This Is the Picture That Started America's Love Affair with Christian Dior's "New Look"
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This is the picture that started America's love affair with Christian Dior's "New Look". It was published in Vogue, April 1, 1947. The look featured full circle skirts that were mid-calf in length, with crinolines, nipped waist and a soft rounded shoulder. Gone were the rationing allowances of war time when a dress was made with less than 3 yards of material, a Dior creation could take up to 25 yards of material, 50 yards in his couture looks For the American teenager, who was for the first time dressed differently than their parents, the look of the day was either full circle skirt or the straight skirt. Both were paired with sweater sets or blouses. For school time wear, skirts were the rule; there were strict dress code rules that did not permit young ladies from attending school in pants. Pants, capri, petal pushers and bermuda shorts were worn after school and on the weekends. At Troy High School in 1960, 2 young ladies were barred from their Home Economics finals and flunked the class, because they came into the final wearing knee length bermuda shorts, which offended the teacher. Time of day had a lot to do with what was worn, the day dress, a shirtwaist dress or separates were worn in the day, a casual outfit of jeans or capri for afterschool, a nicer dress was worn to dinner (yes, you dressed for dinner), a party meant a cocktail dress, and a Formal was worn to special events, usually not donned until 10pm. CIRCLE SKIRTS (Iconic "Good girl" or Bobby Socker look) Circle skirts were worn with multiple crinolines to hold up the material in the bell shape. They were general cinched at the waist with a wide belt, often made of elastic and a buckle. The iconic Poodle Skirt was a fad that was introduced in 1947 by Jules Lynne Charlotte, an actress/opera singer who convinced a patron to mass produce her designs. More than poodles were featured on the skirts, which were made of felt. Popular themes for these skirts were rock and roll, hot rods, story book characters and flowers. This December, an original Jules Lynne Charlotte skirt, featuring an Aladdin Motif, was featured on EBay with a starting bid of $850. Although the poodle skirt is the most remembered look of the 50's, other types were worn. Solid colored circle skirts were the staple of a girl's closet, as well as plaids. Circle skirts were often decorated along the hem with rick rack, rhinestones and decorative embroideries. Wild prints, called Atomic Prints, stripes, floral and polka dots were seen regularly as well. Hand painted skirts, showing landscapes of Hawaii and other exotic places were also worn. Pleated Skirts Pleated skirts were also worn. There were wool plaids, solids and atomic prints. Skirts could be knife pleated (small pleats from waist to hem, also known as a broomstick skirt) a hip stich skirt, where the pleats were sewn down to the hip and then released or a larger pleat often called "box pleated". STRAIGHT SKIRTS (Iconic bomb shell or "Bad girl" look) Straight or pencil skirts were worn with a very snug fit. Mid-calf in length, and a challenge to walk in, they were often referred to as "hobble" skirts. Generally fitted to the natural waist, one inch above the belly button and cinched with a wide belt. The pencil skirts were made of cotton, tweed, wool and for fancier occasions, brocades, satins and silks. DRESSES FOR DAY Shirt waist dresses, dress with a full circle skirt and a buttoned up fitted shirt were often worn with a wide belt, or a thinner belt made of matching material of the dress. These dresses were worn with full crinolines. They were often made of cotton in solid colors, strips, small prints, polka dots and the atomic prints. Day dresses were any dresses made to be worn before dinner time. They often were prints, stripes, plaids, solids and the soft floral prints known as water color prints. SHIRTS Blouses with peter pan collars were placed under cardigan sweaters. Fitted blouses with 3/4 sleeves or short sleeves were paired with everything. Short sleeved sweaters with square, boat, rounded, scooped and sweet heart necklines were also paired with cardigan sweaters or stood alone. Cardigans were worn buttoned up as a shirt or a jacket over another sweater or fitted blouse. Sweaters were embellished with rhinestones, pearls, lace or embroidery. Sweaters were not baggy; they were fitted as was all clothing in the 50's. BELTS Almost every outfit was cinched with a wide belt, the exception being prom gowns and day dresses. Belts were made of elastic with a clasp and came in a variety of colors. The wide leather belt was also seen as well as belts made out of matching fabric of the skirt of the outfit. Black was the most common color for a belt. JEWELRY The 50's featured charm bracelets, pearls, lockets, clasp that would hold your sweater if you choose not to wear the sleeves, cat eye glasses, broaches and class rings wrapped in angora yarn. Pop beads were a big fad as well and small wrist watches were worn in gold and silver. Bakelite jewelry was also a major factor. GLOVES Yes, gloves were required for going out into public, such as a trip to the grocery or a trip to the doctors. They were worn short for daily wear and long for formal events. SHOES High Schoolers wore the iconic saddle shoes, penny loafers, white keds, ballerina flats and gum drops ( think of a black jazz oxford shoe with less material in the throat) worn with bobby socks. The iconic look is with the bobby socks rolled down; however they also wore the bobby socks up straight with only an inch of skin showing between skirt and socks. Heels were often worn as well, with either a kitten heel or the higher stiletto hill. SCARVES Color was punched into an outfit with scarves, tied around the neck, placed in the hair or tied to a purse. Not only were scarves used as a fashion statement, they were also used to cover perfectly coifed hair. PROM GOWNS Prom gowns were of two general shapes, the full skirted "cupcake" dress or the fitted wiggle dress. The Cup Cake or Debutante dress was generally a full skirted dress, with a spaghetti strap bodice. The materials used were satin, organza, silk, taffeta, lace and tulle. These dresses were often covered in lace and embroidery and had multiple layers in the skirts. Crinolines were worn under the dresses. Generally the waistlines were straight and not pointed, as bridal dresses are. The length was tea length. The wiggle dress was a fitted dress that showed off an hour glass figure, made of satins, brocades and other luxurious materials. The length was a little shorter, but still below the knee. Some general thoughts Although black and white were the number one color combination in the 50's, it does not show well on stage. Instead focus on bright colors and pastels. Please do not choose neon. Some hot colors of the 50's were Turquoise, Red, Pink, Blue, Mustard Yellow, Olive Green, Orange and Magenta. Please try to use something other than white for your shirt, choose colors that you feel and look good in. Please do not choose black, if there is another choice available to you. Do not be afraid of bright colors placed together, they "pop" on stage. If you are a member of the chorus, please do not choose capri or rolled up jeans, as stated before, dresses and skirts were worn for school. Some of the Principle Roles require capri or rolled up jeans. DO NOT bring in a skirt that is above your knees, even the straight skirts. If you find an awesome full circle skirt, and it is a little short (just under the knee) be prepared for me to request for YOU to add a strip of fabric to the bottom to make it long enough. Do not bring in the full skirts that button up the front, I will ask you to sew the skirt together and remove the buttons. If you want to do the iconic "Poodle Skirt", please talk with me BEFORE you buy the fabrics, there are many choices for this type of skirt, and I would hate to have 10 pink poodle skirts on stage when we can do 10 different themes of skirts. As with all women’s clothing in the 50's, fit is the key word. Many items were still handmade and they were tailored to fit the wearer. Baggy sweaters that engulf the wearer were the number one mistake I saw in other High School's productions of "Grease!" on you tube. Please do not wear saddle shoes or white keds for with your Prom Formals. Character Shoes are fine, I will check about other heeled options as well. BUYING VINTAGE Also, please keep in mind that vintage clothing is NOT sized by today's standards. Please look at the measurements of the garment, before you buy. If you are buying on-line, ALWAYS check the measurements, and if they are not listed, contact the seller, they are usually very helpful and speedy in answering questions from potential buyers. Also check to be sure of the condition of the garment. If you intend to buy the "real thing", be prepared to pay for it. Skirts start out around $20 and generally go for more, Day Dress and Shirt Dresses start out at $25 and go for $50+ and Prom Gowns are hardly ever seen under $50, the stunning ones start at about $299.