The 1950's saw women's fashion morph from the structured and severe WWII years—influenced by voluntary restrictions and military style—to a softer, more feminine look in response to Dior's New Look of 1948.
But enough about that kind of fashion, the kind with a capital "F". What did we really wear? What were the fashion fads that no designer dictated but somehow became popular?
While every decade probably has them I chose the '50s as that's when I came of age, at least the age where I got interested in clothes for myself. I turned 8 in 1950. My teenage years were squarely in the '50s.
Although my mother cared about what she saw in Vogue, she too adopted some of them but wisely rejected those that didn't suit. I fear I wore all of them at some time.
These are the fashion fads that did not stand the test of time from that time so long ago...
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| Popping the Poppit |
POPPITS were plastic "pearls", sold in long strands, no clasps, as they would pull apart and close with a satisfying popping sound—the precursor to stepping on bubble wrap. They were cheap, maybe a dollar or two. I preferred the "natural pearl", but they were available in colors as well. You can still find popping beads—as learning toys for youngsters. But as the serious jewelry they were in the '50s? Nah.
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| En garde! |
SWEATER GUARDS or sweater clips were meant to achieve the casual, over-your-shoulders style of wearing an open cardigan without losing the sweater. More often we just wore the sweater, unbuttoned but "guarded".
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| The art of the scatter |
SCATTER PINS were a young fashionista's delight as they could be bought with the allowance of a week or two. That's not to say they couldn't be found for quite a bit more. One was definitely not enough. Tiny little things, you either wore a collection or a matched group artfully arranged on blouse or sweater.
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| Skirting the issue |
PETTICOATS or crinolines were a fad that became a nightmare, particularly for school administrators. I remember my junior high declaring you could wear no more than three. Sometimes the girls' counselor stopped you in the hall and counted. Not to be stifled, we discovered more and more ways to stiffen them. One I remember was dipping the petticoat into a solution of egg whites whipped with water then hanging to dry. Eggs were a lot cheaper then.
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| Buffer zone |
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| Poodles were just the beginning... |
POODLE SKIRTS were the one fad I didn't fall for. These circle-cut full skirts (no pleats or gathers) were decorated with French poodles (a very popular motif in the '50s) or a myriad of other themes. Tasteful they were not. That would have defeated the purpose. I may not have put my finger on it at the time, but they were just trying too hard. I never wore one.
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| Missing from pix: suede cleaner |
WHITE BUCKS were a fad because saddle shoes and loafers are the classics. I wore all three, but the white bucks lasted but a season. Popularized by clean-cut singer Pat Boone, they might have been an answer to those blue suede shoes. That meant nothing as I was an Elvis fan. In essence they were just too hard to keep clean.
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| And that scarf! |
TWIN SETS were ubiquitous in the '40s, knit in practical worsted wool. The '50s saw the rise of synthetic fibers Orlon, Banlon and Acrilan. The real plum would be a twin set in cashmere or its lower priced and fuzzier alternative, angora. The fad was the practice of wearing the cardigan on its own, buttoned up the back. That seemed very daring although I'm not sure why. Oh and don't forget the little scarf tied jauntily just so.
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| Round and round... |
CIRCLE PINS, worn alone on a sweater or blouse, were one of the more restrained jewelry fads and stuck around for a while. They were also known as "virgin pins"—if you wore one you were one. That didn't stop anyone, including my mother.
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| It's a cinch! |
CINCH BELTS were fashioned of wide elastic and had the benefit of keeping your blouse tucked into your skirt. Like many fads they were cheap—cheaper than a leather belt—and did finish off a look. Having a small waist—ten inches less than your bust line—was a figure ideal. My older sister wore a "Merry Widow", or waist shaper undergarment, for added discomfort.
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| Chicken or egg??? |
MUU-MUUS were a brief fascination with a native Hawaiian dress. While they may have been comfortable, they did nothing for anyone, especially without the leis and ukelele. Were they a response to Balenciaga's 1957 sack dress? "If he can do that so can we?" No one ever looked as soigne as the drawing on the pattern envelope.
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| Wear the boys are... |
It's tempting to call PREPPY a fad. The term hadn't been coined when we began emulating what college coeds wore—Shetland sweaters, pleated skirts, Bermuda shorts, knee-hi socks, Peter Pan collars, button down shirts, ditsy prints, headbands... Preppy has lasted through the years and is still turned out in endless variation by Ralph Lauren, J Crew, Tommy Hilfiger, etc. If anything is "American Style", that would be it.
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| The holy grail of college style |
