What to wear when it's raining-1930s to 1950s inspiratiion

When the skies darken and the rain starts to pour, chances are you’ve asked yourself the age-old question: what should I wear? If you’re looking for inspiration that’s fun, practical, and rooted in history, the fashion trends of the 1930s to 1950s have something for everyone. From classic trench coats and chic ponchos to quirky rain hats and sensible rain boots, discover the 1930s to the 1950s best pieces for staying dry and stylish in any storm.

Note: At the end I provide vintage shopping tips on where to get your own vintage rain gear.

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

What To Wear When It’s Raining-1930s to 1950s Inspiration

Vintage Rain Gear Advertising & Vintage Patterns to Inspire:

1930s Vintage Catalog Page for Rain Coats: I’m a big fan of the transparent raincoat (top on the right) which you will see a few more times below. Your outfit will never be hidden! Honestly though all those coats are pretty fantastic in this ad.

Source

This is a early 1930s Canadian ad for a slicker called “Whooppee Slicker”. Comes in fun patterns I must say.

early 1930s Canadian ad for a slicker aka a women's rain coat called "Whooppee Slicker".

Source: eBay

1940’s raincoat and rain hat vintage sewing pattern illustration.

Source

1940s Vintage Sewing Pattern for a women’s raincoat with hood.

Source: Etsy

Here are your transparent rain coats for both men and women made from Vinylite Plastics-1946 ad.

Another plastic transparent rain coat from Follow me Quietly, 1949.

Follow me Quietly-plastic raincoat 1949 vintage photo. 1940s Fashion.

Source

Rain coats for the whole family in the 1950s! The green coat is so beautiful and did you notice her boots?? What a cool Fashion Frocks ad.

1950s Fashion Illustration from Fashion Frocks for Raincoats for the whole family!

1950s Vintage Sewing Pattern for Kids Rain Coats and Fall Jackets.

Source: Etsy

Looking for some vintage rain boots that are also transparent?? Look no further than these darling “Rain Dears” with bow! Can I have 10???

1950s vintage ad for women's rainboots that are see thru called "Rain Dears".

1950s raincoat and rain gear ideas as seen in a 1950s Sears Christmas Wish Book catalog. What would you buy?

1950s raincoat and rain gear ideas as seen in a 1950s sears christmas catalog.

Source: Sears Wish Book

1953 ad for Firestone Velon Plastic. Love that even the dog has a rain coat 🙂

1953 ad for Firestone Velon Plastic featuring all the uses, like raincoats for humans and dogs.

Source

I cannot end this post without referencing some great rain-wear photos from “Singin in the Rain“.

I want Debbie Reynolds boots in this picture.

1950s Singin in the Rain Movie Poster featuring rain coat fashions.

“Girls: Protect your curls!” 1950s vintage ad for a rain bonnet.

You can’t go wrong with a cute plastic rain bonnet (you can find lots of versions on Etsy, which I have shared some samples below).

I recently did a video on a rain bonnet and how they work on TikTok. Take a look below!

@tovintagelizzie Hairstyle tip: How to protect your hair when it rains #hairtip #vintagehair #vintagetip #raining ♬ original sound – Liz Gruening-Vintage Lover

Here are some examples of vintage rain gear items you can take home and enjoy

(updated Feb 2024)

Vintage Shopping: I have put together an Etsy Collection that I update monthly of “Vintage Rain Gear“.

NOTE: If you click on any of the items featured below and they are not available, don’t fret! Hit the search button and see what else is on the websites. There are 1000’s and 1000’s of items being listed daily.

Do you love the transparent rain coats I posted above? Well Etsy has a bunch of new and vintage styles, just hit the search button and pick what works for you. To get you started here is a vintage 1970’s clear vinyl raincoat with white polka dots (avail as of Feb 2024 HERE).

What to wear when it's raining: A Vintage 1970’s clear vinyl raincoat with white polka dots

Source: Etsy

RocknRomance Vintage is a brand that makes REPRODUCTION 1940s & 1950s fashions (aka modern sizes and fabrics), they have a cute ‘Semi Transparent’ raincoat that you can purchase from their website (this one is made to order). Take a look by clicking HERE or the image below.

1950s Fashion: 1950s Semi Transparent Raincoat in modern day data-lazy-sizes from RocknRomance Vintage. Made to order, perfect to cover up your vintage styles.

1950s overshoes. These black rain boots are two-tone glossy and matte rubber with cuban heels. They slip on and are just below mid-calf (avail as of Feb 2024 HERE).

1950s Fashion: vintage overshoes from circa 50s. These black rain boots are two-tone glossy and matte rubber with cuban heels. They slip on and are just below mid-calf

Source: Etsy

Late 1950s Baby Rain Jacket that features a bright yellow trim with a clear body with yellow poppies and white daisies.

Source: Etsy

Look at this adorable 1950s rain bonnet box with a surprise inside..the rain bonnet itself! LOVE THIS! The seller has more styles, that are just too cute!

Purchase from Nkempantiques

Source: Etsy

1950s ladies full length raincoat with hood & 3 snap fasteners in handy purse size pouch.

Source: Etsy

Well I think I have lots of ideas now on what to wear when it’s raining, I can’t wait for it to rain now. HA!

Share your favourite way of staying dry, in the comments section below.

FURTHER READING:

Vintage Fashions 1920s-1960s
Vintage Fall / Autumn 1920s-1960s Blog Posts (Archived)

Thanks for dropping by!

Liz

My favorite Canadian show was “Bomb Girls“before it sadly got cancelled (at the original time I wrote this post the show was going into second season) and it was noted for having some pretty great 1940s styles. Since we are in a deep freeze here in the Great White North I wanted to share some pictures of the warm and cozy winter “outerwear” clothes that have been making an appearance on the show and maybe inspire you to “1940s” your winter outerwear wardrobe up a bit.

I love this Jacket and the fur collar a lot and might need to find a place for this in my home (The fur does not have to be real FYI if you’re recreating looks). Time for some shopping on Etsy or at my local vintage shops!

Note…So while looking for said jacket I found a lovely blog called “Butterflies and Daisys Vintage” and she has posted family pictures from the 40’s. There is an amazing photo 3 down that reminds so much of the jacket that Gladys is wearing in this picture. Do you agree?

Bomb Girls TV Show-1940s Fashion / 1940s Winter Fashion for women Featuring a stunning 1940s Hair and 1940s coat.

(photo’s courtesy of bomb girls Facebook page)

Love the mixing of the colours as seen on characters wearing 1940s hats which match the colour scheme in their winter coats.

Bomb Girls winter style-1940s Fashion for Women

The medium brim red felt hat that Vera is wearing is spot on 1940’s correct. As for the boots I know Galoshes were popular as they could be worn right over top of the shoes but I also found an ad for rubber boots (see below). I know Vera is not wearing rubber boots but the boots in the ad remind me of her boots in this picture a little bit.

winter boots 1941 as seen in a 1940s vintage ad

Gaytees-Galoshes

Betty and Kate are wearing classic jackets with Kate (on the right), beautiful brown tailored jacket and beret being the easiest to be found in regular & vintage clothing stores.

Even in winter time some days are warmer than others and you can get away with slipping on a nice shorter tailored jacket over top of your 1940’s dresses as seen on Lorna. Notice the classic peplum styling at the bottom of the jacket which is key for a 1940’s look. Lucky for your Peplum is everywhere right now (if your buying “non vintage) so your going to get lucky. I also love the blues, so gorgeous.

Example: Here is a pic of me in November (sorry for the terrible iPhone pic) wearing the tailored jacket over my 1940’s reproduction Trashy Diva dress.

tailored jacket for a 1940s fashion winter look.

Lastly, for great winter hat ideas check out a recent blog post I wrote about 1940’s Ladies Hats which you can find HERE.

So there is some 1940’s winter outerwear inspiration for you to take with you when you go shopping either online or in stores. I know I’m inspired by all that colour going across my TV screen and I plan to visit my fav vintage shops and even some “regular” stores for colourful scarfs, hats and gloves to bring more glorious colour and style into my winter wardrobe. Will you be doing the same?

Would you like to own a vintage 1940s fashion item (or a replica of one)? Then take a look at the items for sale in my 1940s Fashion Etsy collection page (updated regularly), found HERE.

Further Bomb Girls Blog Posts Reading:

Liz 🙂

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

Tag: vintage ads