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Circa: 1950s
Condition: Excellent
Size: L
Type: Silk
Manufacturer: Unknown
This is the 50s look personified! This beautiful, lightweight silk day dress or party dress has an interesting petal sleeve that forms a front fold-over scarf detail.
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The lovely fitted bodice--a the hallmark of the "New Look" of the late 40s and early 50s(see below)--this dress is a slightly fuller skirt variation of the classic "Wiggle" Dress. The slight fullness in the skirt is made (see photos) by the three flared panels in the front. This makes a less severe and tight line and gives a softness and movement to the dress skirt.
This dress is in excellent "Minty" condition. The dress boasts matching 36" belt and side metal zipper.
No tags, so we must go by measurements:
Bust: 42-43"
Waist: 34"
Hips (9 "from waist): 42"
Underarm to waist: 8"
Waist to Hem: 28"
Hem: Usable 3"
This is a versatile dress--lovely for a dinner party or cocktail dress, or just wearing because it makes you feel pretty! Great with those rounded toe pumps from the period or open toe shoes or metal-toned sandals. Wonderful for a stage presentation of this period like HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL.
"THE NEW LOOK"
After the scarcity of fabric during WWII, in the late 40s and early 50s, designers were in a hurry to go back to the luxurious quality of garments. Soon after the war ended, a young designer named Christian Dior, who was working with Pierre Balmain for the design house of Lucien Lelong, began designing dresses with longer skirts. In the spring of 1947, he announced the creation of his "New Look". It caught on instantly and swept the design world.
The main characteristics of the New Look were the tight bodice and waist, and a much longer skirt. Padding was removed from the shoulders, and the the top half of the dresses presented a natural line. The first "New Look" skirts were very full and required petticoats to hold them out. They also needed yards and yards of fabric!
The New Look sported a straighter skirt version-loved by the Hollywood crowd-and became known as the "Wiggle Dress". Being the signature dress of Lana Turner and Marilyn Monroe made them more famous still. These dresses were the first to be copied inexpensively by assembly line manufacturers in New York, and therefore became a universal trend in American fashion for both the rich and the middle class during the 1950s. |
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