Part 4: "Fashion through the Decades" ~~ 1950's

( Photo courtesy of: GamesImage)

The post WWII era brought several changes. We saw everything from the creation of suburban homes to the crusade against communism.  The 1950’s is also famous for the gross misuse of the word “boom”, there was the booming economy , the booming suburban housing, and of course the well known “baby-boom”. 

But let’s not focus on all those depressing facts. Let’s turn our attention to the ever important fashion world and what the 50’s offered us. Looking through images to use for this post I would have to say one of the best fashion introductions on the time was definitely the Poodle Skirt. 

(Photo courtesy of: Claire Mendoza's Pinterest Page)

Poodle Skirts were especially popular in the teenage girls. They were wide, generally made out of felt and always came in a series of very girly colors. Most girls paired their poodle skirt with a cute, conservative cardigan. Underneath the skirt it was common for women to wear petticoats.

While fashions of the 1950’s tended to be conservative there was the occasional woman who wanted to push the boundaries. These women would be daring enough to wear jeans, shorts and even more provocative swimsuits. One of the most famous clothing options was called dungarees – a variety of long shorts that are similar to current day Capri's.

(Photo courtesy of: vintage everyday)

Women also dared to change the conservative swimwear of the time also. Girls began showing off more their figures by wearing form fitting suits that often showed their mid section. This was uncommon in the early part of the previous decade where women still preferred the one piece suit. 

Women’s formal wear took on several changes as well. Two styles in particular stood out; the first dress tended to be longer and made from flowing fabric, known as a swing dress. The second style was a pencil style; this was more provocative than the swing dress and often accentuated the women’s hour-glass figure. It was also common for women of the 50’s to wear girdles, heels and gloves with their outfits. This was also the era of the Peter Pan collar – a wide collar. The pencil style dress was reserved for more formal occasions and simpler wrap dresses were worn for everyday housework.

(Photo courtesy of: Kristin McReddie's Pinterest Page)

(Photo courtesy of: digital reflections)

Men’s fashion also went through changes. In the 1950’s men’s fashion saw conservative changes. The “greaser” look was popular in teenagers, including leather jackets; most young men were most commonly seen wearing cardigans or athletic “letter sweaters.” Older men of the era were commonly seen wearing button down, long sleeve shirts. Often they would pair these with ties and a formal sports coat. For the businessman they would complete this look by adding a hat.

(Photo courtesy of: Australia in the 1950's)

(Photo courtesy of: CollectorsPrints)

Well, we have made it through the 1950’s and fashion to this point has definitely seen some major changes. But, we are not done yet. Please check back next week and see what fun fashions surfaced during the ever popular 1960’s.