Patterns of Life: A History Lesson
The war came to an end in 1946 in the US. The economy was adjusting and things were going back to normal. Men were returning back from the war and returning to work. Women were going back to being housewives and taking care of children. As far as fashion, American designers were at the forefront of fashion during WWII since the Germans occupied Paris.
-Anne Fogarty: Originated the “paperdoll” silhouette, 1951, with the full skirt and small waist.
-Charles James: Considered to be among the most original of American designers. Known for architectural shapes.
Europe made a comeback in the fashion industry when Christian Dior introduced the New Look. After years of military and civilian uniforms, sartorial restrictions and shortages, Dior offered a new outlook. The New Look, Dior’s very first collection in the spring of 1947 featured rounded shoulders, cinched waist, and a very full skirt. The American government tried to persuade women not to wear the New Look. Many women were against it because they claimed it too extravagant and wasteful. Some skirts used up to 30yds of fabric! The majority of women embraced the New Look. Before long, inexpensive ready-made versions of Dior’s creation were popping up in department stores everywhere. Dior also created an alternative look with an elegant straight, calf-length skirt and short jacket. This style used considerably less fabric than the other design and also became popular.
Other designers included:
-Givenchy: "Couture House" opening in 1952. Known for clothing of exceptional workmanship, masterly cut, and beautiful fabrics.
-Cristobal Balenciaga: His work showed a mastery of almost sculptural form and shapes and frequently his styles were well ahead of their time.
Before WWII, clothing was made from a limited number of fibers: the natural fibers (rayon and acetate). The successful marketing of nylon, invented before the war but not given wide distribution to the civilian population until after the war, touched off a search for other synthetic fibers. Many of these came onto the market in the 1950s. The major apparel fibers that appeared at this time included modacrylics (1949), acrylics (1950), polyesters (1953), triacetate (1954), and spandex (1959). One characteristic of most of the post-war fabrics was that they were easy to care for. These were chiefly cotton and cotton blended w/ polyester. The 1950s was marked by what might be called a dual silhouette because both exceptionally full and narrow skirts coexisted.
Written by Patty Cervantes “Straight out the fridge. Walk a day in my saddle shoes…”
www.etsy.com/shop/WeHadATime
Tortora, Phyllis; Eubank, Keith. Survey of Historic Costume. New York: Fairchild Publications,1998.
http://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu
http://glamourdaze.com/world-war-two-fashion
http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1062&context=constructing
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dior/hd_dior.htm
http://life.time.com/culture/christian-dior-photos-from-the-birth-of-the-new-look-1948/#1
http://designmuseum.org/design/christian-dior
http://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/fogarty-anne/
http://www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Charles_James
http://www.wornthrough.com/2010/07/14/inside-1950s-couture-charles-james/
