The evolution of women’s workwear styles over the past 100 years reflects changing attitudes and beliefs about women and power.
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| Women in the editorial department of Clement’s Inn, The Strand, London, September 1911. That week’s edition of ‘Votes for Women’ is being cut and pasted by the young woman volunteers at the ‘making-up table.’ All the woman have long hair tied up in loose buns. Most of the woman wear white blouses and full skirts — two wear neck ties. |
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| Office at the railway works in Horwich, Lancashire, England, 1917. During the First World War many male rail workers joined the army, so women were employed in their place, in a variety of roles including blacksmiths, welders and electricians. Most of the women in this office wear white blouses, but the blouses are more closely fitting than in the previous picture. Their hair is still worn up, though now more loosely, and one woman — at the card cabinets — has shoulder-length hair worn down, while another wears long braids. At least two younger women also have white bows in their hair. The woman in the left foreground shows a shorter skirt length and a leather shoe with a golfing-style flap. |
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| Women working on forms for the conversion of the war loan at Government Printing and Stationery Office in Harrow, England, ca. 1922. The older women wear their long hair tied up, though a number of the younger women have shorter, shoulder-length hair, some with a permanent wave or “perm.” Several wear over-dresses without sleeves, and one woman, right, has bare arms. |
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| Secretary sits at a desk behind a typewriter, on the phone taking messages, ca. 1930s. She wears black, and her blouse is semi-sheer. Her hair is worn neck-length with a permanent wave. |
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| 1950. |
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| A young woman being interviewed for a job in the Keystone photographic agency offices, September 1950. Her male interviewer wears a tie and large collar, while holding a cigarette. She still wears her raincoat indoors, under which we can spot her plaid skirt. She has long hair, tied up. |
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| Women office workers eat boxed lunches in Union Square, California, 1956. Their suits are formal, in conservative colors. Their hair is worn short, typically parted at the side. All the women appear to be wearing tan stockings or hose. |
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| Women at work in a typing pool at Shell Mex House in London, ca. 1955. The woman at the front wears a jacket and scarf with a brooch and earrings. Her hair is cut short on her forehead, and like the other women shown, is worn waved. |
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| Secretary typing whilst listening to dictation on her headset, ca. 1960s. She wears a sleeveless blue top and a blue checked skirt. Her hair is sharply cut and worn chin-length in a brushed bob. |
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| Administration office at Huntsman House, headquarters of Tetley’s brewers in Leeds, West Yorkshire, 1968. Women workers use Sumlock machines, forerunners of the calculator. They wear clothes in a palette of bright colors. Of the 17 women in the picture, four wear pastel yellow, three wear pastel pink, two wear pastel blue. The women have a wide variety of hair styles, most strongly volumized with hairspray. |
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| A woman using a data entry computer, ca. 1970s. She wears a bright pink skirt suit with white collar, cuffs and belt. The skirt is between thigh- and knee-length. Her hair is highly stylized, likely held in place with hairspray. |
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| Margaret Thatcher making a telephone call in the Conservative Party coach during her election campaign, April 11, 1979. She wears a checked jacket and a blouse tied with a large bow. Her hair has a strong wave. |
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| A woman uses a personal computer at the NCR research and development facility in South Carolina, ca. 1982. She wears a blouse with rolled sleeves and a formal knee- or calf-length tweed skirt, with court shoes. Her hair is shoulder-length, held away from her face by a slide. |
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| An office worker during the launch of Sky TV in London, February 5, 1989. She wears a green double-breasted jacket, possibly part of a uniform. Her hair is feathered in layers. In the background another woman wears a similar jacket. Her hair is bleached and waved over large earrings. |
(Photos: Getty Images)
