Fashion-+p8

Cassidy Simplicity was the key to fashion in the 1950s. The American suburban lifestyle was all about conformity. During the 1950s all families wanted to conform to be like one another. They all wanted to have the same car the same type of house and all dress the same. Although the key to fashion was simplicity like the mens gray flannel suits, womens outfits were far from simple.

__Womens__ __Fashions__ During the 1950s womens clothes were very complicated. The hips of skirts were padded and full, and the tailoring was extremely complicated. What was the womens motivation for their style? It was simple, after World War II the men expected the women they were married to to be women again after the war. The men wanted the women to come back from helping in the factories and come into the kitchen, they were expected to be as feminine as possible. The suburban woman's styles were portrayed off of the styles from the movies and magazines. These styles were emphasized by sexuality and femininity. In 1950 Christian Dior came out with a new line, later known as the "New Look" that was the height of fashion in the United States. Dior's "New Look" made it so the hourglass figure women were supposed to have was shown. There was tight tailoring around the chest, a narrow waist (belt usually around upper waist on informal dresses), and a full skirt that flared out at the bottom. Well dressed women always wore hats out in public, and career women always wore gloves in public. As far as women's make-up went, make-up back then was like a mask. Most husbands never saw their wife's face without make-up. Even at night women would wear a special night time make-up. Of course, a woman's make-up was never finished until their lips were covered in bright red lipstick. The common woman would wear stilettos as a every day thing.

__Mens__ __Fashions__ Unlike women's fashions men's fashion were extremely simple. The average working class man would wear a gray flannel suit, along with every other man in the United States. Men's Fashion followed with the whole concept of conformity, each man looked like one another. Most men wore brimmed hats to and from work, usually a hat that matches their suit. Many of the men in the 1950s had rather short hair, usually not longer than past their ears.

__Beatniks__ The beatniks, were the people during the 1950s who rejected the style of conformity. They believed in individuality and not looking like everyone else. Men beatniks usually wore something like a black turtleneck, blue jeans, and sandals. Women beatniks wore something around the family of a black leotard and a short mini skirt. Beatniks usually hung out in coffee houses and poetry readings. Beatniks were looked down upon by the suburban families, suburban families thought they were a bad influence and did not make the right choices.

__Importance__ of __Fashion__ I think fashion wasn't the most important thing to the United States during the 1950s, but i do think it had some importance. Because the fashion industries were all so expensive because of the fabrics it used, I think that it helped out greatly with the economy. I also think it helped to distinguish the 1950s definition of a woman. The way they were supposed to act dress and be at home. I also think that it really helped to show the way an American housewife was supposed to act back then. Those are some reasons why I believe our class is learning about this.

__Christian__ __Dior__ During the late forties and early fifties, one of the most influential designers was Christian Dior. His new look was introduced in 1947. Dior's new look was to emphasize the hour glass figure of a woman, which meant a tiny waist, curvy hips, and very busty. He tried to stay away from old fashions with shoulder pads and the skinny skirt. Instead Dior used a fuller skirt that flared out at the bottom. Dior's fashion was said to dress women as wives and girlfriends should dress. Once Dior said "I know very well the woman." He was correct, he knew exactly what the women of the 1950s wanted.

__The__ "__New__ __Look__" __Controversy__ Although many women adored the "New Look" there were that select few who did not like the look at all. They felt that women should be able to dress the way they want to, and the look Dior was giving out was not the look of a domestic housewife. Some women felt that the hem on their dresses should be shorter than where Dior had made them.

__Citations__ Feinstein, Stephen The 1950s From The Korean War to Elvis Berkley Heights, NJ. Enslow Publishers, Inc. Copyright 2000

Pendegrast, Tom and Sara Bowling, Beatniks, & Bell-bottoms Pop culture of 20th- Century America Farmington Hills, MI. Gale Group, Inc. Copyright 2002

Baker, Patricia Fashions of a Decade The 1950s New York, NY. Facts on File, Inc. Copyright 1991

"Fashion Designers in the 1940s." //DISCovering U.S. History//. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. //Student Resource Center - Gold//. Thomson Gale. Cook Memorial Public Library. 14 Feb. 2007 .