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I realized recently that I don’t talk about 1950s fashion very often. I ramble on and on about my ardent love of the 1940s, but the 50s seems to be taking a bit of a backseat lately! (Except for Friday’s vintage image post.) I think it has a lot to do with that I feel the 50s is in many ways more decorative than the 40s (or even 30s) were. I love my frills and occasionally fussy outfits, but underneath it all I really prefer the tailored lines that were popular in the 40s. They’re just so darn functional (which is hilarious coming from a gal who wears heels all the time–clearly not all of my choices are dictated by practicality)! Even when technically I supposedly look best in the hourglass styles of the 50s, I just can’t take my eyes off the sportier lines and sweetly tailored looks of the previous decade.
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But, because I feel like I’ve been excluding the 50s–which is a perfectly lovely fashion decade–I thought I’d do a little inspiration post. Nothing too serious; just images that showcase what I feel are some of my favorite 50s looks and shake things up a bit around here! Enjoy this break from my 40s obsession. hehe!
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What’s your favorite fashion era? Your least favorite? Do tell!
Love love love the 30s. All the good things of the 20s and 40s combined! I don’t have a least favourite from what I can figure out, maybe the 80s if anything.
I just ADORE full-skirted dresses! I thrifted one just yesterday that you’re gonna LOVE, C.
Love the 50′s! I have to say I think I prefer it over the 40′s because of all of the excess, yards and yards of fabric just for one dress! I bought a 50′s toile print shirt dress from Ebay the other day, it fits like a dream! My figure just agrees more with the designs from then I suppose.
Lovely post and photos!
Happy Monday!
xoxo
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I think I love everything pre-80′s. I wasn’t too big on the 60′s and 70′s up until the beginning of this year, when I saw some of the looks practically applied (you can get the wrong idea from certain pattern covers). Don’t like the 80′s though, no matter how much of it I see. Same for the 90′s. And most of what I like in this decade is vintage-inspired.
I generally wear 50′s-influenced, with a little bit of 40′s once in awhile. I love the 20′s and 30′s, but they don’t really show my pear shape to its best advantage. :\
And I adore the Edwardian look, and the 1860′s look, and I really adore the 1870′s look, but unlike the 1950′s, I’d have a hard time applying them to my everyday life. I’m also really fond of some of the simpler looks from the Middle Ages. I watched a couple “Brother Cadfael” mysteries lately, and while I have mixed feelings about the show itself, I was totally sold on the women’s clothes.
I don’t really have a vintage decade that I like the best, although the fifties would probably flatter my shape the best. I personally really like some of the eighties and nineties.
I love the 30s and the 40s, I love how they looked so beautiful and glamorous even if there wasn’t a special occasion. I am not a fan of the 90s whatsoever though.
I myself love love love the 50′s clothing wise – probably enjoy the 40′s hairstyles the most though. I have the right shape for the 50′s I think and the clothing always makes me feel glamourous and gorgeous.
I love your posts and they are inspriring me to take up sewing as soon as I can find some classes. Have bought around 5-6 vintage patterns that I just can’t wait to try!
I adore the fifties for all the focus on the waist and the heels and big skirts with crinolines, swish, swish!
My least favorite is the 80′s, because I was in high school during the late 80′s and couldn’t stand the largeness of shoulders and the stirrup leggings and the big hair. ick.
Love the pic of Grace Kelly in the dress with the fur cuffs. Stunning!
It’s hard to fight the waspy waists of the 1950s. Ladies just looked so… ladylike. Yet, there’s a lot of structure to the garments. It’s a nice balance of elegance and architecture.
I definitely am, or started out, as a 50s girl! Before I even knew I *could* dress in those fashions, I was listening to the music and watching I Love Lucy. That’s the stuff I grew up on.
I widened my tastes to include the 40s after discovering the likes of Bing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters, and Ingrid Bergman.. it’s so practical and smart compared to the later glamorous looks from the 1950s. I’m even starting to backtrack to the 30s, but of course, there aren’t as many surviving dresses and the patterns can be expensive!
I ignore everything that came after 1965!
I admit that I have a 40s obssession as well, but the 50s are definitely in second place of my favorite fashion eras.
I love looking at 50s fashion, but I often find myself shying away from wearing it because I don’t want to end up looking like June Cleaver. I have a gorgeous 50s dress that I have yet to wear for this reason…
You found such great 50s fashion images!
I love Regency and Victorian/Edwardian era fashion as well though
Lovely post.
lovely collages – did you make them yourself and if so on what software?
i love the 50s era, it always reminds me of a bright summer, i actually have some shorts fromt the 50s
please visit my blog -
http://www.beautiful-rampage.blogspot.com
sophie x
I have the 50s to thank for the start of my vintage love!!! I think it had to do with all those Elvis movies…hehe! Though now I would have to say my favorite is the 40s for sure! Although, I adore 50s dresses in every way!
)
You know, I never thought I’d say this, because for so long I’ve loved the 20′s and 30′s, but the 50′s are starting to grow on me! I’ve been yearning for softer, more feminine clothing, and the 30′s lines seem to look BEST on elegant, slender women. I used to be slender, but at 5’3″ it’s harder to look elegant, esp. when you’re NOT slender anymore…
While I WON’T wear a girdle and I DON’T have a tiny waist right now, I think the fuller skirts of the 50′s soften my look while hiding that multitude of sins that are my hips and thighs! LOL
I used to associate 50′s with “Grease,” but I’m starting to remember Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn were in there, too!
40-50′s are my fav. I usually tend to like the 50′s looks a bit more, I love the big dresses and the frill’s and such. Love the pictures on this post they are so lovely!
Sharla~
I adoreadoreadoreadore the gray dress in the first collage!
The 50′s and the teens are probably my favorites. Both so very feminine!
Least favorite? 80′s. Especially the hair.
oh, you’ve picked some really good ones! i love the fifties too although the little girl look is sometimes a bit too much, esp. as you head towards the end of the decade (seems to get more frilly and poofy); i do love mad men though.
not sure what my favorite is but i CAN tell you that i don’t care the 80s and 90s very much at all. i can’t believe i used to wear baby tees under strappy dresses, bleh.
Grace Kelly?! I just adore her. Nice choice Casey!
My favourite decade? I’m torn between the Forties and the Fifties. I love them equally! My least favourite decade? The Eighties, hands down.
I know what you mean – I get really hung up on the 30s or 40s but when I watch a movie either from, or set in, the 50s I just think ‘I want to throw all of my clothes out and only ever wear full skirted dresses with tiny waists and get my hair cut short!’ Which, of course, I would never do because I like the diversity of sometimes wearing 40s, sometimes wearing 50s with a little on either side. So, my favourite decades are definitely the 40s and 50s. My least favorite? The 90s. It was just…nothing, really. A lot of people say the 80s, but I love it in a trashy sort of way, and there were a lot of 40s and 50s inspired things in the 80s which are easier to find, today, and easy to tailor to look more authentic, too.
I’d also have to say, while I visually like the shapeless dresses of the 20s and 60s, I cannot wear them at all. I’m also not a fan of the ‘hippie’ look of the 60s and 70s.
Sorry for the long comment – basically, I love this post!
-Andi x
ah, for me being a lingerie designer I’d have to say I’m 50/50 on it…the 50′s, when the stiletto was invented and the era screamed glamour. It was when everything started really coming around for our hourglass figures…but first and true love will always remain in the 40′s. Hair styles, definitely the 40′s. Fashion changed so dramatically and quickly back then. Much different than it does now. Hard to pick one period over the other, depends on what you feel like looking like in the morning – Jayne Mansfield or Hedy Lamarr!
My first love will forever be Edwardian fashion, but that is kindof a hard look to pass off at the grocery store or post office. Least favorite…the Romantic era. Ginormous puffy sleeves do not suit anyone—just ask the 80′s.
The girl in plaid in the first collage is my favorite! I adore the 50′s, but I’m drawn more towards the simpler, less froufy (that is a word, don’t try to tell me otherwise automatic spell check!) side of that decade. I love, love, love the late forties transition into the “New Look” era—it’s the best of both worlds!
I absolutely love the 40′s! I love how everything is very neat and functional while still looking glamorous. When it comes to evening wear, however, I’m more of a 50′s person. I’ve always loved Edwardian fashion as well, but it just isn’t practical for every day. Well, actually, now that I think about I find that most things before the mid-70s I like.
As for least favorite, I’d have to say the 80′s. The 90′s had perfectly nice clothes (and rocked hard music-wise, mind), but the 80′s with the bright neon colors and frizzy crimped hair just always made me cringe.
Fabulous post! You always have the best photos.
Wonderful photos! Even while I love the full skirts and elegance of 50s and the early 60s, for me it’s all about the late 30s and the 40s. Beacause the clothes were so rich in details, so clever in the tailoring, the lines so elegant. Feminine yet pracitcal. A full skirt you wear to town, to a party etc, but a 40s dress will work anywhere! I do have a few 50s outfits though, and love them dearly.
From an idealistic view; the ladys of the 50s were elegant going on cute. Their chins, eyes and smiles asking “Am I not beautiful?”, while the ladys of especially pre WWII were elegant going on glamorous, their raised chins, averted eyes and slight smiles saying, not asking, “I am elegant, beautiful, confident.” (noticed while browsing images from the Sears catalogs from the 20s to the 50s).
I’ve found that most blogs tends to focus on the 50s and 60s, so don’t worry about obsessing with the earlier periods, I’m really happy to have found a blog with so much inspiration for us 40s gals! Keep it up, please! =)
(For those interested in renaissance clothing: have you noticed that the same argument of practicality, details, fullness of skirts etc can be applied to florentine 1480s vs English Tudor?)
I quite agree with what you’re saying. I’ve made fifties dresses and they are not as fun to wear as they look! I’ve recently become very enchanted with the 30s.
I realize that I have never posted a comment on your blog, which I visit very often!
My favorite era is definitely the 40′s for all the reasons you wrote. I also like the 50′s a lot, but I prefer the simplicity of the 40′s which gave another dimension to the Woman.
My least favorite: the 80′s!
Wonderful inspiration pics! I particularly love that sailor dress! I can never pull off a ’50s dress because of my extremely small upper-torso… at least I can get into girls’ dresses, but it’s really not the same! Anyhow, I think it’s great to explore other decades from time to time. And mixing decades also leads to wonderful results!
Ha! when I saw the photo on the last collage of the woman with the leopard muff I yelled “That could have been mine!!!!”
I need to let that go
I find the 50s the easiest decade to wear, perhaps because it’s most flattering for my figure. I also find it’s the most overdone decade as far as costumes and things go. Whenever people thing vintage, they think poodle skirts and saddle shoes. A lot of the time I’ll have a completely 30s outfit on and someone will walk up and go “Hey, very 1950s”. I guess to them if its vintage, its 50s. You know?
I do love my petticoats though, the romantic swish and bit of color that peeks out when I walk. It’s just so girly. I think that if someone is getting into vintage for the first time the 50s are a good place to start because it can look very classic and flattering I guess you could call it the “safe” decade. I mean that in a good way
I’m getting into a 30s buzz though, I like the simplicity of feedsack dresses a lot.
xoxo
I love and actively wear anything from the Edwardian era through the 60s, but tend to prefer to pair things in an anachronistic, personal way; I can never pull off the period/authentic style of some of the lovely vintage bloggers out there! Lately I have been particularly enamoured with the 20s, though, I suppose because I recently bobbed my hair. The luxe fabrics of the era are so fun, too; silks and velvets and early crepes!
My true love are the 50s, so I’m enjoying this post a lot
Excellent post, Casey! I love the fifties too…full skirts and all that. I would love to have more of these lovely items myself.
But alas, the 1940′s keep calling me back. If I were talented w/ a needle like you, I’m sure those full skirted gowns would be infinitely less expensive! haha.
Ashley
Lisa Freemont Street
I have to say that I love the 50s the most. Everything about it is just adorable.
And my least favorite is absolutely the clothes nowadays. Everybody, well most of the people, are looking just like everybody else. And that’s boring.
Great blog!
//Linn from Sweden!
I’m a 1940s gal myself; I’ve always been drawn to the styles of that era the most. However, I do love 30s and 50s styles as well, and incorporate both eras into my wardrobe. I agree that 50s fashions are often fussier, and I don’t feel I can pull off some of the frillier looks as well as a more tailored, streamlined design. I do find wiggle skirts and dresses work very well with my figure though, and a good circle skirt is always nice too, providing it’s not too long (I don’t care for the longer lengths that were popular in the 50s either; I find at or just below the knee to be much more flattering.)
My least favorite eras would be the 70s and 80s; I’d rather have an original piece from the eras those decades were borrowing from
Beautiful post Casey! I really enjoyed reading through and the images are gorgeous. I love so many era’s. The early 1900s are one of my faves but the 1920s are my absolute best. I love films like ‘Bright Young Things’ as it shows off the decadence so well. Polly x
Hi Casey! I’ve been following your blog for a little while now, and decided to leave a message. My favorite decade is the 1920′s, hands down. I’ve been dressing like a flapper since high school. I also love the ’60s, and ofcourse, the fabulous ’50s. I’ve also started to appreciate ’90s fashion more than I previously have. I watched Clueless tonight and thought I’d love to give some of Alicia Silverstone’s crazy outfits a try. Lovely, lovely blog. I’m so glad I found it! ~F.
Even as a teenager I loved the 40′s. I remember my first suit I bought that had a black skirt and a fitted jacket in deep red with black cherries on it. I thought it was the most amazing thing! Fast forward 30 years and I still have a fascination with that era, but I have expanded to the 50′s and 30′s. Not so much a fan of the 60′s mod look and really hated the 70′s(except for the small blip that was the 30′s revival) and 80′s. Been there done that. The 90′s were a dead bore. So far I like the return to 1930′s styles that has been prevalent the past couple years in modern fashion. Makes it much easier to find things I like and feel comfortable in.
I’m mad on anything from the 1920s-1950s. I also tend to favour the 40s, but lately, I just can’t get the 50s out of my head! (So I was a little swoon-ish looking at all these lovely photos… *happysigh!*)
I was born in the 50s, and for along time I never liked the 50s style. But, now I love it, and can appreciate the lines, color and cut of that time. On the other hand, I love the 80s when it was happening, but now find it very dull. Funny how your tastes change! What I like today is that the dress seems to have come back and I love it. I work at a university library and this summer most of the students are wearing dresses. I have a secret plan to try to go through a whole year wearing only dresses and skirts, the way our grand mothers did. However, I need to build up my wardrobe to do that.
You always look so lovely in dresses from the ’40s and ’50s! I kind of hold a grudge against the ’50s because the clothes from then look so bad on me, but the funny thing is that I end up wearing lots more ’50s dresses than ’30s, even though I alwaIys say the ’30s is my favorite decade.
Do you ever notice that your favorite decade changes from season to season? In summer I’m more ’40s/’50s, and then when it gets cold I start loving the ’60s again. The ’60s were just so nice and tights/coats friendly!
Probably my very least favorite decade is the ’80s. But I wear ’80s dresses sometimes (mostly the Laura Ashley ones) so I guess I’m just fickle about this!
For me it’s the other way around – I love the 50s! I think my other favourite is the 20s, but there’s nothing wrong with the 30s, 40s and (early)60s, I just don’t like them as much as the others.
Or, well, I cannot say that. I am not that into 50s music, but I love the 60s. The Hollies, the Kinks, the Small Faces, Herman’s Hermits, etc.. And, then, I do like the hair styles of all the decades, but my favourite dress era is definitely the 50s!
I also like 1800s, 1700s and so on, somehow, but maybe not that much that I’d like to dress accordingly to them.
Well, ok, I would like to be able to ride in a horse carriage every day, looking like this:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2009/2473807539_c0f7b4e87b.jpg
I love all the pictures in this post!
LOVE the 50s and early 60s (none of that mod stuff, I’m talking Jackie O.), then the 40s are close behind. The 80s were a disaster and the 90s weren’t much better.
I definitely veer between the 30s and the 60s. Visually, I love the 20s and 50s but the slim, drop waist silhouette does nothing for me visually–and the vintage dresses from the 50s never fit me (those tiny waists!) and I have yet to commit to the amount of fabric I’d need to sew something for myself.
The 30s with it’s bias cuts, great little prints, and sweet details (the collars, the buttons!) is just wonderful to me. And the 60s shifts are just such an easy, as you say, *functional* look that it’s what I’ve sewn up for myself the most.
I love the silhouettes of the 50′s, it just oozes sophistication to me. But there is a soft spot in my heart for the 20′s and 30′s, even though I couldn’t pull them off. That tall, languid look is just so chic!