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1950’s Fashion - Glamour
Flamboyant and Feminine - Women’s Fashions of the 1950s
Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie O were unforgettable icons of style. Recently spotted on the runways of Alexander McQueen, Luca Luca and Chanel were cuts and tailoring that paid homage to the Golden Era. Silhouette Soft but wide shoulders, corseted waist, and full hips were hallmarks of 50s wear, but silhouettes were more varied. On these outlines, women wore a trim bodice and very full knee-length skirt or a fitted short, boxy jacket or blouse with a pencil-straight skirt. One style that hid all the rest, literally, was the cocoon-like sac dress and coat, which fitted the shoulders and bloomed at the waist and hips.
The clean, classic lines and conservatively flattering 
looks of mid-century clothing often contrasted with the political and social climate of the times. Designers today continue to copy the trends in respect and awe of the irony of the decade and it’s Fashion. For each refined style designed in this period, the country experienced a radical social change.
Common Designs:
- One- and two-piece dresses with small-collared, fitted blouses and full, pleated knee-length skirts.
- More casual dresses with tied shoulder straps or halter straps, boned bodices and the quintessential circle skirt
- Similarly fitted eveningwear that had a heart-shaped opaque strapless bodice with a sheer silk or nylon over bodice, usually sleeveless or long-sleeved
- Prom night evening gowns of pastel nylon tulle, usually bedecked with yards of tulle trims, ruffles, and velvet bows
- Long-sleeved button-up sweaters with a plain, ribbed neck, often beaded or appliquéd
The credit card system was introduced in the 1950s giving birth to consumerism and imbedding Americans with a disposable attitude toward wealth. But the careless, sloppy outlook on finance was covered up on the catwalks with conservative, knee-length skirt and high-necked sweaters.
Restrictions placed on Americans during wartime were lifted. Socially, fashion should have followed by loosening the belts and widening the sleeves. However, this trend had to wait as new artificial fabrics were developed that kept the clothing close. Fabrics like Nylon were used generously in sportswear, lingerie and socks allowing form-fitting clothing with more elasticity and staying power. The younger generation chose fashion to illustrate their rebellion of the uptight societal norms. Nothing could illustrate the paradox between conservative social mores and the new social awareness of young people, like the Rock n‘ Roll attitude in fashion that burst onto the runways in the 1950s. Flaunting sex and raw energy in the styles of rock stars like Elvis Presley and film stars like James Dean directly conflicted with the sexual attitudes of the era.
Women were still expected to remain virgins until marriage and it was illegal to sell or use birth control in most states.
Yet rebellious looks of tight t-shirts and denim jeans rocked the runways and the teen magazines- building a generation gap that has yet to be filled. But Rock n’ Roll was more than music and more than style. Along with film, television and magazines, it created a generation previously ignored on the social maps of past. Teenagers were identified as a separate group- differentiated from their parents and younger siblings with their own style and tastes and marketing value. The anarchic attitude toward society created a generation gap that has yet to be filled.
No other decade has captured such a wide divide of class and social structure on the catwalks or of the social oxymoron America has copyrighted into its national structure.
This was the time in which a respect for the Past (shown in the classic pill box hat and short white gloves worn by ladies who lunch and Presidents’ Wives) - melted with the new sexy Cheesecake fashions (seen on every young Hollywood starlet).
When the desirable Housewife look (doll-like frilly aprons around nip-waisted skirts) walked hand-in-hand with the outright rebellious Rock look worn by these housewives’ children.
It is this highly complex and thrilling social abundance of styles that ricocheted on the runways past and continues to dominate on the catwalks of present.
Fabrics Available:
Natural fibres (linen, cotton, wool, silk), rayon, acetate, nylon, modacrylic, acrylic, polyester, and spandex. For daytime, the most common fabrics were in naturals, rayon, nylon, poly-cotton blends, and sometimes acrylic and acetate; sweaters were wool (cashmere for status) or acrylic knit. Brocades, satin, velveteen, taffeta, nylon net, tulle, and chiffon in both natural and synthetic fabrics were reserved for evening. Materials were usually light- to medium weight, and sheer fabrics were common, but not usually as the main material of a garment (except in tulle evening gowns and some day dresses).
Popular Colours and Prints:
Day and casual wear saw neutral solids and floral prints, along with dazzling western and peasant-styled clothing, sometimes hand-painted onto circle skirts or scarves. Futuristic prints of all types appeared in bright, abstract designs apropos of the atomic era. Also, dark tone-on-tone abstracts in brown, grey or navy were popular winter prints. For evening, both solids and classic floral brocades were common; the effect of overlaying contrasting sheer chiffon or net on a flesh-coloured under dress was daringly popular. Colours in the evening were now both subtle and bold, as peacock blues and hot pinks became acceptable.
Trims and Detailing:
The most obvious trim of daywear is the beading of sweaters and occasional extravagance on detailing circle skirts. Circle skirts and novelty garments were sometimes incredibly ornate, with appliqué, rickrack, screen-printing, sequins, or glitter. A very common feature on 50s dolman-sleeved dresses is the small, non-functional, diamond-shaped underarm panel. Flutter hems, which were curved evenly up and down, and scalloped edges, appeared occasionally in full-skirted day and evening dress. Most evening detail appeared in sculpted pleats and necklines, or toned-down rhinestones and cord, which added style without being cumbersome or uncomfortable.
The Latest Fads
- Bobby soxers (Peter Pan collared blouse, poodle skirt, scarf-tied ponytail, and saddle shoes)
- James Dean look-alikes, hoods, and motorcycle gangs
- Cat-eye glasses
- Beatniks
- Hawaiian shirts
- Barkcloth in casual wear
- Ethnic scene prints in day and leisure wear
- Americana prints with rustic scenes or patriotic eagles, etc
Innovations
New fabrics: acrylic (1950), polyester (1953), and spandex (1959)
Source: www.loti.com, www.vintagevixen.com
