The Way We Wore: The 1950's
The Ivy League, natural-shoulder style challenged the heavy padding and square shoulders of previous men's fashions and a slim, straight silhouette took over. Dior's "New Look" (1947) was a major influence on the women's styles of the Fifties. Women's clothes had either pencil-slim or full, bouffant skirts (full at the bottom supported by stiff, ruffled petticoats called "crinolines"). Firm, structured undergarments were again required to produce the high, shaped bosom, small waist, and flat abdomen and buttocks in fashion. New fibers (polyesters and acrylics) made big news in clothes for both men and women. Fashionable color schemes included neutral colors (gray, charcoal, black, navy) spiced with bright accents (red, lemon, pumpkin) and large areas of white.
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Wedding dress
Embroidered wool gabardine wedding dress, by Giovanna Caracciolo Ginetti for Carosa, Italian, c. 1950. Worn by Mary-Annette Burgess for her marriage to Donald Hay in 1953. She had joined the New Zealand Wool Board as Promotions Officer in 1948 and made it her mission to ‘take the wonder of wool to the nation’. The luxurious woollen fabric and the gown’s exquisite cord-work embroidery were trademarks of Italian-designed garments after World War II.
Wedding dress
Silk satin and lace wedding dress (front), by Marie Little, New Zealand (Wellington), 1957. Worn by Wendy Evans, the daughter of H. L (Mick) Evans who owned the drapery store Evans Co in Cuba Street, Wellington. Wendy's mother, Vida Evan’s, selected the fabric, a delusted silk satin, from Thomsons Silk Shop, Wellington’s premier fabric store. Marie Little, a dress maker who worked from premises on the corner of Garrett and Cuba streets, made both Wendy and her sister Gwyn’s wedding gowns.
Vera Maxwell | Ensemble | American | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Yellow printed silk dress and wool coat with matching silk lining, by Vera Maxwell, American, 1956. With a dream of being a dancer, Vera Maxwell arrived in the fashion world through the back door. Working first as a showroom model, she then became interested in the actual construction of the clothes. Not always agreeing with what was being offered, she began to make as well as mix and match her own clothes, which department store buyers from Lord & Taylor and Best Co. began to notice.
Vera Maxwell | Ensemble | American | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Grey wool jersey ensemble with black wool coat (without skirt), by Vera Maxwell, American, ca. 1958. This particular design has several elements found in Maxwell's work: the use of wool jersey which is comfortable, stretches and packs without wrinkling; pants to wear under the skirt for plane travel or to be worn alone; the wrap blouse; and the overcoat which provides extra warmth and uses a water-repellent fabric.
Vera Maxwell | Ensemble | American | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Grey wool jersey ensemble with black wool coat (with skirt), by Vera Maxwell, American, ca. 1958. Maxwell began designing the travel suit in the late '30s and continued doing so until the end of her career. This ensemble is a wonderful representation of the fashionable and functional. Being an avid traveler herself, Maxwell decided that women needed clothes that were easy to pack, comfortable to wear and provided options for daily activities, whether that is touring or cocktails.
Wedding dress
Silk satin and lace wedding dress (back), by Marie Little, New Zealand (Wellington), 1957. Worn by Wendy Evans, the daughter of H. L (Mick) Evans who owned the drapery store Evans Co in Cuba Street, Wellington. Wendy's mother, Vida Evan’s, selected the fabric, a delusted silk satin, from Thomsons Silk Shop, Wellington’s premier fabric store. Marie Little, a dress maker who worked from premises on the corner of Garrett and Cuba streets, made both Wendy and her sister Gwyn’s wedding gowns.
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