Fashion in the 50's.

Ah, The golden age of Hollywood, A time of glitz and glamour, Beauty and Fame. The time that red lipstick dominated most of women’s lips and Bikini’s first made their shocking yet wonderful appearance into the fashion industry. A time similar to the Roaring Twenties in terms of fashion revelations.

Men and Women alike were making waves with new fashion trends everywhere you turned. Audrey Hepbrun was making waves with her glamorous looks in every feature film she starred in, Marilyn Monroe was creating scandal after scandal and even boosted the sale of diamond jewelry after starring alongside her equally beautiful and charming Jane Russel in gentlemen prefer blondes. Hedy Lamarr was named the most beautiful woman alive while simultaneously working on the technology that gives us the modern day telephone.

For the men, The 1950’s fashion scene included greased back hair, Leather jackets, Knit sweaters, and the occasional guyliner. Elvis Presley started the trend for men’s high waisted trousers, James Dean made popped leather collars a staple for badboys and of course jeans to complete the look. Buddy Holly is worth mentioning, He made the necessity for wearing glasses something that became less of a symbol of being a nerd and more of a “Cool Cat”.

Fashion trends in the 1950’s was an ever revolving door, The more bold you were the more attractive you became to the general public. Elvis Presley was a controversial celebrity but the bolder he became in his fashion and his actions the more the public seemed to love and idolize him.

Marilyn Monroe was once told by a critic that she would look better in a potato sack as opposed to the low cut red dress she had worn to an event. Marilyn had responded by having a photoshoot of her in an actual potato sack. Her eccentric and bold response to the criticism had people completely enamoured with her.

Although Hedy Lamarr was constrained by the strict gender roles of the time, She had always wished people would applaud her for her brain instead of her beauty. She was an absolutely brilliant women, Who even now doesn’t get nearly as much credit as she deserves when it comes to her scientific achievements. However, Her fashion taste had gained plenty of accolades from fans and Co-Stars alike in all the movies she starred in.

Before Buddy Holly’s untimely death, He was continuously complimented for his fashion choices. He was at the time a “Rock Star” and yet his clothing choices differed greatly from his actions and the music he produced. The young singer preferred to wear pinstripe suits, Opposed to the gaudy clothes his peers had a tendency of wearing such as Elvis.

Audrey Hepburn is a staple of old Hollywood, She was in many “Classic” films, Most famously ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ a movie where she was covered in diamonds, The epitome of glamorous yet classy. Although she wasn’t often diamond set in real life she had a classic beauty about her and her fashion reflected just that. She wasn’t bold and in your face like many actresses at the time, Yet people loved her for her gentleness and elegance she conveyed.

I’d like to state that I am morbidly aware that my examples of fashion in the 1950’s isn’t nearly as diverse as they should be. I really want to write a separate piece about the different fashion choices of other races and cultures at the time.

I’ll cover people like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Ritchie Valens, and Billie Holiday. All cultures and races have different ways of setting their fashion choices away from the mainstream trends. I believe they deserve their own spotlight.