Popular 50s Clothes 1950s Fashion for Guys

1950s Way for Men and Women

AUGUST v, 2019

My Week with Marilyn (BBC Films)

Take yous just been booked as a Background Actor on a show or film set in the '50s, but don't know where to start with wardrobe? Don't worry, Central Casting is here to help. Read through your Details Blog then check out this guide for inspiration on 1950s fashion.

Depending on the production, the wardrobe department may provide clothing for Background Actors. Even if they do, it's notwithstanding important to understand the fashion of the era when you're booked on a catamenia piece.

1950s fashion overview

Fashion in the '50s was influenced by the post-WWII era of the late 1940s and heavily featured newer materials similar nylon, acrylic, polyester, and spandex. The cease of the war besides saw the return of couture fashion designers like Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Coco Chanel, and Hubert de Givenchy who had a major bear on in the style of the decade.

Overall, 1950s fashion was glamorous, well-groomed, and put-together, even for more coincidental stay-at-home looks.

Early '50s looks

Women's way in the early on '50s was inspired by Dior'due south "New Look" drove of 1947. He replaced the strong boxy silhouette of the state of war era with an hourglass shape that consisted of rounded shoulders, small waists, and full skirts. Dior's other popular silhouette was the long narrow sheath dress with a high v-neck bodice, slim brim, and short jacket.

Ane constant of the decade was the roaming waistline. Depending on the look, information technology was fashionable to take a loftier waist, natural waist, low waist, or fifty-fifty no waistline. If yous're trying to put together a specific look, endeavor to find photos from that year for waistline inspiration.

Other early 1950s looks included long skirts with petticoats, tailored tweed dresses, low neckline and ankle-length dresses in grayness, light-green, blue, imperial, or pink.

Men's fashion in the early on 1950s still revolved around the iii-piece suit. Jackets were either single breasted with wide shoulders and a low-waisted push or double breasted with long lapels and three buttons. Instead of a vest that matched the coat, it became increasingly pop to wear vests in complimentary or contrasting colors in materials similar corduroy, silk, and velvet.

Early 50s looks in Gangster Squad (Warner Bros.) | Julie & Julia (Columbia Pictures)

Mid 1950s style

By the mid-1950s, women's fashion became more sophisticated, sleek, and slender. The silhouette became softer and straighter with a higher hemline and relaxed waistline. Evening dresses were popular in medium lengths and were often made of wool chiffon or bailiwick of jersey fabrics. Matching hats and jackets were still common accessories to formal outfits. Casual wear became increasingly pop, with tailored blouses, striped blazers, and tapered slacks in vivid colors and plaid or paisley patterns.

Coincidental men'southward fashion as well gained popularity in the middle role of the decade. Sport coats, shirts, and pants in bright colored bailiwick of jersey or madras fabrics were common summertime styles. Arrange jackets had two buttons with padded shoulders and elongated notched lapels often in blue, dark-green, grayness, and burgundy hues.

Mid 1950s fashion in Revolutionary Road (DreamWorks)

Late '50s fashion

Manner in the late 1950s was heavily influenced by Chanel. Her designs featured short jackets with brass buttons and pockets that were always worn open to display the blouse. Prior to 1957, blouses were oft just a necessary office of a adjust, but Chanel made them the focal point of her designs. As the decade came to an finish, silhouettes began to loosen even more with the sack dress and relaxed fit blouse. Colors were still vibrant, similar yellow, blue, violet, and green, but biscuit and neutral tones were gaining popularity.

By the end of the decade, fashion designers introduced a Continental style accommodate for men that featured curt fitted jackets with narrow lapels and precipitous shoulders. Leisure clothes evolved to include khaki and grey slacks, matching sweaters and socks, buttoned sweater vests and cardigans, and bold patterned jackets.

Late 1950s mode in My Week with Marilyn (BBC Films)

Individual styles

Greasers

Thanks to popular films like Grease and Due west Side Story, the greaser look is one of the most common associated with 1950s manner. This way consisted of dark jeans, solid black or white t-shirts, leather jackets worn with leather boots or Chuck Taylor All-Stars. The greaser expect is not consummate without a slicked back and greased up pompadour, duck tail, or elephant'south trunk hairstyle.

Grease (Paramount Pictures)

Ivy League

Ivy league manner was an early on iteration of today's modern preppy way. The await became popular in the early 1950s around Ivy League universities (similar Harvard, Yale, and Princeton) in the northeastern United States.

Common wardrobe for men included Oxford shirts, cardigans, sweater vests, polo shirts, khaki pants or chinos paired with tweed sport coats, navy blazers, penny loafers, and boat shoes. For women, Ivy League looks were wool sweaters or cardigans with button down shirts, plaid skirts, slacks, and human knee high argyle socks worn with penny loafers or riding boots. Accessories were minimal, but could include a beret, striped scarf, doctor'south bag purse, or a signet ring.

Dead Poet's Society (Touchstone Pictures)

Beatniks

The Shell Generation was a literary and social movement started in the early 1950s past a group of writers, including Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, who were dissatisfied with post-war American culture. As the decade wore on and their novels and poetry gained popularity, the trounce artful became pop in fashion, peculiarly amid the younger generation. The beatnik look consisted of black or striped shirts, blackness turtlenecks, skinny black jeans, pencil skirts, capris, lack loafers, berets, and clubmaster or wayfarer sunglasses.

Funny Confront (Paramount Pictures)

How to create your ain 1950s look

Creating your own '50s style can be fun, just keep in mind that equally a Background Actor y'all're helping the production execute their vision of the scene. So while yous may have the perfect greaser outfit, it may non align with what production is looking for. That's why information technology'southward of import to carefully read and understand your Details Web log before getting your wardrobe together.

Need more wardrobe inspiration? Bank check out our guides on fashion of the 1960s, '70s, '80s, '90s, and 2000s.

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