Victory Rolls
It's from 1942, before you were born.
- Era
- 1940s
- Peak
- ~1942–1947
- Signature
- rolled curls, tailored utility wear
- Note
- wartime resourcefulness
As an Amazon Associate, OlderThan earns from qualifying purchases.
About
As of 2026, it's 84 years old.
Wartime in the 1940s handed women a tricky assignment: look polished while rationing, working factory shifts, and possibly riveting an aircraft together. The solution was the 'victory roll' — hair curled and pinned into dramatic swooping rolls that stayed safely out of the machinery while still looking like a million bucks.
Clothing followed wartime 'utility' rules — squared shoulders, knee-length skirts, minimal fabric, and a 'make do and mend' ethos that turned thrift into a national virtue. A swipe of red lipstick was the small, defiant morale boost.
Resourceful and unstoppable, '40s women's style is the look of a generation that flatly refused to let a world war ruin its hair — and it's beloved by the vintage and rockabilly scenes to this day.
Victory Rolls through the years
Make do and mend
Utility clothing and victory rolls balance thrift with glamour.
Vintage revival
The look returns through rockabilly and pin-up culture.
