How to Dress for a Sock Hop

The Fifties spawned a dance term that lives on today; the "sock hop." This retro dance is still popular at country clubs, camps and father-daughter dances. The term "sock hop" comes from dancers who shed their shoes and danced in socks. Most dances were held in school gyms and sock dancing saved wood floors from being scratched by hard soled shoes. Following are steps for dressing for a sock hop.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Costume
• Seamstress

1. Determine the style of dress that you want to wear to the sock hop. Nice girls in the 50s wore long skirts adorned with a poodle, a sweater, bobby socks and saddle shoes with their hair pulled back in a ponytail with a ribbon. See Step Three for the clothes your date should choose.

2. Express your inner "greaser's" babe by wearing a tight pencil skirt, a button down blouse with the top two buttons undone, bright red lipstick and a large bouffant hairstyle. See Step Four for your date's clothing choices.

3. Choose a letter sweater over a white t-shirt, blue jeans with white socks and penny loafers to portray the all-American 50s good boy. Top it off with some wax to make your crew cut stand up nice and stiff and you have the perfect sock hop attire.

4. Wear blue jeans low on your hips, a white t-shirt either with your pack of cigarettes rolled in the sleeve or with a black leather jacket over it. Style your hair in a DA with lots of pomade and some dark shades to complete the greaser sock hop look.

5. Dress as a car hop for another alternative if you are female. Short, flippy little skirt, blouse with a bowtie and a cap would look great for a sock hop. Add a tray with some dishes glued to it. If you think you can get away with it, attend the sock hop on roller skates just like the car hops wore in the 50s.

Tips & Warnings

• Dancing at a sock hop is different from dancing today. You may want to look into dance lessons before you hit the dance floor to learn dances like the "Lindy hop," the "jitterbug" and the "jive."

• Be prepared to spend some money on this style of dress for a sock hop. It is difficult to find 50s clothes in good shape (unless you luck out at a vintage or thrift store) and you may have to have a seamstress create your costume if you do not sew yourself.

Resources

• Website will direct you to different costumes