1950s Vintage Fashion

1950s fashion centres on two defining silhouettes: the wasp waist, a cinched waist paired with a full, petticoat-supported skirt, and the slim, fitted pencil skirt. Both were shaped by Christian Dior's 1947 "New Look" - a dramatic, ultra-feminine reset after years of wartime austerity dressing.

Our 1950s fashion pieces are made in Yorkshire around these same silhouettes - full circle skirts and petticoats for the wasp-waist look, fitted pencil skirts and figure-hugging wiggle dresses for the sleeker line, finished with the sweetheart necklines and sweater-girl shaping that defined the decade.

What did women wear in the 1950s?

1950s clothing was all about the waist. The everyday wardrobe was built from a handful of shapes:

• 1950s dresses: sculpted wiggle dresses and full-skirted swing dresses
• 1950s skirts: circle skirts, full skirts and pencil skirts
• Tops and blouses: lace and georgette blouses, knits and bow jersey tops
• Suits and jackets and coats: nipped-waist jackets and swing coats
• The New Look and feminine florals: two of the decade's signature themes

How to dress like a 1950s woman

Start with the foundation: 1950s clothes were cut for a waist that sits just above the belly button, so high-waisted underwear makes everything fit better. Then choose your shape, add a wide belt (arguably the most important accessory of the decade) and finish with gloves, a scarf and red lipstick. A 1950s outfit works best when you pick one shape and let it do the work: a circle skirt and fitted top for a fun, everyday look, or a wiggle dress and heels for the evening.

Not sure which silhouette suits you? Our 1950s style guide compares the wasp waist and the pencil skirt side by side, and The Perfect 1950s Pencil Skirt explains how to wear one. Heading to a party? 50s and 60s partywear with Missy Malone has ideas.