Actress Valerie Hobson wearing a party dress by Rahvis, stands in the burnt remains of Vogue's studio in London, photo by Cecil Beaton, November 1941

'Way to look in suits' by Lachasse: in fine Irish wool, 'brigand collar', curvaceous lines, jacket slits at the back, photo by Don Honeyman, 1951

Cecil Beaton's "Fashion is Indestructible" shoot illustrated, even in the midst of bombing and destruction, fashion survives, 1941

Claire McCardell's effortless, modern playsuit, buttoning at the front, tied at the waist and worn with a beret, photo by John Rawlings, 1953