1950s Women's Fashion

The Era of the Economic Miracle

The fashion of the 1950s embodied a new, optimistic era, where feminine silhouettes, elegance, and a new sense of life after the austere war years shaped appearances. After a period of material scarcity and rationing, the 50s returned to glamour.

Post-war fashion was a reaction to the prevailing euphoria worldwide. The fashion industry rapidly gained momentum due to increasing economic growth. The direction of fashion closely followed the French fashion world.

The New Look and the Return of Elegance

One of the most important fashion designers who significantly shaped 1950s fashion was Christian Dior.

"I wanted my clothes to bring joy to women again."

This is a quote from him. After the years of wartime hardship, Dior wanted to make fashion opulent, soft, and full of elegance again. His fashion was an expression of optimism, prosperity, and a new beginning. His New Look fundamentally changed the silhouette of the fifties.

The New Look features a strongly emphasized waist combined with a wide, voluminous, calf-length skirt and soft shoulders. These silhouettes were quickly adopted and accessible to everyone. There were different patterns for the New Look, which were also common in home sewing in the 50s.

Typical Garments and Style Contrasts of the 50s

The 1950s fashion dressed both curvy and slim figures and was characterized by many contrasts. For example, the elegant pencil skirt contrasted with the playful circle skirt with a petticoat. The 50s are considered one of the most elegant and at the same time most playful eras in fashion history.

Typical garments that I associate with the 1950s are cotton shirtwaist dresses, which were primarily worn in everyday life. Short, fitted knit cardigans and twin sets, blouses with three-quarter sleeves, and high-waisted jeans, which were mainly worn in leisure time. Calf-length Capri pants and short jackets were also part of it, as was, of course, the petticoat dress with its wide skirt or the circle skirt, combined with a belt.

Shoes such as pumps with a medium heel or ballerinas, gloves worn during the day and in the evening, color-coordinated hats in the most beautiful shapes, combined with a matching handbag, completed the look. The bag contained a powder compact and a red lipstick.

Key style icons of the 1950s are Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, and Elizabeth Taylor. Four different, strong personalities who shaped the 50s not only in terms of fashion.

Prints, Materials and new Fabrics

The 1950s was an era of prints. Dresses with picturesque floral patterns or original motifs are unmistakable. I immediately think of rockets or the poodle, which can be found on many garments of that time. Prints with geometric shapes are also typical of this era. It's no coincidence that the fifties are associated with polka dots, the spot pattern. They were considered cheerful, optimistic, and feminine, conveying lightness and fitting the post-war zeitgeist. These typical 50s prints appeared both orderly and playful, making them suitable for everyday wear.

You can find these patterns on many garments from the 1950s. For example, on dresses, blouses, scarves, headbands, but also in swimwear of that time. Thus, a true must-have of the 50s.

These motifs were found primarily on cotton dresses, but also on printed silk and satin. Nylon was one of the most important new synthetic fibers in the 1950s and noticeably changed fashion, lingerie, and household goods. Nylon was particularly popular because it was dimensionally stable and dried overnight. In addition, nylon clothing was very easy to care for. Women of the 1950s especially appreciated stockings made of this material.

Since the 1950s offer an extraordinary variety in terms of fashion, I will dedicate further blog posts to this fashion decade.

Sincerely,
Stephanie from Bright House Journal