“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening” (Chanel). Beginning in the 1950s, America's world was drastically changed. It was the time of the Post War Era and with the changing economy, politics, and society, it brought the change of fashion. The fashion world for teens and women in the 50’s was changed drastically with new innovations that shaped the styles of today; these innovations were caused by an economic boom, teenage independence, and a new found comfortability and a search for femininity in women's clothing.
The end of the 40’s and World War II brought a newer and a better economy to the United States. Their economy
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was booming. Women were now more a part of the workforce, products and clothes were being mass produced, and money was now going towards education, highway interstates, and military. In the 50’s, the Car Culture hit a new high and this led to the need for better roads and the creation of the Interstate Highway Act. This “Car Culture” brought the popularity to fast food restaurants and drive-in movies, which would become a hot spot for teenagers of this decade. This decade also brought a change of power in the White House. In the very early 1950s, Harry Truman was the president. He called for the creation of the hydrogen bomb because there was fear of nuclear bombing during the Cold War. He also made the fair employment act. In the 1952 election, Eisenhower won and he won again the 1956 election. He impacted this era because he raised the minimum wage, which allowed families to earn more money for either pocket money, or to support their family. He also lowered unemployment rates by Lastly, during this time, the Sun Belt area began to grow with the growth of the suburbs. This growth began to affect the lives of American families socially. Post-War America also brought change to the society and culture of the United States.
Families were idolizing the simple life, they began encouraging their kids to attend and finish school. This era “created” teenagers. Now that they had the free time to socialize and have jobs, they became their own people. Before the war, teenagers were either kids or adults, there had not been an in between at the time. However, now that they were not having to cater to the war, they had their own lives to be themselves. The baby boom also helped in the creation of Teens, there were roughly 4 million babies being born a year and families were moving out of the city to the suburbs and at a certain age, they became teenagers because they were not yet seen as adults anymore. The end of the war also brought about a change in opinions over segregation. There were new civil rights movements led by Martin Luther King and spurred by Rosa Parks. There was a new push for equality between races and soon enough, the Supreme Court decided schools could no longer deny admittance to colored students. These movements were a step to a more united society. People in the American society were also becoming united over fashion. With the economic boom, there was a mass production of products and this included clothing. Clothing became less expensive and more available. Also, because women were in the workforce during the war, many stayed in the workforce and this gave families extra money. This closed the …show more content…
divide the classes, the rich were no longer the only one who could fully afford the clothes they wore. The middle class became the prominent group in the society and fashion changed for everybody. One of the major innovations for fashion happened to women. Before the war, women were stuck in factories and had to wear unflattering and practical clothing. Now, the war was over, and women had a desire to go back to being feminine and the housewives from before the war. Even though many women stayed working, they still wanted to be feminine again. During the 50’s, the hourglass figure was very common among women and that is what they showed off. Christian Dior’s “New Look” help give women the glamorous clothes and show off their hourglass figures like they wanted. They were still conservative, but tight, pencil skirts became popular to show off these figures. However, since the 50’s were seen as the fashion era of being conservative, other women favored looser “swing skirts”. Women began wearing more accessories as well. Small hats and gloves were extremely common among women to wear when they left the house. Pearls and diamonds were a favored type of jewelry for women because of the glam aspect of it and gave them more of a feminine look. Movie stars and Television stars became trend settings, with more homes having TV’s, women could more easily see what clothes and trends were popular. They idolized the feminine beauty of many famous socialites and stars. This idolization further changed the way women dressed because they aimed to look just as beautiful as the women they see all over the media. Trends in the fashion industry were influenced by celebrities that were popping up in movies, newspapers, magazines, and televisions shows and commercials. Since televisions were becoming an extremely common entertainment in people’s homes, it was insanely easier to follow new fashion trends and with prices of clothing down, women and teenagers could follow and copy trends. The two most iconic trendsetters for women of the 50’s were Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. Monroe had one of the most copied looks of this era. Since this was a time of showing off a woman’s figure, she was admired by most because she did just that. She was a sex icon of her time and women followed her trend of showing off their figures. Audrey Hepburn was another major icon of the 50’s. “I never think of myself as an icon. What is in other people's minds is not in my mind. I just do my thing” (Hepburn). Women admired and copied Hepburn's look because she had the femininity and glamor women wanted, but she also had her own personal style. She was influential in the fashion world and was a muse to designer Givenchy. Slip on loafers, boat neck tops, and cropped black jeans were made popular by Hepburn. Other icons for women were Babe Paley and Bettie Paige. Bettie Page was the original “Pin-Up” of the 50’s because of her figure hugging clothes and the femininity that women desired. Babe Paley especially inspired women, with her mix of high and low fashion, the image she created was immensely wanted and copied during this time. The fashion industry for teens was influenced and created differently than that of women. After the war, teenagers finally had free time, spending money, and could continue school. In the 40’s during the war, teenagers went from being kids, and into adults. They had to spend their money to help support their families, leave school, and join the draft for the war. Now, they were being encouraged to continue their education and they could keep the money they earned for themselves. Without the war going on, teenagers could be more grown up than children but didn’t need to be adults anymore. That is why the term teenager was officially coined. With their free time, teens could hang out at drive-in movies, sock hops, and other activities that also affected their style. Sock Hops were events for dancing so girls would wear poodle skirts because they loose and flowy and easy to dance in. Teenagers now dominated the fashion world. With extra money to spend, they could go buy their own clothes and didn’t choose to dress like their parents’ anymore because of the new activities they could participate in. Even though teenagers began creating their own identities, parents saw this as “rebellion” and didn’t like this new trend in clothing. While some teenagers strived on this new change, others still started creating their own identities, but they found it in other styles. Several teens followed this new “rebellious” look, many teens dressed in nicer, more formal, clothing because they conformed to their parents and that’s what they were used to being. Teenagers of this time were being influenced by “rebellious” movies and actors and Rock and Roll music. The popularity of Rock and Roll music among the youth was growing. Rock and Roll inspired girls to wear poodle skirts because at Sock Hops that was the genre of music played. Since it was more upbeat, girls needed skirts that they could move freely in. Rock and Roll also influenced the rebellious look with icons like Elvis Presley. Elvis had that “bad boy” look, and teen boys admired him. They copied his look and followed the trends he set. Teenage boys were also beginning to idolize actors from “rebellious” movies such as “Rebel Without A Cause” and “The Wild One”. Teen Boys took a pleasure in dressing like the rebellious boys in the movies. James Dean was one of the main inspirations teens admired in these movies, inside and outside of the screen, Dean carried the “bad boy” look with white T-shirts, skinnier jeans, and leather jackets. Marlon Brando was another huge influential actor from the big screen that was greatly admired. He, much like James Dean, also portrayed the rebellious teenager facade that boys strived to be during this time. With influences from movies and music, teenage boys captured their own style, despite their parents attempts and protests to stop it, and the rebellious look was one of the most desired fashion trend of the 50’s for teens. While these influential people, for teenagers and women, the people who had the greatest impact on the fashion industry were the designers. Christian Dior, the designer who shook the United States with his “New Look” fashion line, changed the standards for women's style immensely.
Dior’s “New Look”, created the emphasis on the hourglass figure that women desired and all had during this time. He brought back the femininity and poise women wanted after spending a decade in the factories working. Coco Chanel also made a huge comeback in the fashion world in the 50’s. Her new line created an elegant yet more comfortable and loose innovation to Dior’s line. Her clothing line was desired by women because of that. They got the glamor they dreamed of, while still getting the comfortability many women values from the 40’s clothing. Not only did Dior and Chanel have an extensive influence on the change of clothing during this time, there was also Cristobal Balenciaga who, much like Dior, emphasized figures. Rather than the hourglass figure that Dior favored, Balenciaga shot for a more slim waist, and while most women prefered Dior’s figure, other women cherished having a slimmer and smoother looking waist. Balenciaga was also the creator of the, now popular, three fourth sleeves. Other designers began creating and providing the clothing needed for the teens to create their own identities. Whether it was the rebellious look, poodle skirts, or the nicer and preppier look, designers began to design clothes that catered to the youth style for the first time as well as changing the look for
women. The world of fashion for the United States was unmasked in the 50’s. Fashion changed drastically for both women and teenagers with the new innovations caused by an economic boom, the independants of teenagers, and the new found comfortability and search for femininity of women. "Fashion changes, but style endures"(Chanel). Fashion changed in the time of post-war, and it continues to change every day, every year, and every decade, but the people of the world never lose their style.
One of the main waves of music of the time was a calmer more gentle rock. A major band called The Beatles were so popular during this time it was called Beatle Mania. The Beatles were one of the numerous bands coming to America either many more would coming getting the title of the British invasion. During the 1960s America’s economy was greatly increasing. This time period focused on the housing and computer industry which overpowered automobiles, chemicals, and electrically powered consumer durables, which were the leading sectors in the 1950s. Agriculture fell from 19.2 to 7.5 percent, minimum wage increased from $1.00 to $1.25, and the unemployment of was around 6 percent. Another economic point is the growing middleclass. Between 1945 and 1960, the median family income, adjusted for inflation, almost doubled. Rising income doubled the size of the middle class. Before the Great Depression of the 1930s only one-third of Americans qualified as middle class, but in postwar America two-thirds did. Many middle class families of postwar America became suburban families. Of the 13 million new homes built in the 1950s, 85 percent were in the suburbs. The GI bill helped this growth greatly. Soldiers coming home from the war would have a government loan for a home or going to college. Making college more of a social norm. Which still effects society today making more jobs having a college degree required. The political culture focused more on containing communism with the theory helping this being called the domino theory “Military Intervention in Korea and Vietnam finally, you have broader considerations that might follow what you would call the falling domino principle. You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly. So you could have a beginning of a disintegration
If we didn’t have fashion then a lot of people wouldn’t have jobs because there are a whole bunch of fashion designers out there, also all of the celebrities wouldn’t have name brand clothing because there would be no way to make them because we wouldn’t have designers. Fashion of the 1920’s played a very big role in today’s fashion. Including the material our clothing is made out of also the styles of clothing we wear. Many things women wear today first came from fashion in the 1920's. Flappers, shoe styles, and accessories are a few things that we wear today have came from. Many celebrities still wear some things that people wore in the 1920's including flappers. Have you ever wondered what the amazing fashion of the 1920's was like?
When most people think 1950’s the popular show “Happy Days” comes to mind; although, these were anything but happy days. The 1950’s were an era of prosperity, growth, and chaos in the United States; men were returning from World War 2 and many new babies were born. The population during this time was about 151,684,000 with an unemployment figure around 3,288,000 (Bradley). Industries began to expand in order to meet the needs for all the new people looking for work and thirty percent of the work force was in industry and commerce. Corporate America was emerging and corporation profits increased such that change could be seen on a macro scale. The economy was booming steady until the recession in 1957; although, this recession was nowhere near as great as the depression.
The sixties were a time of growing youth culture and youth fashions, which had already begun in the late fifties. In the west, young people were benefiting from the postwar industrial boom, and had no problem finding work. With extra cash in their pockets, they were able to spend more and had begun to refashion themselves accordingly. This higher demand in the fashion business brought out a new generation of designers. The freedom of extra cash meant room for more imagination and creativity, bringing out new and provocative fashion ideas.
People were earning money in many different ways. They didn’t bother to think about how long the good times would last. They spent the money they should have been saving because of wartime shortages (Mike Kubic). More and more people could afford to buy the Model T because it was mass produced which made it cheaper in price. The houses source of light changed “...from coal power to electricity..” like what the world has today (Mike Kubic). America was revised to modernized ideas and methods. The United States went through positive changes for a couple of
Fashion has been around ever since ancient times, since the time of the Romans, it survived the world wars and is yet today a business with rapid changes. Fashion started off as an art form, a way for the riches to show their social status with unique and innovative designs that only they could afford. It was a way to separate the social classes of the society. In this paper I will include the creator of haute couture, and how the following designers developed couture, as well as having leading names in today’s ready-to-wear industry. The list is long, but I chose to focus on the three most important designers of the modern fashion industry.
The 60's were a time of change and challenge. They brought hippies, space age, folk music, and the Beatles. Women's skirts got shorter, men's hair got longer, and everyone talked about love.
The 1960’s were one of the most influential time periods that the modern world has experienced from a variety of perspectives. Between the incredible advances in science such as the Space Race and birth control, the construction of the Berlin Wall, the emergence of the rock and roll band, the Beatles and catastrophic changes in fashion trends and even the treatment of minorities. The whole world was exposed to a decade full of both intriguement and unfathomable occurrences that the 1960’s had to offer. For Australia and the United States specifically, the fashion trends that ensued had lasting efforts in both countries for centuries to follow.
Contributively, new fashions represent these new values, as designer Mary Quant elaborates, ‘’Fashion is not frivolous. It is part of being alive today’’. Therefore it can be stated that ‘historic events in society had a great impact on fashion in the 1960s’. This became evident with the feminist movement, the space race and the Vietnam War which all contributed to the destruction of social traditions which dictated fashion trends. To conclude, clothing styles reflected prevailing attitudes of the 1960s and produced new trends expressive of social change.
The fashion for the 1950s was a little different then the fashion in 2017. If a man worked he had to wear a Blue, Grey or Brown cloths that was there only choices of color. In 1950s if you was just a casual male that wear regular cloths was justed called fella but a boy who really wanted to dress up was called “Ivy League” or preppy. We both wear regular T-Shirts but the mostly would wear white one and we wear colored ones. In 2017, country boys wear nice boost with jeans. They also wear nice short sleeve shirts or khaki shorts, The shoes can either be some nice tennis shoes or some nice boots. I am able to wear them at school, going out with some girls or at church Sometimes. My style of cloths are not like the 1950s because we don't wear
London is the home of British fashion designers who have influenced fashion trend around the world. British fashion designers were believed by fashion designers around the world that British fashion designers stimulate the fashion trend. However they have one style which is more powerful than others and that is ‘street fashion’. Research shows that Street Fashion became popular between 1960 and 1970 (Tucker, Andrew, 1998). The style emerged from teenagers who lived during World War Two. This is because during the war, there were not many items to use and the government was forced to ration its citizens such as individuals had to divide some foods and clothes together. That why after the second World War, many young people tried to dissociate
Women and girls fashion in the 1990s is very distinct. While not quite as loud as the eighties, the nineties took that attitude and tried to be a little smarter and a little classier. Sometimes designers succeeded, sometimes they didn’t. Some common items of clothing from the 1990s: black leggings with oversized sweater, low heel shoes, flannel shirts, denim everything, t-shirts, sweatpants, skirts, Birkenstocks, solid colors, silk shirts, turtlenecks (under cardigans or sweaters), plain white Keds and army surplus clothing to name a few. Like most decades, fashion changed somewhat drastically from the beginning of the nineties to the end. The early nineties started off exactly like 1989, but by 1993, the 1991 look was “so 80s.” Simply put, nearly everyone had completely revamped their
Introduction Historically, multiple styles of dressing have been created during the last several decades, which played an important role in modern fashion in the UK. Everyone has a different and unique dressing style in their everyday life. Some styles are influenced by vintage styles which are attributing to the deep effects of old vogue, and another group of dressing styles are inclined into the fresh element. Despite those different styles, some of them have even evolved into the milestones in fashion history. To start this essay, it will introduce the evaluation of the first significant revolution of dressing style in the 1960s.
particular taste. Specifically in terms of clothing, fashion refers to the trends and styles in garments. It is influenced by variables such as demographics, financial resources and media amongst other things. In this essay fashion throughout the decades will be compared to state whether it has changed with time or with influence. Firstly, the change in fashion from the sixties till the 21st Century will be discussed followed by the correlation between fashion and lifestyle and how Money, People and Media have influenced the Fashion timeline.
Every year, a new trend emerges that sparks a revolution. A revolution that not only gets rid of the old but brings in the fresh new thing. All across the globe, trends constantly change and the average appearance of a human being is never the same year after year. Celebrities, stylist, weather, and even technology influence these trends. Overall, just about anything can influence a trend to start. And the change of clothing will result from it. This trend or change is clothing is called fashion. Fashion is something that doesn’t seem that big in importance, but with proper research, anyone will soon realize that fashion and the fashion industry is a very important aspect of the economy and detrimental for the growth of it. Others will argue