Textile goods, like almost all foodstuffs, were not freely available during the war years. Textiles were distributed through a points system, which gave the consumer some choice in different qualities and price ranges. Shoes were available from June 1940 only with coupons issued individually.^[1] To get around this, the industry tried to develop products with as little leather and rubber as possible. For the course of events in the Secret Annex, Anne's diary is virtually the only source in this area, and differences between the A and B versions can lead to confusion. However, it is sometimes possible to find confirmation with more general data. The available information concerns almost exclusively the Frank family.

Clothing

A lot of clothing had been removed from the Franks' home for some time prior to going into hiding. Some had been stored in a room at the home of Opekta representative Broks.^[2] After Margot's call up for labour on 5 July 1942, Jan and Miep Gies took as many things as possible.^[3] Then, when the Franks - or Anne, at any rate - left for the Secret Annex, they took as many clothes as possible by putting them on over each other. Miep later went back to the house on Merwedeplein to try to get hold of some clothes left behind by Werner Goldschmidt - the Frank family's stay-behind boarder.^[4] Nothing is known about the success of her attempt. In September '42, Anne writes that she wrapped Mrs Dreher's fur around her father's head. Before going into hiding, Otto Frank had a lot of contact with the Drehers, who sold anything of any value.^[5]

Clothes became scarce and expensive.^[6] This was a problem, as the children (at least Anne and Margot) grew out of their clothes. This is evident from the 'growth marks' in the Frank family's room, but also from Anne's diary. Her nightgown became much too short.^[7] Margot, according to her sister, wore a 'bra that is two sizes too small.'^[8] According to the B version, the possibility of Anne seeing an ophthalmologist under supervision was discussed in the summer of 1943, in which context it turned out that she had grown out of her coat by that time.^[9]

Shortages also arose from wear and tear. Anne describes how her father walked around with frayed trousers and a worn-out tie, and that her mother's corset was so old it gave out.^[8]

Bep provided a box of clothes with the help of her sister Corry.^[10] Corry Voskuijl was a dressmaker. She was listed as a 'workshop seamstress'.^[11] According to the B version, Bep bought skirts for Anne and Margot from De Bijenkorf around the same time. These were expensive and of poor quality.^[12] In the A version, De Bijenkorf does not appear; the B version is silent on Corry's contribution. When it got chilly in September, Anne realised she was running out of warm clothes. She then set about knitting a 'white wool sweater', a zip-up jumper that she worked on until mid-November.^[13] With some inventiveness, Anne made a 'dance dress' out of an old petticoat belonging to her mother in January '44.^[14]

Information is very scarce about the clothing of the others. Pfeffer had a red jacket^[15] and Mrs van Pels a pink 'bed jacket'.^[7] When Herman van Pels wanted to sell his suit to get some money, he did not succeed - then Mrs van Pels' coat of rabbit fur had to go.^[16]

Shoes

Jacqueline van Maarsen writes in her memoirs that on 6 July 1942 she went to the house on Merwedeplein, where she saw Anne's new shoes. She was surprised that Anne had left them behind.^[17] In her B version, Anne writes about the evening before the hasty departure for the Secret Annex that Jan and Miep Gies came by and took shoes, among other things. Where they took them is not known, but it turns out later that some of the Franks' shoes had been left with the Amende family. They wanted these to be brought to the Secret Annex when fears of evacuation of the entire city arose,^[18] but it didn't come to that.

In March '43, Anne only fitted her ski boots; she received a pair of wicker shoes that cost six guilders fifty and broke after only a week.^[19] The B version also mentions that Miep brought a pair of suede shoes for her in the summer of '43.^[20] Given the restrictions on the shoe trade, these had to have been either a clandestine purchase or an old pair.

Peter had trainers.^[21] So did Anne, and she tried in vain to turn them into ballet shoes.^[22] Of Pfeffer, Anne writes that he had black patent slippers.^[15]

Bed linen, towels and tea towels

All kinds of goods had been brought to Prinsengracht by parcel post over a period of months. Upon arrival, boxes and bedding were piled high.^[23] The B version suggests that the daily bedding had been left at Merwedeplein.^[24] Otto and Edith Frank slept not on a mattress, but on two piled-up long pillows^[25] When Jan and Miep came to sleep, they brought two blankets themselves; the people in hiding also had two left over. Moreover, in the front attic there was another blanket and a 'plumeau' - a half-length bedspread - in the suitcase of an otherwise unknown 'Mr Fuchs'.^[26] Pfeffer was sent some things by Charlotte Kaletta, but it can be assumed that he slept on a mattress and under blankets that were already present in the Secret Annex.

Mrs Van Pels took out her pillowcases and sheets, wanting (according to Anne) to wear out Edith's first, and keep her own things good for after the war. Edith's towels were also all already in use.^[27]

For the people in hiding and the helpers, caring for clothing and footwear was a cause of ongoing concern. Quality footwear in particular was hard to come by. Despite a lack of sources, it is clear that they suffered increasingly from wear and tear, despite there being a certain amount of supply. However, this supply was very much dependent on what was available, and this was very limited. Compared to the food supply, less is known about textile and footwear issues, and they are therefore a more intractable topic.