The Fifties

Glamour is what makes a man ask for a woman's phone number…it is also what makes a woman ask another woman for the number of their designer!

Lilly Daché (French Fashion designer)

Chanel / Dior / Chanel

At the weekend I went to a great exhibition at Palais Galliera, as known as the fashion museum. The exhibition was called "Les Années 50" and looked at French fashion between 1947 and 1957. After World War Two there was a scandalous change to French couture which would change fashion forever. Tight bodices, clinched waistlines, flattering necklines and flowing full skirts set the style for a new femininity and was miles away from the straight and restricted dress of the Second World War. This was dubbed the 'New Look' and designers such as Christian Dior, followed by Yves Saint-Laurent, Cristóbal Balenciaga and, later, Hubert de Givenchy dominated the fashion scene of Paris in the 1950s.

Dior / Jacques Fath

Fashion designers in the 1950s just loved creating evening dresses, putting all their fantasy and imagination into them. Think lots of velvet, lace, satin and jewels with bustier necklines and long gloves, it was the most elegant part of a designers' collection. This Jacques Fath dress above has actual seeds of corn sewn onto the bustier, which is just enchanting. 

It was in the 1950s that the classic summer dress, that we all know and love, was born. The young wanted a free and liberating wardrobe for summer, whether it was spent in the city or by the beach. Colourful afternoon dresses, flowing skirts and beach outfits were worn next to the skin for ease and comfort. This was just the start of the ready-to-wear trend that established itself for good in the 1960s.

Lingerie also makes a comeback in the 1950s with push up bras and petticoats being the essentials for any wardrobe. Plain stockings are replaced with embroidered or printed tights that went with the outfit. The previously worn corset is remembered in the girdle, which would soon be banished during the 1960s, not re-appearing again until the 1980s. 

So just a little fashion history for you there. Get yourself to Palais Galliera if you can, this exhibition is running until 2nd November 2014.

Izzie x