Hello everyone and welcome back to another discussion post. I hope you are all having a great week and are looking forward to the weekend ahead. Today I have another post all about a specific era of fashion. Today it's all about the 1950s. I hope you all enjoy and learn something from this post...
After World War II was over in 1945 the fashion industry started to pick up again and really started to boom. By the time the 50s had rolled around the fashion was amazing. Women started to wear what they liked and didn't feel restricted to looking and dressing a certain way. Fashion started to become more colourful and playful in the 50s and I kind of wish I was around to see it...
Day dresses...
In 1947 Christian Dior created the 'New Look' and the dresses of the 50s were changed completely. The feminine silhouette was a very popular choice for the 50s; with it's full skirts and padded busts. Women often wore stiff petticoats under their dresses to create the illusion of a slim waist; the smaller the waist the better. These dresses were known as the 'Swing dress'. As the men had returned home from war women weren't required to work anymore so many became housewives, looking after the house and kids. Women were encouraged to look beautiful and sexy while still being modest which is why the Dior 'New Look' was a popular choice for women.
Another popular dress style of the 50s was the pencil or wiggle dress. With a snug form fitting style and tight high waistlines these dresses were defiantly a more sexy option for women while still being modest. These dresses were often either knee or shin length but weren't worn around the house as they were too impractical. Shirt dresses were also popular in the 50s. They would often button all the way up the front of the dress and had 3/4 length sleeves. Popular design details for these dresses were large pockets, a collar and a matching belt to make the waistline smaller. While at home women would often wear a light petticoat underneath and an apron on top while doing jobs around the house.
When leaving the house to visit friends or running errands women were allowed to wear any house dress but with added accessories such as: a pearl necklace, earrings, gloves, hats, heels and a handbag. However, when going on a shopping trip or meeting their husband in public they were required to wear a much nicer dress. These dresses were often swing or pencil dresses but made from a much heavier fabric such as: cotton, wool, tweed, rayon, suiting, corduroy or knitted fabric. They would also have more design features such as: contrasting collars, buttons, belts, pockets, large bows and pleats. Popular patterns for these dresses were: plaid, floral, polka dots, stripes and solid red making them fun and playful.
Cocktail dresses...
When hosting a dinner party or going out women would wear a cocktail dress either with a swing or pencil style. However, these dresses would be much more luxurious and made from a silk, taffeta, lace or velvet fabric. Most of these dresses would have been black as it was chic and sophisticated. These dresses often had limited design details. There were no collars, buttons or belts and the necklines were often high, rounded or V shaped. Some of the dresses were embellished with beads and sequins around the neckline and some had embroidery on the bodice but that was about it. To go with the dresses women would wear plain high heeled shoes, gloves, a matching envelope purse, pearl or sparkly jewellery and occasional a small hat.
Another popular styles for hosting a semi-formal house party was the 'hostess gown'. These were a cross between a dress, skirt and capri trousers. The capri trousers were worn with a split dress over the top which allowed you to see the trousers underneath. The dresses varied in length from short and fancy to long and elegant. However, these weren't very popular with the men as they enjoyed being able to see the women's legs and these dresses would cover them up.
Formal dresses...
For much more formal events such as attending a ball or theatre production women would wear a floor length ball gown. These were made from luxurious fabrics such as: silk, satin, taffeta, lace, net, velvet, chiffon. The mermaid gown was also a popular choice for formal occasions. These dresses were worn with floor length petticoats or a hoop skirt underneath to give it fullness and create a rounded shape. Most of these ball gowns were either sleeveless or had small spaghetti straps. Women would also wear these dresses with a matching shawl or bolero jacket along with a statement necklace and earrings.
Skirts...
One of the most popular skirt styles worn in the 1950s was the circle skirt. It was a large round piece of fabric turned into a skirt and worn over a few large petticoats to give it volume and shape. This also helps to give the illusion on a tiny waist which was what everyone wanted. Some of the skirts would be gathered or pleated while others had a more A-line structure. Some would even have layers of gathers and these were known as peasant skirts. The most popular prints for these skirts would have been plaid (in Autumn/Winter) and pastels (in Spring/Summer). A popular design detail for skirts were pockets. Some had hidden side pockets while others had large pockets on the front and they would always have contrasting piping to make then stand out. Another type of circle skirt was the poodle skirt which were mostly worn by children and young teenagers. These skirts were often made from a felt fabric and were embellished with cute pictures of mice, dogs, cars, telephones and even martini glasses.
Another popular skirt style was the pencil skirt, also known as the wiggle skirt. They were usually high waisted and stopped at the calf with a split or kick pleat at the back to make it easier to walk. These skirts were very stiff as the fabrics had no stretch which made the women walk with a wiggle (hence the name). They were usually solid colours or had a plaid pattern and were worn with either a short suit jacket, long sleeved blouse or cardigan sweater.
Tops and jumpers...
Women would pair their skirts with white, pastel or striped buttoned down blouses. They were always very fitted and worn tucked into the skirts. The blouses usually had collars either a classic point, boat neck or peter pan shaped. The popular colours for blouses were: pink, teal, red, baby blue, black and white and some had prints such as gingham, small printed patterns or polka dots. A lot of the blouses also had design details such as: pin tucks, small ruffles, big bows, small embroidery and pearl or coloured buttons.
Another popular alternative to blouses were knitted tops. They are essentially short sleeved jumpers. Some would have either a classic point, crew or roll collar and were worn over a skirt or trousers. A popular way to wear these tops was with a neck scarf or with a matching cardigan sweater over the top.
Women's jumpers in the 1950s were a lot thinner than the 40s due to then being made from a new synthetic material. They would also be tight fitted to enhance the waist and the bullet bra worn underneath. Some women were referred to as a 'sweater girl' as they wore sweaters that were modest but sexy. These type of jumpers were often a chunky knit or a button up cardigan. Women would also often wear short-sleeved knits or blouses under their sweaters to keep them warmer in the winter.
Coats...
Coats in the 50s had to be long to fit over the big skirts while still keeping the small feminine figure women wanted. They were often made from either: wool, camel hair, fleece, tweed, fur or cashmere. The popular coats in the 50s were known as the swing or princess coat. They would flare over the dress and button down the front. The buttons would often be very oversized and the coats were finished with a wide collar. The swing coats were fitted at the waists and flared at the bottom, resembling the swing dress worn underneath. The trench coat was also popular in the 50s and was worn with a belt to synch in the waist. Some women also wore short coats known as a box coat. These were often half the length of the long coats and had a much wider fit. They were popular paired with the pencil skirts and dresses.
The short styled jackets were a newer trend in the 50s. There were different types of casual jacket options such as: the parka, leather bomber and rain jacket. They often came down to the hips and had fur collars, large pockets and a matching belt. The shortest jackets worn were the bomber jacket which were adapted from menswear. These were often in pastel colours or plaid prints to make it suitable for women's style. They were made from a range of fabrics from leather to satin.
Shorts and Trousers...
At the start of the era the wide leg, high waisted trouser was on trend but throughout the era the style began to change. The cigarette pant started to become popular. These trousers were high waisted, had a rounded hip and a slim leg which were cropped above the ankle. These trousers came in solid neutral colours but some also had prints such as: plaid, polka dots, leopard and stripes. Another popular style of trouser was the Capri pants. These were the same shape as the cigarette pants but came to the mid-calf and often had a thin belt at the waist.
Women also use to wear trousers that were in between shorts and trousers. These were known as Clam Diggers or Pedal Pushers and they were wide-legged and came just below the knee. There were also shorts that came just above the knee and these were known as Bermuda shorts. Most of the shorts would have a 2 inch hem and large side pockets and all the short and trousers would have a zip fastening down the side.
Swimsuits and playsuits...
In the summer women would dress casually to the beach, while on holiday and in their backyard. They would often wear a playsuit which usually came with a matching button down dress or skirt to wear over the top. They would wear the dress or skirt to provide modesty while chilling out. The playsuits would often come in prints such as: red and white gingham, blue and white sailor themes and tropical floral prints. Short beach robes, vests and smock dresses were also a great beach option for women.
Swimsuits worn in the 50s were modest but sexy at the same time. The tops were full coverage and had built in push up bras to enhance the bust. One piece swimsuits often had ruching around the waist to enhance the hourglass figure and they often had a short skirt bottom. Two piece bikinis only exposed a few inches around the waist as they were super high waisted and helped the women keep their modesty. These become more popular towards the end of the era.
Shoes...
Black and white saddle shoes were the most popular within teenagers but women did wear them too. Women also wore white flat lace up sneakers, slip on penny loafers, moccasins, low heel Mary Janes, lace up Oxfords and black ballet flats with a small bow on the toe. In the summer the popular shoe choice were espadrilles and sandals. Espadrilles were made from a canvas fabric and had long laces that criss-crossed up to the ankle. The sandals worn came in both flat or heeled versions and often had a narrow strap or cut out detail.
For semi-formal events women would wear either pumps or heels. The most popular heels worn were the kitten heels (1.5 to 3 inch heel height). Popular decorative details were bows, crystals, ties, clips or painted designs. For more formal evening events stilettos were a popular shoe choice. The strappy sandals (especially in black) were also another evening shoe choice.
Socks and stocking...
A popular sock choice with women in the 50s were coloured and white folded down socks known as bobby socks and were worn with casual shoes. Thigh high stockings held up with garters were often worn with skirts and dresses. The stockings usually had black seams down the back and many had a heel design such as: cuban heels, pointed heels, arrows and other cute designs down the back of the legs or ankle.
Lingerie...
To get the hourglass figure that was so popular in the 50s, women needed a little help from their underwear. A popular bra worn by women in the 50s was the bullet bra. This gave women a pointed breast shape which in turn helped to balance out their wide hips. These bras could be strapless to go under evening gowns or sheer tops. Larger women would also wear a boned corset to help flatten their stomach to help give then a feminine figure. These were often a one piece with a built in bra.
Women would also wear a pair of high waisted cotton or silk panties and a slip trimmed with lace. They would then wear a petticoat over the top to help give the skirts and dresses volume. To get the maximum volume women would sometimes wear more than one petticoat at once.
Hats...
Many women wore hats in the 50s and the most popular ones were the small, flat straw hats and the felt hats with flower, feather or bow decoration. The most popular fabrics for the hats were: lace, velvet, felt, straw, fur and mesh. Small hats with veils were also a popular choice in the 50s. Headbands and hairclips, known as whimsies, were made from similar fabrics to the hats and were worn by women who didn't want to ruin their hair from a hat. Other popular styles were: the pillbox hat, the beret, the plate hat and the cloche hate (made famous by Audrey Hepburn).
The popular hat choice in the summer was the cartwheel or garden hat which was often covered in flowers. These were large hat with wide brims; perfect for getting shade from the sun. An alternative choice was to wear a flower either to one side or in the middle of the crown. This was popular worn with a pin up look. Bandanas and silk scarfs tied around the head were a popular casual hair accessories and were especially popular within teenagers.
Handbags and gloves...
Another popular accessory with women in 1950 was a pair of gloves. White were always the most popular choice but also matching them to their handbags was a popular thing to do. They would usually be made from a cotton material and finished at the wrist. Some would even have a scalloped or ruffled edge.
The most popular bag style in the 50s was the hobo bag. It was usually made from unusual materials such as: plastic, straw, fabric or mesh and usually had a box, basket or satchel shape to them. When attending a formal event women would often wear a clutch bag or a small bag with a wrist strap. These would usually have sparkling clasps to match the beautiful black evening dresses.
Jewellery...
It was all about the pearls in the 50s. All women really wore were pearl necklaces and a matching pair of pearl earrings. However, some did wear other beads and stones in turquoise and corals. Brooches were quite popular and these were often made from a clear or coloured plastic in the shape of an animal, fruit or flowers. Many women never pierced their ears so clip on earrings were a popular thing of the 50s.
So there you have it, another era of fashion complete. I hope you enjoyed learning all about the 1950s and the most popular fashion trends. If you want to learn more about different decades then check out my previous posts on 20s to 40s fashion already up on my blog. To learn about the following eras you will have to stay tuned for more. If you want to learn more about different fashion topics then make sure you head back every Friday for more or if you want to see outfit posts from me then head back every Wednesday as well. I hope to see you back here again soon...
Emma Victoria
