Fashion in the 1950s: Shire Library
Ebook
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Overview
More than a footnote to the Second World War, or a foreword to the youth-obsessed exhilaration of the Sixties, the Fifties was a thrilling decade devoted to newness and freshness. The British people, rebuilding their lives and wardrobes, demanded modern materials, vibrant patterns and exciting prints inspired by scientific discoveries and modern art. Despite the influence of glamorous Paris couture led by Dior, home-grown fashion labels including Horrockses and the young Queen Elizabeth’s couturier Norman Hartnell had an equally great, if not greater impact on British style. This book, written by an assistant curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum, is a fascinating look back to the days when post-war Britain developed a fresh sense of style.
An overview of the lively and vibrant fashions of the 1950s with appeal to any student of fashion and design as well as those looking back to the days of Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe.
A major addition to Shire’s growing list of fashion titles including Edwardian Fashion (2014) written by the same author, as well as Jayne Shrimpton’s Victorian Fashion (2016), Fashion in the 1940s (2014) and Fashion in the 1920s (2013).
Recent fashion exhibitions, such as the successful V&A exhibition Grace Kelly: Image of a Movie Star indicates huge interest in designs of this era.
The current popularity of vintage fashion trends make this a very timely book, and it will especially appeal to collectors, living history and nostalgia enthusiasts, as well as fashion and design students.
Introduction: The End of Rationing
Everyday Fashion: Work and Pleasure
Hats: Crowning Glory
Formal Wear: Going to the Ball
Underwear: Things Seen and Unseen
Menswear: Genesis of the Peacock
Epilogue: Slipping into the Sixties
Further Reading
Places to Visit
Index
- Title: Fashion in the 1950s
- Author: Daniel Milford-Cottam
- Series: Shire Library
- Publisher: Shire Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2017
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Pages: 64
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781784422042, 1784422045
- Resource ID: LLS:9781784422042
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-22T14:35:37Z
Daniel Milford-Cottam has studied the history of dress from a young age. While assistant curator in the Furniture, Textiles and Fashion department at the Victoria and Albert Museum, he worked on the Wedding Dress exhibition and the accompanying publication.