Home » Blog » Let’s Explore The Top 8 1950s Dresses Popular That Time

Let’s Explore The Top 8 1950s Dresses Popular That Time

We all have a favorite era or decade when it comes to fashion, and mine would definitely be the 1950s. That era was full of timeless elegance and romantic shapes when it came to silhouettes and shapes. Now let’s check out the best 1950s dresses that were highly popular back then, and to do so, you need to keep on scrolling through the dresses that we have selected.

It’s not just me, the 1950s are a very popular era in terms of fashion, and many fashion designers take inspiration from that era and incorporate them into their creations now. The 1950s dresses are sexy and shapely and yet have a feminine touch to them.

The 1950s were the time when eminent designers of our time first started their fashion houses, which became landmarks in the world of fashion. Designers such as Pierre Balmain, Hubert de Givenchy, Cristobal Balenciaga, and, of course, Christian Dior. Their luxury fashion houses are one of the top luxury brands in the world.  

1. The “New Look” 1950s Dresses

  • The “New Look” 1950s Dresses 3

Back in the 1950s, one of the top designers of the time, Christian Dior, launched his first-ever couture collection, which was named the “New Look.”

These dresses had a raised bustline, sloped shoulders, voluminous padded skirts, and waist whistling shapes, the dresses ended just below your calves. Dior wanted to represent radical femininity during that time.

Dior faced much backlash for introducing the hourglass figure aesthetic, but this 1950s dress was a revolution as it made the lines between daytime and evening-wear dresses blurry.

Women accepted this dress and Dior’s vision and style immediately, so much so many other fashion houses started incorporating similar styles.

Read More: All You Need To Know About 80s Clothing Styles: Here Are Top 10 Options

2. 1950s Skirt Suits

  • 1950s Skirt Suits 1
  • 1950s Skirt Suits 2
  • 1950s Skirt Suits 3

“Figure-flattering full A-line skirts and glove-fitted pencil skirts often styled with tailored, crisp, and structured matching peplum jackets became the 50s fashion uniform.”

If you see 1950s dresses, then you will see women are seen rocking these skirt suits along with gorgeous tucked-in blouses and even a Percher hat in a beautiful bold color.

Top luxury fashion brands from the 50s like Chanel, Givenchy, Dior, and Balenciaga have all been inspired by these skirt suits and made them accessible for commercial use as well.

These skirt suits are quite easily made into modern and preppy styles by adding a cropped blazer or a corset top.

3. 50s Pedal Pushers

  • 50s Pedal Pushers 1
  • 50s Pedal Pushers 2
  • 50s Pedal Pushers 3

One of the most functional and comfortable pants was made back in the 50s. These ready to wear trousers were a 50s fashion staple for every woman. The pants are called pedal pushers because they were mainly worn by cyclists before they became commercial.

To make the look more mainstream, credit goes to Audrey Hepburn, as she has been seen wearing these pedal pushers a lot so times in a monochromatic style.

4. The Beatnik Straps

  • The Beatnik Straps 1
  • The Beatnik Straps 2
  • The Beatnik Straps 3

Inspired by artists, musicians, and poets, the culture of ‘Beatnik’ rose. In the Beatnik culture back in the 1940s and 50s, the media stereotyped a group of young people who were anti-conformists and underground in New York City.

Beatnik fashion was a striking contrast to Dior’s “New Look” fashion culture. It gave rise to a new fashion movement with darker shades of color.

This fashion culture mainly had berets, and cigarette pants, which are made of synthetic materials. Also, striped shirts and T-Shirts, vests, and turtleneck sweaters.

5. 50s Pinup Girls

  • 50s Pinup Girls 1
  • 50s Pinup Girls 2
  • 50s Pinup Girls 3

Who could forget the 50s pinup fashion trend? The pinup fashion culture was all about sex appeal, which was heavily inspired by gorgeous Hollywood stars from the 50s. Stars like Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Natalie Woods are the ones who made this pinup fashion into what it is today.

The pinup aesthetic is all about blending together Old Hollywood Glam with Burlesque fashion and Rockabilly styles altogether. The modern principle of the pinup aesthetic is almost the same as before.

If you don’t know what pinup fashion is all about, then you should definitely remember Marilyn Monroe’s fashionable white dress standing over a steam grate. That is the quintessential pinup style.

6. Pencil Skirts Of The 50s

  • Pencil Skirts Of The 50s 1
  • Pencil Skirts Of The 50s 2
  • Pencil Skirts Of The 50s 3

Everyone from Grace Kelly to Marilyn Monroe has opted for this style of pencil skirt, either onscreen or in films.

The trend of pencil skirts was so huge that most of the fashion houses at the time took inspiration from the pencil skirt trend. And it says a lot since pencil skirts are a huge trend still now.

This is one retro dress that is still worn, not ironically. The pencil skirts have been modified over time to make them even more fashionable and also to keep up with the time.

7. Large-Brimmed Hats Of The 50s

  • Large-Brimmed Hats Of The 50s 1
  • Large-Brimmed Hats Of The 50s 2
  • Large-Brimmed Hats Of The 50s 2

We all knew how big the 50s clothing industry was back then, but did you know that there was another fashion trend that was booming which was the large-brimmed hats. These hats were decorated with feathers, pins, ribbons, and beads.

Back then, the hats had to be dramatic and bigger to be glamorous since they were a staple evening wear. Film stars of the 50s were the most influential fashion influencers, and they usually wore beautiful big-brimmed hats most of the time.

8. Rockabilly Fashion Of The 50s

  • Rockabilly Fashion Of The 50s 1
  • Rockabilly Fashion Of The 50s 2
  • Rockabilly Fashion Of The 50s 3

You definitely should have heard of the hillbilly fashion trend from the 50s. Well, if you haven’t, then Rockabilly was one of the most popular 50s fashion trends.

The look was heavily influenced by the rock and roll music culture. Artists like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and Johnny Cash were the fashion icons of the rockabilly style.

They mainly contained high-waisted pencil skirts as well as button-up knotted shirts with darker eyes and bright red lips to go along with them.

Read More: 90s Outfits For Women: 10+ Top Clothes, Outfits And Trends

Wrapping Up!

You can get an idea about the 1950s dresses from seeing pictures and movies of actresses like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. These actresses were the epitome of fashion back in the 50s, and it was correctly named the “Golden Age Of Haute Couture.”

So if you think that this article was helpful for your understanding of the 50s fashion, then give this article a like and comment down below.

Read Also: