Styles

50’s
The style adopted by women in the 1950s is best defined as feminine, sensuous, yet elegant. The hourglass figure was majorly highlighted by the outfits worn. As compared to the silhouettes ofshort skirts and wide shoulders worn in the forties, fashion in the fifties evolved to fuller skirts and soft shoulder lines that enhanced a woman's figure. Poodle skirts and circle skirts were afavorite amongst the young girls. Pleated and pencil skirts were used by older women for a more formal and mature look.
As a result of the growing popularity of swing dancing, strapless dresses with fullskirts ranked high on the trendy meter. Another style of dress favored by women in the '50s was the chemise dress, as it could be worn on most body types. The dress was loose and had a straight cut,allowing the wearer to experiment with belts.
Women switched to trendy coats instead of the traditional shawls. One also saw the large use of feathers as a part of the fashion. Long, knee-length coatswith loose sleeves, caught on really well in the 1950s. Among the different fabrics, silk was widely used and furs also occupied an important place in the wardrobes of most women. Furs wereconsidered to be a status symbol and purchasing garments of fur was definitely an expensive affair. Since real fur was not affordable for all, imitation fur became popular. Leopard prints were also a rage andmade an important part of fashion in the fifties.
Shorts and pants formed part of the casual-wear. Elegance was an important factor in the fashion of the fifties, with Hollywood also influencing theclothing. Actors such as Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly became the style icons for this period. Flowers, stripes, and polka dots all became a part of fifties fashion. A variety of necklines like thehalter and clothes with round collars and shawl collars were adopted by the people. Patterns of sleeves also changed with puff sleeves, kimono, and rolled sleeves coming into the picture.

60’s...