MetroSex Mens Fashion: History Of Men's Fashion

Sunday, March 16, 2008

History Of Men's Fashion - The 1950's

1950 Cadillac Fleetwood

This is the most definitive article on 1950's men's fashion on the internet. It is part 4 of my article The History Of Men's Fashion.
You may click on the links at the bottom of this post for my previous articles.

Most people of our modern era evoke images of the Fonz from Happy Days or the colorful cast of Grease when they think of men's fashion in the fifties, but this was not the customary dress for the majority of men in the post-war era. More accurately so, most men dressed more like Fonzie's less "hep" 1 sidekick Richie Cunningham.

Menswear in the 1950's took a less flaunting tone than the bright, bold colors of the 40's. Darker shades of blue, dark brown, and charcoal reemerged, and in 1953 the gray flannel suit began it's reign.The most descriptive term for men's fashion in the early 50's would be conservatism.
1 click here for fifties slangs terms

Men wore hats everywhere, to work as well as social occasions, throughout much of the fifties.
click here for my post on History & Definition of Men's Hats

A Brief Look At Women's Fashion

Before I continue with mens' fashions in the fifties, we must first explore let's first take a look at the women.
The conservatism associated with men was not the case with women's fashion. The post-war boom of consumerism provided a sense of economic optimism. New gadgets proclaimed the future was here and liberated women from many arduous household chores. Homemaking, it seemed, was not so bad with the help of electric stoves, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, and the like. Women could now concentrate on making a comfortable home for their families, and still have time to have a life outside of the kitchen. The apron 1 as well as the wartime dress (designed with utility and adequacy in mind) would be replaced with Dior's "New Look", that exploded into the fashion scene in 1947 out of Europe which would domintate women's fashion during this era with hourglass silhouettes. Christian Dior also defined a new business model in fashion by establishing a wide range of products internationally.2
1 click here for vintage aprons of the fifties
2 click here for an article on Women's Fashion Glamour of the 1950's

The Second World War left women craving for glamour, style and swathes of fabric where scraps of material had once existed. Dior's full skirted and waisted designs fulfilled all the early dreams of the feminine woman in the early 50's. As a new, more liberated society evolved, women moved toward freer more relaxed clothes and began the move away from the dress rules and associated formality of decades.

...Back To The Men

(left- vintage pink 50'swetsern shirt)
Although the fifties could be described as a conservative era for men's fashion, there were slight deviations with certain forms of casual wear. In this decade men began to wear pink, they even adorned themselves in pink ties.

Inspired by Hollywood movies and Davy Crockett legends, Western or "cowboy" shirts would share the spotlight with cardigan sweaters. Hawaiian shirts 1 which became famous in the 40's also made their mark in the post-war era.
1 click here for my post on the history of Hawaiian shirts

Robert Wagoner in a cardigan, 1950's

1950's vintage rayon hawaiian shirt on ebay.

vintage 50's Western shirt on ebay

1950's Youth

Teenagers played an enormous role in fashion like never before. Generation gaps emerged, which although today seems quite innocent compared to modern times, these new styles were viewed as rebellious and scorned. Films like 'Rebel Without A Cause' starring James Dean and 'The Wild One' with a young Marlon Brando influenced the fashion of youth.

click here for Rebel Without A Cause trailer

The Wild One trailer

top grossing films 1950-59

The Ousiders (1983) - movie about 1950's misfit teens

Greasers & Teddy Boys
Common items in a greaser's wardrobe included Sir Guy shirts, white or black T-shirts (often with the sleeves rolled up); Daddy-O style shirts; black, blue or khaki work jackets, black or brown tenchcoats, Levi denim jackets; leather leather motorcycle jackets; blue or black Levi's 501 or 505 jeans (with the cuffs turned up about four inches) along with Chuck Taylor's also referred to as All-Stars (sneakers) and chain wallets. Teddy Boys were the UK version of Greasers with slight deviations.

Ducktail hairstyle worn by many greasers, other notable hairstyles were the pompadour, the crew cut, sideburns and The Apache ( which didn't last long and never came back into style...thank God).The Apache is basically a reverse mohawk, imagine going to work like that!

Daddy-O style shirts (right)

The Beatnik 1 was also in vogue.

1 click here for Mike Myers performing a beat poem in 'I Married an Axe Murderer' (1993)

Poodle skirts and saddle shoes were might have been two of the most defining styles of the 50's.

Many academic youth wore letter sweaters and cardigans during the fifties.

Sandals, ballet slippers, and other casual footwear was favored when pool parties and outdoor BBQ's gained in popularity.

Mass production, the introduction of synthetic fabrics and the comparative prosperity of the late fifties changed the world of fashion, teens demanded their own market during this era.
Since the fifties, which Vogue called 'the formative years of the century', fashion has never really been the same.

History Of Men's Fashion
The 1950's
The 1940's
The 1930's
The1920's