THE 1950'S FASHION

Slim waists, short gloves, full pleated skirts, Dior, elegance, petticoats, rockabilly, polka dots dresses, pin-up girls & greaser boys.

THE 'NEW LOOK'

With the famous New Look collection, Christian Dior demolished the war-time look of square shoulders as well as narrow, short skirts. The new shape had unpadded, rounded shoulders, a shapely bust-line, a small waist, slightly padded hips & full skirts that reached well below the knees often worn with a wide bouncy petticoat underneath.

Christian Dior: ' I design clothes for flower-like women, with rounded shoulders, full feminine busts and shapely waists above enormous spreading skirts'

Some saw the New Look as nostalgic. James Laver: '...an expression of the longing of women to return to the good old days of sheltered life in which they were cherished and protected from the hard realities of post-war existence'.

'To get back to normal'...which implied order and stability, was the general need of the 50's.  This was translated into the fashion as series of smooth, well balanced lines, embodied in clothes of elegance, carefully designed, well-made to flatter.

Different sub-cultures emerged during the 50's that went against the obsessive urge for order and discipline shown by the war generation. One, the biggest of them, the young and naughty Rockabilly scene, had a lot of influence on fashion of that time producing polka dots, colorful petticoats, tattoos & pin-up fantasies for the ladies.  Coming home with a greaser boys in Levi jeans and leather jackets or a rockabilly man was every parents worst nightmare. The Rockabilly were the rebels of their day!
Brands that ILV carries out that are inspired on the fifties fashion with a wide variety of 50's style dresses and skirts as well as petticoats. Our 50's brands include Pin Up Couture, Deadly Dames and Dixiefried by Pinup Girl Clothing. Bettie Page Clothing, Bernie Dexter Clothing, Heartbreaker Fashion as well as Collectif Clothing.