Cristabel balenciaga

Fashion was all about accentuating the figure as shown in this image of a dress by Balenciaga. The waist has been made to appear smaller through the fullness of the skirt.

Coco Chanel

During the 1950's Chanel was also marking her place,she didn't appreciate Dior's idea of women being stick thin and criticised it as backward looking. She decided to design a style that was appropriate for everyday women,she designed suits for women that were both classy and practical.

Dior 1959

During this time period Dior promoted a look for women to look feminine and beautiful through their clothing,he designed garments with synched in waists and flowing skirts to accentuate the female body.

art and design in the 50's

pop art was very popular towards the late 50's,starting in the mid 1950's as a response to material culture. it was usually a collection of recognised images that were collected from popular trending products.Pop arts well known for its use of bright colours and use of play on making images look comic like.It is an art movement that started off in the 50's but is still seen and used today.

post war furniture focused on using simple ideas that used the least materials possible,new and unique ideas were made for chair and furnishings that were light,simple,easy to produce and affordable.

cars were also a key design during the 50's,many factories had opened,more businesses were opened and more jobs were given,producing many new cars for people to purchase.

Housewives of the 50's

After the war period men had returned home and were ready to go back to work,women were pushed back into their household lifestyle and were expected to go from living a free and independant working life,to a sheltered home life.They were expected to be the perfect housewife and there was a very big push on this at the time.

The media played a very big role in this attempt to make women the perfect housewife.Adverts were published portraying women being their happiest when in the kitchen or when recieving household gifts as this advert shows.It was a time were women were fighting for for their rights to be independant and start working.

kitchen interiors were made better and more aesthetically pleasing ,so that they were a place where women wanted to spend their time,somewhere they could enjoy.it was another way of pushing women back into the house away from the workplace.

However not all women were willing to leave their independent working life to go back to becoming a housewife they wanted to carry on working alongside men .Many women fought for these rights .This time became very important for women's rights to work and women's rights to freedom.

The rise of the teens -teddy boys

Before the war period children were expected to be seen but never heard,they were almost hidden,they didn't have a voice or freedom to live life the way they wanted to.Whatever their parents told them to do,wear,listen to was the way to go.Boys were expected to follow their fathers and get a job in the workforce or military to prepare for the future of their married life.

It was till post war time that the term teenager evolved, what were seen as children were now seen as teenagers.They were given a voice and freedom to do as they please.

 

 

 

Through the introduction of rock and roll the teddy boys emerged,these were teen boys who built their own style using edwardian clothing,slicked back hair,and creepers.With the new look they embraced a new attitude,The teddy boys were were disruptive and loud,caused alot of problems within society which was a real change from the teens before who wouldn't dare to speak out loud in public.it was a time for change for the teens,an opportunity for them to do something for themselves withou guidance.The teddy boy look went on throughout the 50's and got customized and changed as time went on but the main aspects of it have still been kept and are seen even today.

 

 

 

 

 

On catwalks today the Teddy boy look is still kept alive in a more reformed manner.The main elements of the jackets and slicked back hair,the tunnel trouser have been kept but updated to become more relitive to the time period.Even today on the street the teddy boy look is seen but not only on males but also females. The idea of  the brothel creeper shoes has been developed so they are now a unisex and can be worn by a much larger audience.

 

 

Silhouette

Research on 1950's fashion showed me that alot of skirts were made for women that were very full and pleated,they brought came out from the waist and added alot of volume to the bottom half,like a ballgown but alot less formal.Underskirts and girdles were used by many women to achieve this look.

 

 

Accessories.

 

The post war period was a time for women to really find themselves within fashion,it opened up many opportunities for them to discover their own style through clothing.This was experimented alot through accessories,they were a very big part of a woman's outfit,from bags to gloves to scarves and hats.It was a way of women to show how much they cared about their appearance and how much they took pride in the way they looked. Hats and gloves were almost a necessity for woman during this period,it was very rare that a woman would be seen not wearing atleast one type of accessory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A change for women.

Prior to this time period women had entered the workforce due to the war,men were working away protecting the country and women were used to run the country and keep it running.This meant that they did not have alot of freedom in what they could wear as it was probably impractical or too expensive to afford during rationing periods.

 

 

 

 







The 1950's started to bring change to this,The fashion that was being introduced was loud and dramatic,a change from the shabby materials that had been worn through the war period.Colour was injected into clothing and more fabric was being utilized to create a statement look for women.

Femininity was brought back through pencil skirts and tight fitting dressed that accentuated the figure and showed it off without being too revealing.The use of corselette made the hourglass figure achievable for many women.Even though the fashion was changing majorly it still remained to  be very modest during the 50's.

Max Mara 1959 coat collection

As I researched more into designers within the 50's and the types of clothing worn by women ,i found that jackets and coats were quite a big focal point during the mid-1950s's.The shape of the coats was played with alot ,anything went ,from loose spacious coats with large buttons and three-quarter sleeves to tightly fitted long sleeved coats.













This particular book i came across showed Max Mara's creations for coats in 1959.Its all about emphasis ,big collars ,big shoulders , no waists and bid detailing such as buttons, lapels and ties. The shortening of the sleeves really gave the coats a unique and almost elegant look.

The fabrics used for the coats was mainly from natural sources fabrics used included camelhair, wool velour, Melton cloth, tweed and velvets giving the coats an oppulent look and feel.

 

 

This look was then the most wanted look for many women completed with personal touches of accesorries, fur trims and hats.