1950s - The arrival of the teenager!

Following the impact of the full skirt introduced by Christian Dior, he made a come back in the 1950s with the arrival of the stiletto, the horseshoe collar and the princess line, as the industry picked up for him his buisness grew bigger.

'Fashion' became a household word.
                                                                                                                                            Dior stiletto


 The 1950s was known to be the feminine decade and this was shown through most women wearing a floral day dress. The corsets were definetly gone by this decade and conical shaped bras were the new hit. A classic example of the perfectly groomed elegant lady during this period is Audrey Hepburn known for the little black dress in every girls closet.


 Dior Dress







Although she wasnt always seen in a dress, she embraced the jeans and showed women how you still look effortlessly buffed and groomed without the need for a dress. Jeans became a very popular trend for the everyday teenager as well.

Men began to embrace the 'Ted look' wearing brightly coloured jackets and thiner trousers.

Pop art played its roll as a new art movement showcasing bold colours and celebrity faces such as Marilyn Monroe.

Elvis made his appearance and popularised Rock and Roll music, many of his hits were played around cafes and bars booming out of a juke box!



Films such as Grease and dirty dancing are classic examples of the fashions most teenagers embraced in the 50's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf55gHK48VQ

 Synthetic fibres were being mass produced as they were alot cheaper.

Balencigara introduced the Sack Dress. 

1930-1940 - The Golden Age For Couture

Another war began for Britain, rationing was no option it was key to getting the country through the war. Not only was food rationed so was clothing. Everyone was given a book of 66 coupons to use to buy new clothes for one year.

This was cut to 48 in 1942 and 36 in 1943. Each item of clothing cost a certain number of coupons.

Item	Men	Women	Children
Raincoat	16	15	11
Overcoat	7	7	4
Jacket	13	12	8
Shirt/Blouse	5	4	3
Jumper/Cardigan	5	5	3
Trousers	8	8	6
Shorts	3	3	2
Skirt		8	6
Boots/Shoes	7	5	3
Nightdress/Pyjamas	8	6	6
Underpants/Knickers/Vest	3	3	2
Socks/Stockings	2	2	1

Second hand clothes were not rationed and children's clothes were handed down from one child to the next or sold on to other families. The government used the slogan 'Mend and Make Do' to encourage people to repair or patch torn or worn clothes.

 

 

With the war going on fashion was on going with Chanel introducing sports wear for women.

 

 

 

 

The oxford bags were also a statement piece for men showcasing a higher waist with the flared style trouser.

 

 

The 1930s was seen as a respectable manner era with the butterfly sleeve and the exaggerated shoulder pads. The period also saw the first widespread use of man-made fibres, especially rayon for dresses and viscose for linings and lingerie, and synthetic nylon stockings. The Great Depression began to affect the public, and a more conservative approach to fashion displaced that of the 1920s. Skirts became longer and the waist-line was returned up to its normal position in an attempt to bring back the traditional feminine look.

 
1947 The full skirt was introduced by Christian Dior.

The bikini was another major trend which was introduced during the 1930's which made a big impact on the world of fashion.





 Art Deco was a new visual art design that popularised through the 1930's. The style is often characterized by rich colors and bold geometric shapes. Art Deco represented luxury, glamor, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress.

 

The Bias cut during the 1930s became was worn by many women following the respectable manner dress sence approach as were the Godet (fish tail) dresses. A bias cut is a piece of woven fabric cut on a 45 degree angle to its warp and weft threads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Jazz Age - 1920's


 Skirt lengths dramatically changed to well above the ankle and women began to bob their hair which created a new fashion which would be associated with the Jazz age of the 1920's. They were known as the Flapper girls, they inspired many young girls to wear heavy make up and shorten their hem lines on their skirts! They also wore new, softer corsets that reached to their hips, smoothing the whole frame, giving women a straight up and down appearance. With the old corsets gone so did the curves giving women a more boysish look. Flapper girls were often seen smoking and drinking along with driving automobiles.This decade was known for the wealth and excess. Marking the end of the great war and the beginning of a new era for many people.





Chanel introduced the little black dress that became an essential for many womens wardrobes!


Audrey Hepburn was one of the most famous women to wear the little black dress in Breakfast At Tiffanys which inspired many women.

 

By 1925 Paquin and Vionnet were amoung the designers showcasing their work at the 1925 Exhibition of Decorative Art in Paris.







1929 the Newyork stock market crashed - this was known as the Wall Street Crash. This marked the beginning of a Great Depression for many years.

Unemployment rose and the demand for traditional industrial products collapsed in Britain. People were no longer spending money on new clothes instead it was a case of make do and a mend what you had. This led Britain into World War two in 1939.

The Great War - 'Bella Pop'

The militant suffragette movement was suspended during the war, and at the time people credited the new patriotic roles women played as earning them the vote in 1918. Whilst men were fighting in the trenches the women stayed on the homefront and become more independant.

The number of women working increased in Britain as they were sent down the mines and into the factories or to nurse injured soldiers. Due to this the attractive outfits suddenly changed to trousers and tailored suits.

Women were seen wearing wider flared skirts and calf length hemlines that had been introduced. Brassieres were also the preferred option to the corset for most women, jumpers were also worn more often.

Men wore there trousers cuffed to the ankle-length and creased.

Women embraced their independance and clothing became more practical and the trends were seen as more relaxed. Sporty and dark coloured clothing came into fashion due to the big impact Coco Chanel created with Jean Patou.




The costumes worn in the Ballet Russes were a great influence on fashion as the more softer and draped form of clothing was introduced such as  the kimono sleeve and soft tunics. Although only the rich could afford such made to measure clothing so often people would by their own patterns so they could sew at home. This era became known as the 'Bella pop' (beautiful era).