Fashion In The 50's

“In any era, fashion is a reflection of the time and what is going on in the culture politically, socially and economically.”1 The 1920’s witnessed a variety of dramatic changes for women; these changes, such as shorter dresses and stronger attitudes occurred primarily after World War I in spite of the prolonged development of women 's’ rights through 1914 and 1920. With their new hair, fashion styles, and attitudes, women had started what became known as the “Flapper Era”.

The style and cut of women's clothing during the 1920's changed drastically. Waistlines dropped dramatically while hemlines rose scandalously. Turned-down hose were no longer black, but beige. Rouged knees, bobbed hair, and figureless figures characterized the "radical flappers". These women violated many of the rules dictating appropriate clothing and behavior for women. The

Before the 1920’s, women’s attire was considered fairly modern. Women would have worn clothing with more of a silhouette than clothing that was loose and flowy. The length of their dresses never revealed more of their leg than just their ankle. Women received bad reputations when showing their knees or even their calfs. Women in the 1920’s also had a different ideal figure than most women do today. The body types women wanted to achieve also transformed into a more feminine look. This look consisted of low bust lines, higher hems lines, and showing off more curves than ever before. These women became unapologetically fearless.

All of these women had an enormous impact on various areas of fashion during the 1920s. Whether in a couture fashion house or on a Hollywood movie screen, they were all able to create or universalize styles that would remain in the fashion industry for many years. In a decade of great change for women, these are a few of the many who spearheaded change through their use of fashion and accessories. They became icons for the many flappers and other women living at this time. Many of them are still remembered and referenced in today's media and

Marilyn’s career as an actress spanned over 16 years. She made 29 films and 24 of those were released in her first 8 years as an actress. Everyone in this day and age can agree that Marilyn Monroe was an amazing actress. Many people try to play her in movies and pose as

Most women in the 1950’s and 1960’s never wore pants, unless they were cleaning or not going out of the house. It was deemed unprofessional to wear pants at a formal event. The public opinion of women’s pants was that they were not dressy enough for more sophisticated occasion. Women’s pants were for working in factories or cleaning the house. Wearing pants outside of the house during this time is comparable to wearing exercise clothes or pajamas to a fancy party.

One of the most iconic changes that occured in the 1920s was the change in women's wardrobes and lifestyle. Before the 1920s, the traditional woman’s

She noticed that women in the late '60s wore clothes that popped out, like bright, sleeveless blouses and dresses (41) and were wearing products that were bold including hairspray and bright lip colours (41). These mentions provided an accurate visual of what girls looked back in the day. In the 1960s, ladies apparel got freedom in hemline (1960s Fashions) meaning that skirts were shortened, a dramatic move for females as they got more independence. This decade in fashion was huge, colorful and bright. Daily fashion for an average '60s woman was a colorful dress, which was as bold, and risk-taking as the 1960s (1960s Fashions). Women in Canada also experimented and sported makeup including light, pinkish tones around the lips and dark, dramatic eyes (1960s Makeup). Although fashion was mainly focused on women, Ellen did notice what some guys wore. Tony, Ellen's friend, wore a sports jacket, chinos, and a blue, short-sleeved button-down shirt with penny loafers (194) on nights out or special events. Tony was dressed like the average teenage guy. Back then, the casual wear for guys were mostly sports shirts, especially polo-style shirts (Sixties Men's Clothes) and for special night-out outfits they would wear slacks and a sports jacket (Sixties Men's Clothes). Donalda Reid captured the fashions and fads of the decade for both men and women very well and

Women’s fashion in the 1960s rejected previous traditions of the past and became symbolic of the changes women were gaining through the feminist movement. During this period, women concluded that they would not accept the feminine mystique, which generally accepted views that an ideal

1 Influential person from the 1950’s was Marilyn Monroe was an American actress and model. Her real name was Norma Jeane Mortenson. She was famous for playing a comic dumb blonde. She was looked as a sex symbol of the era’s attitudes towards sexuality. She was in a lot of popular movies such as “As young as you feel and Don’t bother to knock; she also signed contracts with Twentieth Century-Fox and Columbia Pictures. She made more movies and won a Golden Globe for Best actress. Unfortunately she died when she was 36 of an overdose on Barbiturates.

Though out the years fashion has changed in different variety of ways in the 1920s by giving women the ability to change the way they act and look. “1920's

Powerful women that were looked upon, created the chic of the 30’s. Ginger Rogers, Jean Harlow, and Bette Davis had the signature styles of blonde bobs, red lipstick, and arched eyebrows. Katharine Hepburn was a champion of the menswear trend with the wide legged trousers and shirts, which are still worn today. Joan Crawford was a very successful woman and when she pulled off the over-starched ruffled dress, it became so popular that manufacturers across America started making replicas. These women were very important to the 1930’s fashion era and created new fads that boomed across America (“1930s Fashion And The Women Who Defined The Thirties Style”).

The feminist movement, which took root in the era, lead to a liberated sense of fashion. Women began to wear pants in the workplace with the popularization of the pantsuit (Pendergast 922) to show that they were every bit as capable as men. Hot pants and bell bottom jeans, both styles unique to the era (Pendergast 889), were intended to make a bold statement. Another prominent trend of the 1960s was known as “mod style.” Women wore short, skin-tight skirts and form-fitting tunics (Pendergast 890) unlike anything the fashion world had previously seen. Twiggy, a model, quickly proved herself to be one of the most memorable mod icons of the time (“Twiggy”). One of the most popular and notable styles of the 1960s and 1970s, however, was the “peasant” look. Clothing was modeled after European peasants from centuries earlier; women sported loose-fitting, off-the-shoulder blouses and long, flowing skirts (Pendergast 925). Fashion was also used as a protest of sorts for American youth. Teenagers, male and female alike, creating inexpensive tie-dye clothing as a means of voicing their disapproval for the Vietnam War (Pendergast 927). Young Americans used tie-dye as a form of defiance against societal norms.

Weather the clothes were for day, sport or evening they were styled to make men feel larger. During 1941-1945 World War 2 fabric rations were limited to make suits but not in style. The suits that the middle class men wore haven’t really changed much since then. The men’s fashion in the 1940 that was unique to the decade was the cut off clothes, the patterns and stylistic details. During this decade suit pockets could not have flaps and trousers could not be more than 19 inches around and be cuffed.

To accentuate the hips even more, slit side pockets were present (Payne, 256-257). Subsequently, the 1960’s brought the emergence of miniskirts, which was then a public shock for it was not considered tamed. Minis were pioneered by Mary Quant and made trendy by Andre Courreges (Murray, 112-113). Meanwhile, pants suits for women were popularized in the 70’s. They were first introduced as skinny and tailored, leaving little space for legs. Then they evolved into a flared leg style, with a wide opening at the bottom, or bell bottoms (Payne, 261). “Pants appeared in every form imaginable, from divided skirts and culottes to the classic, pleated-front tailored pant and the baggy ‘Fred Astaire’ version.” (Murray, 116)