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What was the role of women in the 1950s
Essay on fashion in the 1960s
What was the role of women in the 1950s
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Fashion; starting from the 1950’s until the early 1960’s. The 1950’s; an era where both capitalism and communism collided and era that carried the loads of men and blood and the cold and brutal wars of those who seek a better life. One would think, “would women really be thinking about what to wear or what style do they cut their hair in when their brothers, husbands, and children are off fighting a merciless enemy?”
One would presume that the fact that women did consider it quite awfully back then, but started a whole new sense of fashion is an act of cruelty and neglect. But to justify the great movements of fashion back in that day, one must consider the fact that women were lonely, terrified, and simply bored. The women of the 1950’s needed a distraction, an art. And just like theophile Gautier, a great philosopher, once said “art for art’s sake”. There were no end, just means; no happy church Sundays, no celebrations, no men to impress. Women wanted to look pretty for the sake of looking pretty, for themselves. Women started inventing, becoming freer in their choice of fashion, and the idea of “fashion statement”, of by which women expressed their states and opinions through the way they dressed, started to dig its roots. The 1950’ was the glory of fashion
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Casual sportswear was an increasingly large component of women's wardrobes. Casual skirts were narrow or very full. In the 1950s, pants became very narrow, and were worn ankle-length. Pants cropped to mid-calf were houseboy pants; shorter pants, to below the knee, were called pedal-pushers. Shorts were very short in the early '50s, and mid-thigh length Bermuda shorts appeared around 1954 and remained fashionable through the remainder of the decade. Loose printed or knit tops were fashionable with pants or shorts. They also wore bikinis to sport
New fashions were surfacing in both men’s and women’s fashions. Men were wearing Bermuda pants, baggy pants that were cut off at the knee, while women were wearing capris, tight pants that cut off just below the knee. Men were wearing tailored jackets and making a slight move towards the casual dress of today’s workplace. Women were wearing natural shoulders as opposed to the heavily padded ones of the war years. Flat, neck-hugging collars replaced the mannish collars of the late 1940’s. Waists were tightly fitted and skirts were long (Melinkoff 46). The jeans of the time were often lined with plaid flanel and dungarees were worn to the most casual occasions. The sandals of the fifties were not much different than the sandals of today.
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?
In the 19th century play, FASHION, Anna Mowatt develops the character plot as a contrast and comparison between being “natural” and “artificial in a world becoming preoccupied with fashion, and being fashionable. In the head notes, it was stated that Daniel Havens said FASHION is “the ugly image of the American Dream gone sour.” (Watt and Richardson) Fashion has a complex definition. The word ‘fashion’ can mean anything from the type of clothes you wear, how you communicate with others, the place you live, how you present yourself, or who you associate yourself with. In FASHION, Mowatt took a comical yet sober look at the definitions of “fashion,” applied it to real life in 1845, and through her characters, provides a mirror with which an audience/reader can evaluate themselves. I do not believe updating this play would be difficult because America has continued down the fast and destructive path in an effort to keep up with the “fashions” of the day.
Every envisioned change that transpires in our life has a purpose and an impending conclusion. Some may last forever whereas others barely last a year. The 1920s, known as the “roaring twenties”, was a decisive moment to an entire novel way of life for many people. Entertainment, fashion, jobs, laws, and technology transpired unexpectedly during this period. Almost every one of those progressions are being continued till today, yet in a more modernized custom. These aspects determine who one is and illustrate the society as a whole. The turning point of fashion has made one of the largest impacts on society today. Although the change was focused more on female fashion, men’s style of clothing also went through a bit of modification. Before the 1920s, dressing as conservative as conceivable was every girl’s first priority in order to preserve a respectable reputation. Considering that as a dearth of freedom, a few girls began to rebel. As clothes loosened, shortened, and became more revealing, women portrayed themselves differently. They no longer had stern restrictions on what they wore and freedom was slowly ascending. Men’s casual clothing in the 1920s was similar to what would be considered formal wear today. Loose silk dresses, fancy suits, feathers, sequence, strappy sandals, strap on bowties, and long pearly jewelry make up the contemporary fashion that primarily reflects on the style during the roaring twenties era.
Changes throughout the decades were very common. Coming from very modest times before the 1900s, to revealing little by little all throughout the 1900s into the 2000s. Many things changed, but only some really had a meaning behind them. The changing of women's fashion wasn’t only to better their looks but it was for a much bigger reason that in the end it would spark a change forever. When women thought about their fashion, the changes they made over the years was to show rebellion.
She said, “in the late seventies tracksuits and pants suits were worn by average people”. While she described others were wearing butterfly collars, tightly fitted tee shirts, bell-bottoms, sandals, leisure suits, flower patterned dress shirts, and tennis headbands. Jennifer said, “Green and orange was a common color for clothes and polyester was the common material”. Also, she mentions a lot of people were sewing clothes from their homes. She explicated that robes had become popular during the seventies and people would wear their robes out for a night on the town.
Clothing wasn’t the only thing that women worried about though. Other things consisted of accessories like shoes, handbags, and hats. For example, women wore brimmed hats at an angle, shoes with rounded toes and wide
In the 1950s a separate market came into being, specifically for young people with large disposable incomes. Hollywood film stars James Dean and Marlon Brando popularized jeans and the motorbike jacket and also transformed the T-shirt into a fashionable item of clothing. Teenage girls wore tight sweaters and cardigans over pointed brassieres, with circular skirts held out stiffly by layers of nylon petticoats. Young people around the globe danced to the new American rock’n’roll music, and it was from this date that the fashion and music industries became inextricably linked. The rise of mainstream feminism in the 1960s and 70s saw many women partaking in an anti-cosmetics movement.
In the article A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNDERWEAR by Tim Lambert, it talks about what women wore in the beginning of the 1800’s “...women still wore a long nightie-like garment under their dress but it was now called a chemise not a shift. However after about 1800 they also wore drawers. Sometimes they came to below the knee or sometimes they were longer garments with frills at the bottom called pantalettes.” A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNDERWEAR by Tim Lambert, another is after the 1800’s, “However after about 1800 they also wore drawers. Sometimes they came to below the knee or sometimes they were longer garments with frills at the bottom called pantalettes. A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNDERWEAR by Tim Lambert, finally the colors of undergarments, “At first women's drawers were usually very plain but in the late 19th century they were decorated with lace and bands. In the Winter women often wore woolen knickers.” Women wore lots of different types of undergarments. Finally, let’s takes a look at kids hats and what they were made
The 1960s was a youth-oriented decade – the “baby boomers” were coming of age and defined the decade as their own. The youth had a big influence on fashion. Since the 1950s, the young had disposable income to hand and it was spent on looking stylish. Makeup looks were at both ends of the scale, from the au naturel look of the hippie brigade to the dramatic black and white eyes of mod high-fashion, with pastel colours making their mark on the masses. London had led the way with themod look (“modernist”) since the late fifties, and new stores catering to the fashion tastes of the younger generation popped up all over, notably in Carnaby Street and Kings Road.
1960s fashion was constantly changing throughout the eventful decade. For instance, the early sixties were more reminiscent of the 1950s — conservative and restrained, and during later years, innovative designs hit the fashion world like a great tsunami. Alteration of style and panache transpired during 1963. Throughout 1963, the brood look took the world by surprise. In fact, any type of artificial look was abandoned swiftly.
Fashion plays an important role in the lives of billions all over the world; people, as part of a status craving society, turn to “fashion capitals” of the world for ways in which to dress and carry themselves. New York, Milan, and Paris are leaders among this fierce industry that the world lusts after. Fashion can speak volumes about ones personality, or also about the condition the world is in at the time. In France, fashion changed rapidly and feverously as the times changed.
“For as long as men and women have been wearing clothing, there has been a hierarchy based on garments. The clearest example arose when the sexes were segregated into skirts and pants: women would only wear dresses (a symbol of submission) and men would only wear trousers (proof of domination). Women’s clothing was created to impede and hamper movement (through tight or many layered skirts), while men enjoyed the ease and comfort of pant legs.” (Meza, Echazarreta) Women’s fashion throughout the ages can be used to trace the history of equality between men and women. As women achieved greater independence, they claimed the right to choose what they wore, and that included women being able to wear pants. There are three things that were instrumental in making it socially acceptable for women to wear pants, they include: the invention of the bicycle, WWII, and influential women.
It was the mainstream style for a long time. Mini skirts, jeans, capris, jellies, gladiator sandals and white hi-top sneakers were the go-to. Girls typically had their hair in a permed bob, but there could be scrunchies or banana clips involved. Accessories would be clunky and geometric, and brightly
1960s was significant decade for the fashion world in UK. Moreover it also was a remarkable changed with dressing styles under the circle of mini to maxi.