Fashion Trends in the Fifties Essay -- Fashion Retail Merchandising Es

Fashion Trends in the Fifties It was different in the USA, where contendtime restrictions had been quickly removed, and where the rising consumer society was forging ahead helped by new developments such as the start of the credit card system in 1950. But these differing conditions produced a similar effect on way of life both in Europe and America a tendency to prefer the safe and normal, a veering away from the radical and extreme. Normal felt good, especially with the memory of the war still so fresh in many stacks minds (Baker 6). Fashion is an important aspect to peoples lives, and is influenced by various move of society. Sometimes there are practical reasons behind certain fashion trends, nevertheless there are some trends that have no apparent business line or purpose. Fashion can also influence other parts of popular or high culture, including music. Rock n roll, the music of the 1950s, displayed young peoples (17-25 year-olds) interest in clothes, as heard in such pop tracks as White Sports Coat and Blue Suede Shoes (Baker 12). no matter of purpose or origin, style in the 1950s often meant super luxury, whether it was the use of lots of shiny chrome or lace, shimmering with sequins (Baker 11). During the 1950s, style was not only a characterization of ones sense of fashion it was a portrayal of who you were. In the 1950s, the role of a woman was to be in the home, and particularly in the kitchen. but the usual media image of a housewife showed her not as a mother in comfortable trousers and sweater, or loose dress, suitable for such work, but as a doll-like figure dressed in rustling, full skirts, nipped waist and narrow-fitting bodice. Even her apron had deep frills and a heart-shaped top and pocke... ...er vests and chinos as leisurewear, past people were that much closer to being normal.Works Cited - Baker, Patricia. Fashions of a Decade the 1950s. New York Facts on File, Inc., 1991. An edition of a series that ill ustrates the most influential trends in twentieth- century fashion. Focuses on fashion as an integral part in the arts, technology, politics, and society.- Stott, Jon C., Raymond E. Jones, and Rick Bowers, eds. The Harbrace Anthology of Literature 2nd ed. Toronto Harcourt Canada Ltd., 1998. An anthology of various literature, ranging from poetry, to prose, to plays.- Unknown Author. Fashion 50s. Yesterdayland Web Site. 2000. http//www.yeaterdayland.com/popopedia/shows/fashion/ (17 Mar. 2002). A web-site showcasing fashion trends throughout the decades of the twentieth-century.