Fashion Design Clothes - 1940's to 1960's History Of Fashion Design

With the effects of the great depression setting in by the beginning of the 1930's, fashion design and haute couture clothing stepped down to be more compromising. There had to be a balance between preserving the feminine look and re-discovering simple elegance.

We know from the history of fashion design, haute couture fashion became more romantic. Waist lines returned and the hems became longer. The bust outline re-appears and the backless evening gowns and slim fitting day dresses once again become appreciated.

However the war years soon set in and according to the history of fashion design, utility range of clothing replaced fashion design clothes.

History Of Fashion Design Of The 1940's

In the 1940's because of the war years, being flippant was frowned upon. You had to make do with whatever you had available when it came to fashion and clothes.

Being wartimes, uniforms were seen all over the place, and this continued even after the end of the 2nd World War in 1945.

The strictness of rationing during the war, made women 'make do and mend' the fashion clothing they previously owned.

Because absolutely nothing went to waste, and people had to use whatever they could lay their hands on including any type of fabric such as parachute silk to make their clothes. They even had to unravel old and worn socks to make cardigans and scarves.

Women began to wear trousers for practicability and convenience. They wore boxy jackets or tops with nipped in waists and  skirts. No fashion design clothes were promoted during these times

During the daytime, hair was kept clean under a turban or headscarf, and the short styles of the 20's gave way for curls and glamorous styles.

Clothing apparel producers were encouraged by the government to produce a utility range of clothing. The style of garments produced were also subject to 'austerity' regulations, which restricted how much cloth was used for garments. This was evident where pockets were discouraged, men's turn up trousers were banned and there was a maximum length that shirts could be.

At the time, it was trendy to appear in uniforms, so much so, that they were worn to special events and ceremonies.

This was back in the old days when "Made in China" was a good thing, and a good temporary replacement for fashion design clothes.

The 1950's represents a variety of things to many different people. It was a time of growth, capitalism, conservatism, and anti-communism. And a return to fashionably designed clothes and fresh new styles.

Along with the changes in the rest of life in the 1950's, haute couture fashion was undergoing many of its own changes too. It was greatly influenced by things like music and movie idols, and having couture fashion styles quite often meant taking luxury to the high extremes.

There was a new femininity in haute couture fashion design. Clothes became more conventional, and women wore scarlet lips and fingernails. Dior's new look influenced softer shoulders, corseted waists, and fuller long skirts held in place by flared stiff petticoats.

Corsets held their place in a woman's wardrobe as the ideal body figure was the figure eight hour-glass shape (to attract a man for marriage back then!). Strapless brassieres were becoming more important since elegant dresses were being designed without straps.

Fashion styles worn in the day were very feminine and were designed to remind women that they were women. At the time, women craved luxury in dresses after years of deprivation of the utility period. Evening wear produced in the 50s, even for the masses, were often ultra glamorous and fashionable clothes.

The trendy fashion design clothes of the time were skirts, sweaters, and full circle skirts. Most girls were influenced by Marilyn Monroe, and the guys by James Dean. There were cocktail dresses with corolla bosoms, shocking pink colours, and designs by the American, Charles James.

Fashion design by Dior included double apron day dresses, hugely bloused tops in the style of an artist's smock, very tight skirts, and Peter Pan collars.

Balenciaga and Balmain were popular Parisian haute couture designers whose styles were modified for the average woman. Other fashionable styles included pinafore dresses with polo neck jumpers, and for secretaries, crisp white blouses and some sensible but elegant shoes.

Leotards with long circular skirts and stoles, corduroy smocks and knickerbocker suits were also popular styles of the 50s fashion.

People in the art community preferred baggy clothes such as raincoats and over-sized sweaters, or chic suits, pressed or wrinkled.

The highly fashionable women wore luxuriously feminine low necked evening dresses, or boned strapless dresses in taffetas, lace, nets, tulle, chiffon, satin and sometimes nylon.

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In the 1960's, the years of the youth, there was 'revolt' against fashion houses by hippies and mods. There was an internationalisation of the fashion design scene, so people shopped as happily in London or Paris as they did in New York or Rome.

The rich and trendy no longer felt that Parisian couture was better than any other found elsewhere. Though the French till today are still to be reckoned with when it comes to couture fashion design, but in the fifties, they no longer enjoyed the exclusive rights to haute couture fashion.

Initially the 60s  fashion were plainly designed clothing carried over from the 50's and looked better on older and mature people, almost looking drab but then it suddenly started to get bold and colourful. Then little shops called boutiques promoting fashion design clothes started to spring up and haute couture took on a different perspective.

Fashion design from the early 60's, showed the skirts starting to reduce in length, culminating in the mini by 1965. That’s how the quintessential girlie look of the 60's evolved. Fashion design clothes were slim line and tubular dresses that gave way to flared skirts and then the tentative beginnings of the A- line skirt starts to emerge. The skirts and dresses,  in varying lengths from maxi to mini would remain popular for about fifteen years, until the late 70's.

Now, because skirts and dresses became shorter, stockings went out and tights became an essential clothing accessory. The couture fashion design style was the neat, uncluttered and long legged look. However, towards the end of the decade, hems were dropping again and fashion design clothes was brought on by the influence of the hippie movement. This was accompanied with the bright bold colours and psychedelic patterns of women and men's fashion.

Designers such as Mary Quant, boutiques such as Biba and Miss Mouse, and celebrities like Twiggy played major roles in promoting the new, more relaxed, and more colourful way of dressing that reverberated around the world.

In April 1966, Time Magazine famously labelled London as the world centre of fashion design and style. Being fashionable became related to the rapidly changing social, economic and aesthetic context of the times, and the central role it played out, not just on Carnaby Street which holds a vast of history of fashion design, but the sixties  pop culture as well.

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