Fashion more or less stalled during the World World II years. Cloth for civilian clothing was limited because the military prioritized production for war purposes. Bates Mill in Lewiston produced vast quantities of textiles for war purposes, including uniform fabric, hospital bedding, parachutes, and life rafts. Wool and the new synthetic nylon were reserved for the war effort, leaving cotton, rayon, and some wool for the home market.

In March of 1942, the War Production Board (WPB) issued order L-85 to regulate the amount of fabric the public could use in garments. The prescribed economies prohibited details such as trouser pleats and cuffs, patch pockets, skirt pleats, and shortened skirt lengths, encouraging a straighter silhouette. Margaret Payson's circa 1943 yellow square-shouldered, tailored, fitted waist rayon dress with a just below-knee length skirt and two small pockets suggests it was made from existing pre-war fabric.