“Beauty is a terrible force,” said not the beauty Faina Ranevskaya at all. And she was right. This beautiful power has always been adopted by every woman at all times. Fashion dictates ideals and standards. Now, looking at grandmother's photos, modern women of fashion say: "My grandmother is in trend." Why? Fashion of the 50s, like history, is cyclical. Let's talk about trends past and present.
Women's fashion in the 50s: the heyday of fashion
40s in fashion - a stagnant period. As soon as they ended, they were replaced by the fashion of the 50s: feminine, elegant, bright and extravagant. Women are tired of war. They wanted to be beautiful again.
For the first time, models in dresses with a fluffy skirt and chiseled pencil skirts took to the catwalks of the world for the first time. It was in the 50s that Christian Dior rose to the fashion pedestal. He introduced a new trend in fashion - New Look. His collection has captivated every woman in the world.
Round shoulders, high bust, small waist, puffy midi skirts, handbags,gloves, hats and elegant high-heeled shoes were the main features of the fashion of the 50s.
After the simple and concise clothes worn by women in wartime, all fashionistas wanted to wear an abundance of fabrics, wear soft silhouettes, emphasizing femininity. However, at the time, Mabel Riding, a well-known feminist in England, said that the new silhouette was "a bird in a golden cage." But that's what women wanted to look like after the war: protected and a little frivolous.
Women from high society fell in love with the new direction so much that they changed their looks several times a day. Fashion magazines of the 50s helped girls navigate and not get lost in fashionable abundance. On the pages of fashion magazines, they immediately offered a full-fledged image for different occasions. For example, to meet guests at home - a narrow velor dress, suede pumps and stockings. To go out - a gray flannel dress and coat, a hat and gray suede gloves, as well as a gray patent leather bag and a matching umbrella.
A description was attached to each proposed image. So, all the details of the outfit were indicated: from the collar to the necessary perfume. By the way, the rules of conduct were also attached. These rules had to be followed unquestioningly.
But the housewife in the 50s personified the era of the "economic miracle". Without makeup and dress, she couldn't even open the door for the postman. What to say about the wife? A true woman had to get up an hour earlier than her husband and put on makeup, do styling and chooseoutfit. It was out of the question to appear in front of her husband without makeup and with a bun on her head.
50s style icons: Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe.
They were guided by, they were imitated.
Post-war fashion
chiseled and neat - this was the Fashion of the 50s. Dresses are necessarily fitted, and regardless of the skirt: fluffy or narrow. The hourglass shape is at the peak of popularity. The décolleté has always been accentuated with wedge cutouts.
Straps were used to highlight the aspen waist. The thinner the waist, the more beautiful the woman was considered. And as accessories there were fashionable small handbags in the form of a suitcase.
Corsets were very popular. Even thin beauties wore this attribute. The image was thought out literally to the smallest detail.
As for the color, I immediately want to say: bright and colorful. However, monochromatic pastel colors were also in trend. The most popular colors for women's clothing were red, beige, white and grey. Of course, the business lady wore predominantly gray shades. But the brave women of fashion were not so conservative. They happily combined bright colors. For example, blue with green, green with white or red.
Prints while never relevant: geometric, floral, graphic.
This is how women experimented in Europe, in the USSR the picture was somewhat different. The war had a profound effect on the fashion industry. The difficult economic situation, there were not even the necessarythings and food. What to say about fashion? What dresses? However, the Soviet people are the strongest in spirit. Despite the economic difficulties, the people were happy - after all, the war was over. Soviet women are enterprising, so they began to alter old pre-war dresses.
In the post-war period, Model Houses began to open in the USSR. Regina Zbarskaya is the most famous fashion model and female idol in the Soviet Union.
Of course, the Soviet woman was guided by the fashion shows of Christian Dior, fashion magazines, but she could not afford to buy such an outfit. Yes, however, and there was nowhere to buy. Therefore, those ladies who had a sewing machine were considered the most fashionable. Landmark - Western fashion. Those people who traveled outside the USSR brought fashionable outfits and magazines with them. Despite the fact that the authorities condemned the West, this did not stop women from adopting the style from the "Western glosses".
What did you wear at 50?
Fashion in the 50's required women to look great. Shoes are the final element in creating a fashionable look.
At first, bulky shoes were considered fashionable shoes, which did not “glue” with an elegant image at all. Then the famous style icon Marilyn Monroe was the first to file the heel. So, the shoes have become more accurate. They entered the history of fashion under the name "shock" heel. Outwardly, he was beveled. The hairpin-heel was made of wood.
Soon, incredibly comfortable ballet flats appeared. Audrey Hepburn loved to wear them.
Dandies onlife
In the bright 50s, "dudes" entered the fashion world. This subculture united all boys and girls. They did not try to build communism, but tried to be dressed "to the point".
Bright colorful dresses for girls, multi-colored suits in a cage or stripes for guys. Fashion trend "dude" has gone down in history forever.
It's paradoxical that dudes annoyed ordinary people, for which they were often attacked.
Combing and combing
Bouffant, thick bangs, ponytail, false chignon, curls - it was all fashionable. The famous Marilyn Monroe acted as the main object of imitation. Her styling was copied by both European fashionistas and Soviet ones.
Bouffant is a separate attribute that fully reflects the fashion world in the 50s. Ladies built a high voluminous hairstyle on their heads with a pile. And to get a long ponytail, they used false hair. Headbands and headbands are a must-have detail that emphasizes femininity.
Where did the arrows shoot: make-up
In men's hearts that were struck by the charm of a woman! And there were red lips! Arrows and red lips - stylish at all times.
Wide black arrows emphasized long eyelashes, making the look more attractive. Cat eyes were popular.
As the main tone for the face, light tones of powder and shadows of a natural shade were used.
An interesting feature of the 50s in makeup is the fly on the face. Her women paintedpencil. Outwardly, this detail looked like a mole.
Accessories
The fashion of the 50s was famous for the abundance of pearls. Such jewelry was worn even at home.
Elegant hat with a veil and feathers, satin ribbons made women even more graceful.
Long gloves were a constant accessory in the 50s.
50s - in the 21st century?
Every thing from the 50s today is relevant and self-sufficient. For example, a fluffy bright midi skirt complemented by a calm blouse is a great romantic look.
And for a business meeting - a loose sheath dress with a collar, pumps in addition.
Today, in the collections of Prada, Loewe, Rochas, Miu Miu, Fendi, Christian Dior, you can see echoes of the fashion of the 50s. Hourglass silhouette, layered look, pleated and ruffled skirt, striped or plaid tweed suits, geometric and floral print, V-neckline - what was and is fashionable again.
Pay attention to the collections of Tory Burch, Chapurin, Dsquared2, Lena Hoschek, Roberto Cavalli,, Miu Miu, Dior - you will see an updated version of fashion from the 50s.