January 31, 2011
Sixty Years Later, The 50s Dress Styles Are Back, With A New Tag Line – Retro
In the fashion world, the old proverb, ‘What goes around comes around’ is true admirably to our selections of avant-garde clothes. These kinds of recycled clothes are now so popular, they have a new name and a stylish price tag. Now we label this fashion ‘retro’, extremely popular with teens searching for a new look not found draping on the racks at the mall.
The 50s dress styles and accessories are certainly not a challenging fashion subject. All that you should do is relax and revel in some of the many re-runs of well-known 50s TV shows, for example ‘Leave it to Beaver’, and ‘Ozzie and Harriet’ to view the most recent fashions of the urban and suburban Americans of the 50s. For the more provincial assumes on 50s dress or Prom dress, capture several episodes of ‘Lassie’, with June Lockhart as the farm Mom, sporting the less fussy, but nonetheless womanly, 50s styles.
In the post World War Ii era, 50s fashions walked away from the slimmer cuts, necessitated by rationing of numerous products, including fabrics. The brand new fashion frame of mind gone in the direction of fuller skirts, puffier sleeves, wide belts, and a lot of pleats. Patch pockets on the typical, daily 50s skirts were also large, to match everything from diaper pins to clothespins. Huge appliqués were another signature detail of fashionable 50s dress styles (recall the Poodle skirt?) Maybe the 40s femme fatale come-hither looks, that will impress the man home on leave, had been naturally replaced by the more traditional, wholesome and functional 50s dress, better suited to the new homemaker families together with her war time hero, now home for good. Even add-ons experienced significant changes. Women’s clutches evolved into larger, the better to carry those essentials which the 40s woman had no requirement to stash away in their tiny, fashionable evening bags. Outfit jewelry easily fit in nicely with the more casual 50s styling, not costing an arm and a leg, but adding an enjoyable, vivid accent to any costume or Prom dresses.
Thus, where can you find a complete accentuate of 50s fashions? Easy. Look on vintage clothing sites, Ebay and at your own local ‘antique’ clothing stores. Strangely enough, fashions dating back to Grandmothers’ time are now deemed radical and stylish to an alternative era of fashionistas. For the most revolutionary 50s wardrobe, add some shoes, totes, and add-ons that have been put on in older days. With yet a modest investment, you will be the star of the 50s dress styles, reincarnated with great panache for this instant. Retro haute couture, yes.
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