Similarities Between The 1950's And Today
Modernism of Fashion: 1950’s and Today
Styles tend to cycle, but fashion itself is ever-changing and evolving. Fashion and its styles change continually. It has evolved accordingly to the time, culture, and society it is in. The similarities and differences of modern fashion today and modern fashion in the 1950s may appear obvious while others are subtler.
World War II had ended in 1945 and is recognized in the fashion world as a “period of transition”. The whole 1950’s decade of fashion was very diverse. During this time stand-up collared shirts, dresses, blouses, and skirts were most common. In the early 1950s, women wore fitted Dior dresses while others preferred dresses that didn’t have a waistline; sack dresses.
Now if we look at fashion
in modern times, the 21st century, we still see dresses and skirts but they have evolved mostly to mini-dresses, short skirts, leggings, and shorts. Fashion today combines trends of the past and modernizes it. In today’s trends you will still find dresses very similar to sack-dresses from the 1950’s. And you will also find, like in the 1950’s, dior dresses; but mostly at more extravagant events.
During the late 1950’s, just as sack dresses were fading out, the freedom of fashion became more common to people as they stopped conforming to what society was doing. But for the most part neutral colors, solid patterns, and unrevealing clothes were what was mostly worn during this time. This is because simplicity was a big theme at the time and modesty was a core value to everyone. This was obvious when women wore pants or revealing clothing, as this was greatly frowned upon.
Today, much like the 1950s, solid colors are still embraced and used. Sophisticated patterns are more present nowadays which is a major difference from simple patterns in the 50s. People in today’s society follow certain trends, but not as blindly as they used to back then. In todays world we have social networks such as Twitter and Instagram, which provide a way for the world to see all fashion trends around the world in an instant and adapt to anything they want. This is very different from the 1950s because in that time period, everyone dressed however the people in their town dressed.
Lastly, the biggest difference between today’s world and the 1950s, not only in fashion but also in people’s lives, is having modesty as a core value. Modesty in the fashion world is valuing your body, having humility, and avoiding indecency. In the 1950s, indecency meant showing any cleavage or showing skin above the knees. But today, indecency hardly has any meaning. Just as Cole Porter once sang, “In olden days, a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking, but now, God knows, anything goes” (Cole Porter). As time progressed, women began saying it was their body and they have the right to show whatever they please. All I have to say is that just because you have the right to do something doesn’t mean you should do it. Clothing is more than a material object, it says a lot about how you view yourself. Overall, fashion changes over time. Fashion deals with patterns, style, and trends, but fashion is more than the material thing society makes it out to be. Fashion shows insight into our minds. It reveals our likes and our culture and who we are as people. Passing and reoccurring phases such as sack dresses, proves that fashion works in cycles. And although fashion has evolved and been restructured, fashion will always do the same thing it did in the 1950s, which is giving people a way to express themselves. Fashion will continue to do this for us as long as we have the freedom and imagination to express ourselves.
Styles tend to cycle, but fashion itself is ever-changing and evolving. Fashion and its styles change continually. It has evolved accordingly to the time, culture, and society it is in. The similarities and differences of modern fashion today and modern fashion in the 1950s may appear obvious while others are subtler.
World War II had ended in 1945 and is recognized in the fashion world as a “period of transition”. The whole 1950’s decade of fashion was very diverse. During this time stand-up collared shirts, dresses, blouses, and skirts were most common. In the early 1950s, women wore fitted Dior dresses while others preferred dresses that didn’t have a waistline; sack dresses.
Now if we look at fashion
in modern times, the 21st century, we still see dresses and skirts but they have evolved mostly to mini-dresses, short skirts, leggings, and shorts. Fashion today combines trends of the past and modernizes it. In today’s trends you will still find dresses very similar to sack-dresses from the 1950’s. And you will also find, like in the 1950’s, dior dresses; but mostly at more extravagant events.
During the late 1950’s, just as sack dresses were fading out, the freedom of fashion became more common to people as they stopped conforming to what society was doing. But for the most part neutral colors, solid patterns, and unrevealing clothes were what was mostly worn during this time. This is because simplicity was a big theme at the time and modesty was a core value to everyone. This was obvious when women wore pants or revealing clothing, as this was greatly frowned upon.
Today, much like the 1950s, solid colors are still embraced and used. Sophisticated patterns are more present nowadays which is a major difference from simple patterns in the 50s. People in today’s society follow certain trends, but not as blindly as they used to back then. In todays world we have social networks such as Twitter and Instagram, which provide a way for the world to see all fashion trends around the world in an instant and adapt to anything they want. This is very different from the 1950s because in that time period, everyone dressed however the people in their town dressed.
Lastly, the biggest difference between today’s world and the 1950s, not only in fashion but also in people’s lives, is having modesty as a core value. Modesty in the fashion world is valuing your body, having humility, and avoiding indecency. In the 1950s, indecency meant showing any cleavage or showing skin above the knees. But today, indecency hardly has any meaning. Just as Cole Porter once sang, “In olden days, a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking, but now, God knows, anything goes” (Cole Porter). As time progressed, women began saying it was their body and they have the right to show whatever they please. All I have to say is that just because you have the right to do something doesn’t mean you should do it. Clothing is more than a material object, it says a lot about how you view yourself. Overall, fashion changes over time. Fashion deals with patterns, style, and trends, but fashion is more than the material thing society makes it out to be. Fashion shows insight into our minds. It reveals our likes and our culture and who we are as people. Passing and reoccurring phases such as sack dresses, proves that fashion works in cycles. And although fashion has evolved and been restructured, fashion will always do the same thing it did in the 1950s, which is giving people a way to express themselves. Fashion will continue to do this for us as long as we have the freedom and imagination to express ourselves.