The History of Evening Dresses in the 1950s
The 1950s marked a significant change in people's lifestyles and fashions. After enduring war-time austerity, women's clothing became more luxurious and less utilitarian. Fabrics such as taffeta, lace, velvet, silk and satin were popular and even though most women could not afford couture items, improvements in manufacturing meant that Parisian catwalks could influence the high street.
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Post WWII
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During the war, many women had taken to working in traditional masculine environments such as factories and farms. They had also made do with a shortage of material including a real dearth of silk and nylon stockings, which had been very hard to get hold of. The evening dresses of the 1950s might be seen to be a reaction against these conditions as full skirts and styles that celebrated the female form became fashionable.
Celebrating the Female Shape
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Although the female form was being celebrated and some cocktail dresses became shorter -- resulting in the LBD (little black dress) that is still popular today -- showing too much leg was considered racy. Skirts and dresses remained below the knee and many had full circle hems, supported by net and nylon petticoats. The top half of evening and cocktail dresses was often a fitted bodice, which minimized the waist and made the most of the traditional female hourglass shape. Thin straps or no straps were common, requiring the wearer to use a strapless bra. Heels became higher, pushing out the breasts and buttocks.
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Longer Dresses
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Longer evening gowns tended to have straighter lines without full petticoats. Luxurious materials and extra details such as beading and sequins were popular and the longer dresses would often have a looser fit than shorter cocktail and party styles. The shape of long evening dresses progressed, alternating between slimmer fitting and fuller styles -- especially in the latter part of the decade. The popular style for longer dresses in 1958 and 1959 were the fullest of the entire decade.
1950s Style Icons
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Hollywood provided style icons of the decade including Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn -- all famous for their glamorous personas and clothing. Despite their extremely different body shapes, 1950s evening wear was flatteringly feminine. Marilyn Monroe was able to show off her curves in the famous white dress and heels she wore to pose over a vent; Grace Kelly looked sophisticated in a closer-fitting long white gown and evening gloves when she accepted her Oscar in 1955; and Audrey Hepburn portrayed a beautiful, naive young princess in an off-shoulder, full-skirted white gown and evening gloves in "Roman Holiday."
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