Vintage 50s

I'm part of the post war Baby Boomer generation so these were fabrics my Mum and Gran would have known and perhaps liked. The 1950s was fundamentally a time of conformity; rather than wild or risqué it was good, clean, wholesome stuff.

While colors came in and out of fashion for most of the decade, there was a certain set that repeated throughout the decade. Like the 1940s, colors were saturated with some pastel shades in spring. Unlike the 1940s, colors drifted from the primary into offset shades like teal, coral, and dark green. In the spring and summer, light pink, powder blue, cream, aqua, rose, maize (yellow), lilac, and kelly green were reflective of youth. In the fall and winter, deep hues of dark brown, rust, black, charcoal grey, red, royal blue, wine, olive, purple, peacock, gold, and navy fit the season. Moving closer to the 1960s, colors shifted into earth tones yet pink, teal, and red remained present.

Cotton was the staple textile. Soft or stiff, cotton could be silky (Sea Island, Egyptian, Pima), light and airy (batiste, voile), embroidered with holes/raised bumps (eyelet/swiss dot), textured (crepe, damask), and smooth (gingham). Some specific cottons are broadcloth and pique (basic), gabardine (twill-like texture), chambray (faded and sturdy), denim (heavy, durable), corduroy (small rows for texture), and seersucker (a waffle weave common in summer stripes – madras is similar). Cotton is easy to sew with, easy to wear, and versatile all year round.

Natural fibers (e.g. cotton, wool, and linen) were mixed with new synthetics to create hybrid blends that dried faster, needed less laundering, and repelled stains. Pure synthetics were woven into textures that looked like natural fibers yet had the benefits (and drawbacks) of synthetics. Both natural and synthetic textiles found new uses in the 1950s. Denim, for example, had only been used for workwear, but now was sporty and casual enough for most leisure clothing. Corduroy was favored by men, but now women used it for winter skirts and dresses.

Synthetic materials had become big business in the post-war era, driving further innovation in the 1950s. The lab that invented chemical-based nylon, the DuPont Company, began to produce an artificial wool they were calling acrylic. They also acquired the American rights to manufacture polyester, another chemically created fiber.

At the end of the decade, another DuPont scientist found a way to make a fiber that resembled rubber. They named the material spandex, an anagram of 'expands.' At the time, the only item to use spandex was the girdle, which was going out of fashion, so the production of spandex in clothing was stalled until later decades.

Vintage Dancer and Eve Levinson, Study.com;

Credits: Vintage fabrics sourced from Pinterest, Google, Laurel Leaf Farm