Haute Couture

The 1950s saw the rise of the super star fashion designer as big names and new comers competed for clientele.

Balls and soiree's a plenty called for swish new designer gowns!

The Top Five Designers of 1950's were Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain, Jacques Fath, and of course they're still was Coco Chanel, moving with the times and inventing her new suits for ladies

This is when 'Haute Couture'

really came into its own!

HATS

In the 1950s, hats were worn different to the 1930 & 40s, which sat at a jaunty angle and the 1910 & 20s where they were worn low almost over the face.

In the 1950s both men and women wore their hats way back on their heads just over the crown

revealing a bold face & make up.

Hats could be elaborate works of art in this decade. Sadly by the mid 1960s we saw the end of millinery as the hat became

'old hat'& fuddy duddy!

(Thats old fashioned to us)

The bra was to follow suit in the 1970s!

1950'S

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The 1950s can be defined best by its music & style and its......... sexism.

This post-war generation wanted to party and they did!

The fashions reflected this 'joie de vivre'.

Glamorous & sexy, tight figure hugging dresses and skirts were designed to make a womens hip movements stand out on display. And huge circle skirts uplifted with huge puffed out petticoats, made a women seem like she was floating on a cloud! There in, lies the conundrum for women of the 1950s she was expected to be both, an angel and a seductress. Busts were big & pointy ( made possible by the new type of Bullet Bra), waists were tiny ( corset was back and the new girdle was popular) and hips wide and rounded.The 'hour glass' the supposed idealistic ( aka fertile) feminine form was in. Perfect make-up everyday and weekly visits to the hair & beauty salon were a must!

Unlike the previous generation of women , who had to work during the war, a resurgence of old roles were seen as the way forward in the 1950s.

As a population depleted by war the government encouraged the young to marry

and have at least 4-6 children.Men were expected to work and earn a decent living to provide for his wife and 4-6 children. A working wife was considered a shameful thing to a man, like he was not a good provider.

Wives were expected to quickly become young mothers, adeph housewives and loving seductresses who looked after their hard working man! This is the generation that produced the Baby Boomers.

And so with this mandate for repopulating the county after the devastating Second World War,

women were seen as sex kittens, expected to marry & to be domestic goddesses

which were there to serve their husband & children and men were expected to be huge breadwinners

who in turn was to be treated like a king at home.

Hearth & home was very important but so was having a good time.

And being so, to enable the modern housewife to have both, labour saving devices were invented in quick succession, the washing machine, dryer, electric sewing machine,vacuum cleaner & the refrigerator graced most homes as Hire Purchase became available to most with jobs and most men had jobs.

The new Television was becoming available for home use by the late 1950s.

Leisure time was plentiful with a two day weekend and four full weeks paid holiday a year.

And so international travel, caravan holidays, days at the beach, music concerts.

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Women Worn Bullet Bra in the 1940s and 1

Betty Brosner, 1950s model.

Although she had a natural extremely tiny waist and hourglass figure,

she is here modelling with corseted waist

and bullet bra shape

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Everyday Fashions

SHOP HERE

Le Boutique- 1910-1950s

Blest with a high earning dads and highly home skilled yet serantile mothers, teens & children

had a great time of it!.

Many were spoiled by the new fades, fashions and inventions that involved fun and frivolity. Teens collected records of their favourite music artists and went to see movies on the big screen most weekends.

Going to the movies, ice cream parlours for a milkshake ,and to dances where the new Rock N Roll was playing was the pursuit of almost every young person in the 1950s.

This love of life was reflected in Hollywood, in the music and the lifestyle as countries sought to build up their world in peace & prosperity, especially in the USA.

But sadly this came much slower for Britain & Europe as they were exhausted by war .

In fact rationing did not end till 1954 in Britain, as it financial assisted German to re-build after the war.But the Americans had left a legacy of a love for life that would forever change the traditional British attitude especially in the young Baby Boomers!