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Today, some people base their wardrobe on popular designer brands to keep up with the latest trends. Interestingly, some of these brands were just starting to gain popularity back in the 1950’s by defining the beauty standards of the decade.

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Although it is a well-known fact that women’s fashion always has more styles and accessories than that of men’s, male fashion also has a reputation for being iconic. Although there were not many male fashion revolutions during the 50’s, there were a couple styles and clothing that became iconic over time.

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During this decade, most men decided to keep their style simple and classy by wearing slim cut suits. These suits were referred to as “The New Edwardian Suits” and these were used to clothe lower-class workers with in-style fashion. Low-class employees wore these to rebel against the standard that only upper-class workers could pull off this style. These men were referred to as “Teddy Boys” and it emphasized the revolution that men from poor backgrounds could adopt and afford this trending fashion (De Young).
#walkthewalk

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This designer brand, founded by Christian Dior, was created to make women’s fashion much more interesting and to leave the simple style behind. Dior was most well-known for small waists with long, full skirts to create the infamous “hourglass figure”. This elegant trend was known as Dior’s “New Look” and many women hopped on the bandwagon. Petticoats were also brought back accentuate this new style further. Dior himself stated, “Without foundations, there can be no fashion.”
Even though this new brand and style seemed to take the world by storm, there was also some controversy surrounding the brand. People accused the designer of being wasteful in terms of fabric use, utilizing up to 49 yards of fabric per design, while simple, everyday outfits usually required on 3 yards (Reynolds 18-19).
#stopthewaste
https://youtu.be/0frlOdMR2s8

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Accessories can bring together an entire outfit. The role of accessories in the 1950’s was to elevate the outfit and accentuate it. Many women chose to match their accessories to their outfits. Accessories were often the focal pieces of the outfit.

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Fashion in the 1950’s was influential to the culture and lifestyles of many Americans at the time. In this decade, following WWII, people weren’t focused on the war effort so they could redirect their attention towards things they actually enjoyed. Women were able to get out of the work force so social interests were increasingly important. This allowed the women’s fashion industry to develop and fashion to become important in everyone’s lives, especially women.

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Marketing drives production. The consumer culture of the 1950’s led to a major increase in product demand. This meant companies were able to increase marketing for the new wave of customers that were willing to buy their products. Without this important step in the distribution process, products wouldn’t get sold and there would be no profit. The marketing in the fashion industry drove product consumption.

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There were many fashion icons throughout the 1950’s that changed the way that people looked at the fashion world. Many of these people are still strongly associated with the fashion that they popularized in the 1950’s.

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Children in the 1950’s had a much different lifestyle then today as children were expected to dress much more formally in their everyday attire then children are expected to dress today.
#DressToImpress

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Hairstyles in the 1950’s were determined by the world around them as many hairstyles were popularized during the war with styles that would stay out of the way or after the war as some styles were popularized because of their change that could occur after the war.

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Although there are many clear differences between 1950’s fashion and today, some similarities can also be found. An interesting aspect about this comparison is that it’s not the clothes that change, but the meaning behind them.

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The flattop was a short hairstyle that was popular after war with the top being slightly longer then the sides forming a flat surface of the top of a man’s head (Behnke 35).
#FreshNewCut

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The pageboy hairstyle was typically done on short hair with soft curls and would sometime include bangs (Behnke 35).

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The poodle cut hairstyle was tight curls pinned to the top of a women’s head (Behnke 35). The name is earned through the tight curls resembling that of a poodle dog.

Directions in how to do the poodle cut are found below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_qthMuG2mg

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Makeup during the 1950’s was becoming much better developed allowing the popularity of it’s use to grow.  Makeup looks consisted of light pink blushes, brightly colored lipstick, winged eyeliner, and soft eyeshadow (Brewer).

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Audrey Hepburn was known for her on screen fashion that many people admired. She worked very closely with her designer Herbert de Givenchy from the beginning of her career (Leaper).

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Elvis Presley was admired by many women during the 1950’s giving him great impact on the fashion world bringing popularity to ideas such as guyliner (Leaper).

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Brigitte Burdot popularized the bikini as she was one of the first actresses to be seen in one, leading people to want to try the new style (Leaper).

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James Dean brought popularity to the pompadours hairstyle starting the movement towards men having longer hair after short hair was popular during World War II (Behnke 36).

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“Of course, Constantin was much too short, but in his own way he was handsome, with light brown hair and dark blue eyes and lively challenging expression. He could almost have been an American, he was so tan and had such good teeth” (page 74 paragraph 1).

This quote demonstrates an example of the icon of the all American man, which is described throughout the quote and was a popular idea during the 1950’s.
#AmericanMan

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Grace Kelly’s style was heavily influential to people during the 1950’s, especially through her wedding dress that is still inspirational for wedding dresses today (Leaper).

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Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation dress was highly talked about as expectations were very high after her mothers wedding dress. The dress was seen as elegant and set an example for how the upper class would live (Leaper).

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Types: Establishing a role as an essential accessory in the forties, handbags only grew in importance in the fifties. They were used to visually convey economic status (Oscar). These included Kelly bags, shoulder bags (sometimes called Jackie bags), status bags, and more. They were made of animal skins or synthetic materials, sometimes stamped to look like animal skins (Oscar).

How to style: Handbags often came in bright colors and were paired with matching gloves, hats, scarves, and other accessories.

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“Then she slipped a suit jacket over her lilac blouse, pinned a hat of imitation lilacs on the top of her head, powdered her nose briefly and adjusted her thick spectacles. She looked terrible, but very wise” (page 39 paragraph 3).

The woman that is being referred to here is an editor of a major magazine in New York City. As her job title implies, she’s very knowledgeable about fashion in general. It was socially trending to match accessories, such as hats, to the rest of one’s outfit. The protagonist, Esther, didn’t approve of this particular outfit, but she still respected her editor’s “wise” decisions, which were common decision of the time period.

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Pearls: Pearls were the main type of jewelry wore in the 1950’s. They were elegant and cute which made them very popular with women of all ages.

Colors: White and/or gold-toned jewelry became popular in the 1950’s. White was especially sought after in the summer months (Tarasenko).

Styles: Multi-strand necklaces were also gaining momentum. These were often beaded or rhinestones and they were usually worn as a set that matched rings, bracelets and earrings (Tarasenko).

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Pencil skirts: Pencil skirts, also called “wiggle” skirts (because they were so tight women had to wiggle to move in them), were often worn high on the waist and came down just below the knee (Brewer). These were popular because they accentuated the hourglass figure that women at the time wanted.

Petticoats: Two or more petticoats, usually with frills, bright/ pastel colors, and nylon fabric, were often worn under large, full skirts and stiffened with sugar solution and drip-dried (Baker 29).

Poodle skirts: Poodle skirts are designed to flare out around the knees and create a cute, feminine look. This type of originally featured the icon poodle embroidered on it but that part is not required (Brewer).

Shirt dresses: Shirt dresses, like most dresses at the time, fell to about the knee and often featured bright colors and patterns (Brewer). They were often styled with a large belt around the middle to create the small waist look.

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Greaser Fashion: The “greaser” style originated in young men and teenage boys. For girls it was a mix between pin up and rockabilly with a little extra edge (Brewer). This style was popular with young people and often featured leather.
#SandyandDanny4ever

Pin up Fashion: Pin up fashion was seductive and highlighted feminine sex appeal. It was often revealing and included pieces such as halter necks, bustier tops, swimwear (including bikinis), and others (Brewer).

Rockabilly Fashion: Rockabilly clothing was inspired by the music genre of the same name, which combined rock ‘n’ roll with country music. This type of fashion was highly popular with teenagers and for girls, it was a mix between pin up and swing (Brewer).

“Ivy Leaguers”: This type of fashion was clean cut. Men wore casual suits, provided they were sharply creased and cut well. These suits were elegant and said to “conceal the bulkier form of the American man”, while the English style was usually shorter and more fitted. This evolved into slimmer looks with longer lines. The introduction of man-made fabrics made the suits lighter and allowed for expansion in colors and textures (Baker 33).

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Hourglass shape (fit & flare): With attention constantly turned toward beauty, the hourglass silhouette was the key shape of the 1950’s (Brewer). This was a small, tightly clasped waist, with rounder hips and a larger bust. This style meant lots of fit-and-flare dresses to create the hourglass look.

Bright colors: Bright, solid colors made up much of a woman’s wardrobe in the 1950’s. This included colors ranging from pastels to very bright pops of color. These colors could be seen on dresses, skirts, scarves, tops, jewelry, and many other everyday items.

Patterns: Patterns, specifically plaid, were popular for pencil skirts at this time (Brewer). They were also popular for dresses, scarves, and occasionally blouses.

Pleats: The introduction of new man-made fibers caused accordion pleats, often in pastel colors, to become “one of the most popular choices in the mid-fifties” (Baker 39).

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“Doreen looked terrific. She was wearing a strapless white lace dress zipped up over a snug corset affair that curved her in at the middle and bulged her out again spectacularly above and below,” (page 7 paragraph 5).

This quote exemplifies the idea of the hourglass figure. Doreen’s corset (another popular clothing item from the fifties) gave her a tiny waist and round hips with a larger bust. This was exactly the type of shape that women were looking for in the 1950’s and it was this shape that they based their beauty standards around.
#canshebreathe?

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“Ladies Home Journal” magazine:                                                            https://www.heatherleebea.com/2015/06/11/ladies-home-journal-november-1958/

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Life and Ladies Home Journal: Life was a very popular magazine in the 1950’s. It was also one of the pioneer magazines and instrumental in developing the field of photojournalism. It was a magazine directed at families, while Ladies Home Journal was directed to women specifically. That said, these magazines both included similar styles that promoted positive appearances.

Ebony: Ebony was very different from other magazines, as it was targeted towards African American women. Unfortunately, this meant that Ebony’s advertisements were mostly for skin bleaching and hair straightening products. This portrayed the idea that “to be beautiful is to be as white as possible” (Sloan 3).
#misguidedbeautystandards

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The advertisement promotes “glamorous” clothing, which naturally makes anybody more inclined to buy it. Having the women wearing the clothes stand next to a nice car shows that people who have these clothes also have automobiles which makes people see the clothes as high class and, therefore, want to buy them.

Commercials: This is a commercial from 1956 advertising leather for women.
https://youtu.be/W-g3X5eYX4U

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Teenagers: Teenagers in the 1950’s were beginning to find their own fashion choices and pull away from the styles of their elders, thus widening the age gap. This allowed companies to market new styles specifically to teenagers. Freedom in fashion was limited at times but available at others. For formal events, young people still dressed similar to their elders, but for informal events (such as school dances), they had more freedom to choose what to wear (Baker 12). For young men who were rebelling against their families and society as a whole, it was dark colors, rough textures (such as leather and denim), and crumpled appearances (Baker 14). In the movie Rebel Without a Cause, 1950’s icon James Dean is seen in leather jackets and jeans to rebel against societal norms. This, along with his other rebellious styles, caused many young people to follow his lead and dress in similar rebellious ways (Baker 59).
#stickittotheman

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“And she said, ‘No raincoat is ever water-repellent. It’s showerproofed.’” (Page 166 paragraph 7).

The person in the book who said this was a saleswoman. She changed the boring words of “water repellent” to something interesting and unique that makes people want to buy the product. This type of marketing powered the consumer revolution of post-war society.

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Girls were expected to dress formally on almost all occasions dressing very similarly to women of the 1950’s as dresses and skirts were very popular. Girls would also match their accessories to their clothing just as adult women did. It was very popular for girls to wear ankle length white socks with shiny black shoes as their everyday shoes (Reddy).

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The leather jacket made its appearance in popular teenage movies which sparked the idea for the teen counterculture, which mostly pertained to teenage males. Famous male icons influenced teenagers through their films, such as Marlon Brando in The Wild One and James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. These iconic jackets were often worn with plain, white T-shirts and Levi’s jeans (Reynolds 20-21).
#teenrebel

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“[A] purple dress that fastened at the neck… and reached midway between her knees and her shoes” (page 190 paragraph 3).

Almost all women’s dresses in the fifties fell to just below the knees. Additionally, halter necks, like the one mentioned in the excerpt, were very popular, as pin up style often included them.

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The chignon was a hairstyle that allowed women to keep their hair out of their faces so that they would be able to work during and after war. The style was a simple bun somewhere o. The back of the head. They style was so popular that fake hair would be sold to look like a bun so that women with shorter hair could also enjoy the hairstyle (Behnke 34).

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This designer brand gained popularity during the 30’s, but it still created some iconic fashions during the 50’s. This Spanish-style based brand reconfigured the common way to shape a woman’s body with it’s shocking difference from other brands, such as Dior. One of his most shocking releases was “the sack dress”, which completed eliminated any body shape. Although this style became popular overtime, it was met with controversy because of its inability to form any shape, mostly because Dior’s “New Look” was also popular during this time. Balenciaga was also known for dressing famous female icons such as Ava Gardener, Gloria Guinness, and Mona von Bismark, who were all devastated when his fashion house suddenly closed in 1968 (Hunt).

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During this period, men were highly influenced by icons like James Dean and Elvis Presley to wear jeans, a white T-shirt, and a leather jacket. The purpose of this was to rebel against the fashion of the previous generation, otherwise known as these men’s parents. Men chose to rebel further, not by wearing a completely unprofessional style, but also by wearing it casually, sometimes every day. This era of rebels are lightly compared to the “Teddy Boys”, however the extent at which they have rebelled is much higher than wearing the same clothes as the upper class. This look was meant to leave the constricting suits and work clothes behind, as well as make a statement (De Young).

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Scarves: Silk or chiffon scarves were very popular in the 1950’s. Women wore these tied around their necks or wrapped around their curled hair (Brewer).
#DaphnefromScoobyDoo

Gloves: Women wore gloves to elevate the outfit. Gloves were most often worn with dresses. This served to make the dresses seem more elegant and classy.

Nylons: After wartime shortages in the 1940’s, nylons were coming back into popular demand. However, rather than just being used for women’s wear, nylon fabric was also being used for sportswear, as well as men’s socks and underwear (Baker 19).

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Leather jackets are still a trendy clothing item, even almost 70 years later. Though men still opt to rock this jacket, this item has grown more popular with females. The website theVOU.com states that the leather jacket is one “of the most popular fashion trends”, while providing pictures of female icons wearing them. Above, one can see that celebrities have been seen sporting the never-aging jacket. From this information, one can see that people today do not wear this jacket to rebel against a set standard, but rather to just wear them because they like them (Meyer).

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“I thought either Joan must be crazy - wearing rubber boots to work - or she must be trying to see how crazy I was believing all that” (page 195-196 paragraph 4).

In the 1950’s it was discouraged for people to go against the social expectations in fashion which are different from today’s experience where it is much more accepted to challenge the popular style.

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Ponytails were popular in the 1950’s as high ponytails were worn by the younger generation (Behnke 35). This is a simple style that has been popular through many generations as the style is still popular today and is still seen primarily in the younger generation of today’s world.
#StillStanding

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By the time Jazz became popular during the 50’s, the rise of the Beatniks also came into existence. Beatniks were people who believed in the non-conformity of dressing down, or dressing in a more free-spirited way. During this time, people, specifically women, would choose to sport men’s shirts and trousers instead of tight-fitting dresses. The color black was also the color of this era and most Beatniks would be found wearing it along with darker tones. Hair during this time was also a focus and women found it freeing to cut it short. Audrey Hepburn was a popular female icon that also displayed this look in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which highly influenced other women (Reynolds 25).

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“Doctor Quinn stepped into the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. She was wearing one of her navy blue, immaculate suits with a plain, snow-white blouse showing in the V of the neck. (page 234 paragraph 2).

This description of what Dr.Quinn is wearing aligns with the Bohemian theory: that women should be able to have the same, freeing comforts as men. The suit that she wears is the same as the shirts and trousers Beatniks wore during this time period.

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Marilyn Monroe was an icon in the 1950’s who popularized blonde hair and moved fashion towards a more flashy style (Leaper).

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Common prices: Prices for clothing items in the 1950’s were significantly lower than they are now. For example, “A pair of ladies’ casual shoes was $2.98. A pair of ladies silk or nylon stockings could go between 49 cents and 79 cents. A little girl’s dress was from $1.98 to $2.98. A man’s dress white shirt sold for $1.79” (Family Tree).

Post-war economic effects on clothing prices: The economy in the 1950’s was growing substantially. By the end of the 1950’s, the average family had “30% more purchasing power than at the beginning [of the decade]. Inflation was minimal” (Shmoop University). President Eisenhower’s balanced budget attempts partially accounted for the lack of inflation, and therefore, the drastic rise in consumer culture.

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“Femininity begins at home”: After WWII, women were encouraged to go back to their homemaker roles instead of staying in the workforce. This image often came with that of women dressed in tight-at-the-waist dresses and aprons to cook and clean and look cute in. This sent the message that appearance and ability to cook and clean were what got husbands (Baker 28-29). Women were meant to believe that “the best career was marriage and raising a family” (Baker 22). This housewife appearance was the cultural norm and women gave their daughters aprons and heart-patterned dresses so they, too, would grow up craving domesticity.
#cultofdomesticity

Women in the Workforce: Even working women were judged based mainly on their appearance. This type of outfit consisted of a “trim, closely fitting suit… worn with high-heeled shoes” (Baker 29).
#breakingtheglassceiling

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Specific types: Types of shoes in the 1950’s were incredibly varied. There were saddle shoes (pictured above), Mary Janes, sandals, wedges, even sneakers, and many others. However, most women opted for more feminine looks such as kitten heels or peep-toe pumps (Brewer).

Time and place: Like today, people had different shoes for different occasions. Evening shoes often included something classy like a low heeled pump, whereas daytime shoes often were more casual like Mary Janes.

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During the 1950’s, Chanel was most well-known for her new jacket which changed the way women wore elegance. This jacket was intended to be comfortable and easy to move in, as it was inspired by men’s suit coats. These revolutionary jackets would continue to inspire fashion for decades to come. Each jacket took about an average of 130 hours to make, as each one was meticulously hand sewn. Chanel lived by the standard that the only way to “stay true to the spirit of haute culture” was to hand sew everything (Tarafdar).
#handmadegrowsyourfanbase

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Boy’s clothing moved to a much more casual style during the 1950’s as it became much more acceptable for young boys to wear jeans as formal clothing rather then having to wear a collared shirt and tie. Collared short sleeve shirts were also popular for boys to wear on a daily basis (Reddy).

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Today, the bohemian style for women has become a way for them to represent feminism and empowerment. Women don’t necessarily wear it to combat beauty standards, but to represent what womanhood means through the concept of nature by wearing floral prints. “As the role of women in society changes (equality, empowerment) changes, so is the general concept of feminine symbols such as flowers in clothing.” (Meyer).
#fempower