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Fashion in the 1950s

Dior and other Parisian designers ‘New Look’ continued to set the fashion style of the 1950s with tailored suits, twin sets, shirt dresses for day wear and for evening cocktail dresses and full length gowns. Most of which were full skirted and finished below the knee. The extensive use of fabric was a real sign of the 50s and a backlash against the restrictions of the war. Some styles were tighter and straighter with emphasised waists such as pencil skirts, pencil skirt dresses and ‘cigarette’ trousers. These were more fashionable amongst slightly younger women.

Despite the lifting of rationing in the late 1940s many materials were still restricted and kept for export which would help build the British economy back up to where it had been. Marks and Spenser’s opened their doors in the 1950s and soon became one of the most fashionable and desirable shops for their easy to wear quality clothes. This is also the decade that saw the queen become a fashion icon for many women.

Grooming was the most important part of the 50s look with neat hair usually in short curls, page boy styles or shoulder length styles or longer hair in pony tail or with a fringe (or bangs as they are know in the US) for younger girls.

The 1950s saw the emergence of Italian designers taking the stage with Pucci’s acid colours and bold pattern designs.

In 1954 Chanel reopened and brought back her relaxed suits and jersey dresses which had started to grow in popularity before the war. These styles really came in to their own in the 50s and other designers adapted the more relaxed style. Balenciaga made popular ¾ length sleeves, tunic tops and straight skirts.

The US produced more cotton clothing and introduced pedal pushers with matching short jersey tops. They also began to develop many of the man made materials which we still use today and would later come to dominate mainstream fashion in the 60s and 70s because of their easy care nature. These included Nylon, Polyester materials such as Criplene and Acrylic fabrics which could drip dry and didn’t require ironing, significantly cut down the domestic work load.

Teenage fashion started to move away from regular styles and saw them emerge as a great consumer power. It was the first time young people had become so significant fashionable in their own right. More denim jeans and jackets, leather jackets, jersey T-shirts, exaggerated petticoats and tight styles of pedal pushers, jumpers and cardigans became fashionable.

Film starts, of course, continued to be looked to for the latest fashions and pin ups of the 50s included Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Elizabeth Taylor, Gene Kelly, and Audrey Hepburn