FYS The Fifties

Fashion During the 1950’s

Thus far, during the course of our 1950’s seminar was have discussed many different aspects of the era but we have only briefly talked about the topic of 1950’s fashion. The fashion of the time is, in my eyes, quite interesting. It is fascinating to see and read about what people wore back then and how much fashion has changed to where it is today. When many people think about the era of the 1950’s, they imagine cookie-cutter houses and everyone dressing exactly the same, or at least that’s what I pictured before I did my research.

In the beginning of the 1950’s, post World War II, a man named Christian Dior was the prominent influence on the fashion industry. His brand, Dior, was known for producing clothes with the key elements of below-mid-calf length, full-skirt, pointed bust, small waist and rounded shoulder line. The fashion trend eventually morphed in to a more tailored and polished look. It consisted of tight pencil skirts, tailored jackets with peplum, sundresses, cocktail dresses, white pearls and long white gloves.

Toward the mid 1950’s came the invention of synthetic and other fabrics that were easier to care for which worked well with the emerging suburban lifestyle. Stay-at-home wives were able to wash and tend to clothing with more ease than ever before. Some examples of such fabrics were: acrylic, polyester, and triacetate. Also introduced during this era were fabrics such as nylon, orlon and Dacron. The mid 1950’s also marked the beginning of clothes geared toward young adult or teenagers in addition to the existing market of adult and children’s clothing.

Toward the end of the 1950s fashion took on a more relaxed appearance. Sportswear became a big part of women and men’s style. Women’s pants and skirt became narrower and were worn at shorter lengths. The very short shorts that were popular in the beginning of the era became longer and eventually transformed into Bermuda shorts. Women also traded in their tailored jackets for printed and knitted tops.

Menswear did not see a significant change during the 1950’s but rather remained fairly similar from year to year. Mens’ styles were more conservative compared to that of the women. Suits were the popular attire of choice for most working men and the colors of suits did not vary. The most prominent suit colors were dark blue, dark brown, or charcoal and worn with a dark colored tie. When not at work men usually wore cardigans with dress pants. One rather ironic development during the 1950s was that pink became a popular color for men.

Generally speaking, when people think about the 1950s they tend to imagine a scene right out of the movie Grease. They visualize young woman wearing poodle skirts and pink cardigans with their hair tied in a ponytail, and men donning jeans and black leather jackets with greased hair. Yes, those trends did exist briefly during the era but most people did not dress like that. Most women and men fit right into the emerging suburban lifestyle during the time and enjoyed a more proper but casual sense of style.

–Katherine B.