In 1939, World War II began, but fashion still had its place, even again in a time of war. As America entered the landscape of war, fashion responded to the restrained mood and economy. This shift in all aspects of life provided a change in clothing that would revolutionize how clothes were manufactured and sold to the American public. In the meantime, the drabness and uniformity of clothing was inevitable, as people were encouraged to make do with the clothing they already owned and mend whatever old pieces they had. Service uniforms were constantly worn by both men and women at all types of social events. The reality of the war became impossible to ignore as military style became the most popular trend in clothing.In all the countries at war, fashion took a second place to providing basic necessities to the men and women in the armed forces. Many factories that made clothing were closed to help in the war effort by producing military supplies. The remaining fashion houses worked with restrictions on how much fabric could be used in any garment, and consumers had to fit clothing into their allotments of ration coupons. All types of cloth were needed during the war for a variety of purposes, so material for clothing was severely rationed. Women were issued a limited number of ration coupons to use for clothing purchases each year, and this number declined steadily as the war progressed. Due to the limited number of materials, fashions of the decade emphasized shorter skirts than ever before, solely because they used the least amount of fabric to make. Buttons for any type of apparel were limited to three per clothing item. Nylon stockings, which were very popular, became scarce, so women began wearing just ankle socks or showing their bare legs. During the war and its aftermath, there was rarely an adequate amount of any clothing item available, so women were forced to be creative, and dressed as femininely as they could with the items that were available.