisite fashions by Jackie Ormes.

The Torchy Brown character was the first positive Black female character to ever appear in her own syndicated comic strip.

Who was Jackie Ormes?

Excerpt from ‘The Museum of Uncut Funk’:

Jackie became the first nationally syndicated Black woman cartoonist in 1937. The “Torchy Brown” series first appeared in the Black-owned Pittsburgh Courier in 1937, and eventually appeared in fourteen syndicated newspapers. Ormes’s strips depicted Blacks in a very different fashion which was not the norm of her day. Typically Blacks were shown as servants or exaggerated caricatures of the “Buckwheat” or “Steppin Fetchit” variety. In contrast, Ormes’s female characters were independent and strong. Jackie Ormes said “I have never liked dreamy little women who can’t hold their own” (Source).

Torchy Brown in her 1952 fashions. I love all the outfits featured below!

1950s Vintage Paper Doll: Torchy Togs, 1952 Black Women Paper Doll

Source: Museum of Uncut Funk

1950s reproduction of ‘Merry Teens Paper Dolls’ featuring the cute outfits one would wear to a barn dance.

1950s Teen Fashions as seen in paper dolls-Merry Teens.

1950s fashions for teenagers going to a square dance as seen in a 1950s paper doll collection

Source: eBay

And because I am loving all the paper dolls on Retro Paper Dolls Etsy Store, here is one more. This Back To School Paper doll is a fun take on the vintage styles of the 1950s!

This Back To School Paper doll is a fun take on the vintage styles of the 1950s! Featuring a Black Girl as the paper doll

Source: Etsy

Katy Keene, America’s Illustrated Queen of Pin-Ups and Fashions. Her style is fantastic and I would put every single piece in my closet if they were real.

Note: The fish purse in the bottom right…YOOZA! Totally my kitschy style.

1950s Fashions as seen on katy Keene Paper Doll

Every issue of Katy Keene Comics in the 1950s devoted one page to paper dolls — sometimes featuring Katy, sometimes Gloria, sometimes Katy’s little sister. Here is some of her 1956 looks (Source).