The ready to wear industry was born in the1950s. This was the era of mass-produced clothing and standardised sizes but also the decade of a revival for couture tailored to fit perfectly. Women wore feminine, charming clothes with bows, flounces and frills. Young ladies donned trousers which ranged from ankle length to just below the knee and Rockers and Beatniks expressed their dissatisfaction with the status quo by wearing jeans, leather jackets and drinking coffee.

1. Material in the 1950s

1950s fashion was revolutionised by the new fabrics. Nylon (Polyamide), Crimplene (Polyester) and Orlon (Acrylic/ Polyacrylonitrile) were all easy to look after, machine-washable and were soon affordable. Crimplene enabled everyone to wear white and pastel colours because it could be washed easily as polyester does not yellow like white nylon does with age and sunlight. The fabric also tailored well and could be made into button front, double breasted, wide collar dresses and retain a crisp appearance through washing.

Velvet was popular with tops, suits, dresses, and fitted jackets. It was often combined with tulle and stiff cotton lace. Transparent material in pretty shades such as organdies and chiffon was in too.

Advances in aniline dyes meant colours were bright and varied and prints were busy.

Coats

Three-quarter length evening coats in satin or Shantung silk were popular as well as fur stoles and evening wraps. Another influential fashion silhouette of the period was that of the late 1940's swing coat by Jacques Fath, which was a great shape to cover up full skirts and an ideal silhouette for the post war high pregnancy rate. This style was also often made as a loose full tent line duster coat.

In Paris there was a definite trend toward tunic coats and flared three-quarter coats. However, the loose, fleecy topcoat continued as popular as ever, in bright colours as well as a very dark banker's gray.

Jackets

Bolero jackets were often worn with cocktail dresses.

Suits

The suit of the year was the tailor's suit, with a straight skirt and a jacket tailored as strictly as the jacket of an old-fashioned riding habit, with high, notched lapels, narrow sleeves, high armholes and vents at either side or in the back.

The Chanel Suit

The Chanel Suit is a very important part of 1950s fashion. Coco Chanel produced this suit in 1954. The boxy jackets and slim skirts in textured tweed gave a slim silhouette and were in stark contrast to the New Look of Dior. The beautifully made suits were lined with lovely silk fabrics. They were weighted along the facing join and inside lining with gilt Chanel chains. Many chain stores copied the Chanel suit, selling similar ones based on the design.

Trousers

Women embraced trousers in the fifties wearing a more feminine trouser than in previous years. Cigarette pants were the trendy trouser of the fifties. They had high waists, side zippers, flat fronts, wide waistbands (3 inches), full hips and were slim fitting through the legs. They ended at just above the ankle and were usually in black.

Mid calf pants called Capri pants appeared around this time in bright colours. Also popular were Clam diggers or Toreador pants with wide, cuffed, pant legs. They were first used for biking and later just for fashion. Pedal pushers were another in between shorts and pants style. They came to a few inches below the knee and fit loosely but not baggy and had the classic high waist and a sharp pleat down the front of the leg. Manufactures came up with many different names for these three quarter pants such as Motor scooter slacks, Calypso pants and pirate pants.

Dresses

There was a strict dress code for eveningwear in the fifties. Early evening was for cocktail dress, and then there was the dinner dress and finally the more formal theatre dress suitable for a night time show. The full evening dress was opulent and modelled on a ball gown, only worn after 10pm and then on stately occasions. Dresses had deeply cut necklines, and could be strapless, backless or off-the-shoulder. Cocktail dresses were usually shorter then the more formal evening wear and not as low cut. They were made of silk, tulle, chiffon, satin, lace and net and came in single colours as well as abstract print. Some had bows, beads and sequins.

Halterneck and strapless dresses were a big trend for the fifties. Skirts were full with many petticoats or fitted. The Far East look was popular too and ladies loved the satin Cheogsam Suzy Wong dresses. The sack dress, a waistless shift dress designed by Givenchy in1957 is another typical style of the era and was favoured by style icon and actress Audrey Hepburn.

The chemise dress is another 1950s classic. This was a dress cut straight and fairly tight from the armhole to the flank, without a waist; the woman created her own waist, as high or low and as tight or loose as she wanted it, by means of a belt. Finally the triangular swing dress known as the trapeze dress also made its mark in the fifties.

Skirts

Nothing says 1950s fashion like circle skirts. These were worn by teenagers with many petticoats underneath. These were often homemade and were hand decorated with appliqués. In contrast to the full skirts made so popular by Dior straight fitted skirts to the knee called pencil skirts became fashionable. Dior’s also created the H, A and Y line skirts giving women a choice of style.

Tops and Blouses

Sleeveless and halterneck tops and blouses were common often in velvet or velveteen.

Knitwear – Cardigans and Sweaters

The twin set is a fifties staple. A short or long-sleeved sweater (sometimes even sleeveless) with a matching cardigan proved a favourite of the period. Cardigans in the fifties had exquisite details such as pearl buttons and satin piping and were made of cashmere, angora or plain wool. Cardigans decorated with lace, embroidery, rhinestones, beads or sequins were worn in the evening instead of a jacket. Helen Bond Carruthers made some of the most beautiful ones of this period. They were often a cropped bolero style.

Actresses Jane Russell and Lana Turner made sweaters became popular. They rivalled blouses as the garment to team with a skirt. Ladies wore tight-fitting sweaters with bullet bras underneath emphasising the bust. By the mid-fifties many women wore long sweaters over skirts.

Shoes

Early 1950's shoes were often very high with rounded or peep toes and low cut front uppers. Strapped sandals with finer heels were popular as were heavier, thicker heels for lower shoes. By the mid fifties kitten heels and metal-tipped steel stiletto heels were in.

Underwear

Underwear changed dramatically in the fifties to compliment the fashion. The bullet bra, the cantilevered bra, and the padded bra all emphasised the bust which had became fashionable again.

Thanks to material like nylon a new type of corset was created that could simply be pulled up rather than having to depend on a maid to lace you into it. More expensive dresses would have this corsetry built-in, complete with padded bra and whalebone at the waist and bust.

Accessories

Gloves

Gloves were an important part of the outfit for ladies in the fifties. Long for eveningwear and to the wrist for daywear.

Bags

Ladies in the fifties used a variety of decorated baskets and boxes in all sorts of unusual materials for informal occasions. Plastic, raffia, carpet brocade, straw, wood, Bakelite and Perspex were all used and then decorated with beads, faux jewels, shells, sequins and plastic fruit. The most famous box bags of the fifties are the Bakelite and Lucite bags. These clear or slightly tinted bags had matching square or curved handles. Some had carvings on the handle or around the edges of the bag. They may have had metal strips, glitter. These elegant bags sometimes even had leaves or butterflies embedded in them.

The Hermes Kelly bag, inspired by the equestrian world, was modelled on a traditional saddlebag. It gained its name from Grace Kelly, who in 1956 was spotted holding a large one to conceal her pregnant stomach. These popular bags were made of calfskin mostly but were also available in ostrich, lizard and crocodile.

In 1955 a little quilted bag from Chanel made its way into shops. In an era when clutch and short handled bags were trendy, its braided shoulder strap was unusual.

Hats

There was a hat for every occasion in the fifties. Hats came in all shapes and sizes from the little toque to the wide-brimmed picture hat. They were made from straw, cloth, felt, plastic and were decorated with feather, flowers, beads or sequins. In the latter part of the decade as more bouffant hairstyles became popular the trend to wear hats faded.

3. Alternative 1950s Fashion

Teenagers and young people not wanting to conform became Rockers or Beatniks. These counter-culture groups had their own particular fashion. Ladies who favoured the Rocker style wore tight sweaters, very tight trousers, nipped in at the waist by elastic belts and spiked-heeled mules. Beatniks wore a lot of black, often only accessorised by a pair of dark sunglasses and a beret. Figure-hugging turtle necks were popular in this group as well as oversized jumpers (sloppy Joe) with fitted trousers and flat ballet-style shoes. Jeans became a popular garment for those who wanted to rebel like the pin-up of the day, James Dean. Ladies often rolled them up to mid calf length.

Teenagers wore stiff, crinoline petticoats under their circle dresses to make them stick out.

4. Designers and Labels of the 1950s

Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Ferragamo, Gucci, Jacques Fath, Lanvin, Pierre Balmain, Cristobel Balenciaga, Burberry, Clare McCardell, Mainbocher, Pauline Trigere, Bonnie Cashin, Duke Kahanamoku, Nudie Cohn, Roberta di Camerino, King Louie, Norell, Charles James, Nat Nast, Hilton, Elizabeth Hawes.

I alway use this main things of 50s in my clothes. In these day princess and royals are wearing but with a great combine clothes you can wear it and look elegant

retro7

Monday, August 20, 2012

1950s Fashion(One of my favourite)