He belonged in the decade where the soda fountain played juke box tunes that everyone danced to. Those were the days our parents were toddlers, our grandparents still ruled over the earth.The fashions of the 50's
Lifestyles
Pinning was the only practical way for a boy to snag a certain girl. He would use some sort of honorable pin, such as his science class pin, and he would go up to the girl and say, "Minnie Roofus, would you wear my pin?" If the girl responded with a no, then this boy would walk off sulken headed. If the girl responded with a shy smile or a coy "Yes..," then the boy could carry her books for her. That was quite an honor for a boy.
Carrying books was another popular way to attract a certain girl's attention. The boy (and mind you, it always was a boy, unless it was a turnabout dance, and then the girl would ask the boy) would go up and ever so politely ask Bennie Jean if he could carry her books to class. After that, every time the girl walked by him and winked or did the shy smile, he would earn points with her. Eventually, they would have long conversations as they would walk down the olive green halls to Mrs. Jenngers class. After that, the boy might ask her to go steady.
Steady was the term for a girl and a boy who were (as a common term now, going out). They would go on dates to the bowling alley or the soda fountain. The boy would always have to ask the parents if he could take Sally June out. If the dad disagreed (which was sometimes the case if the boy was a hood (we'll get to the terms later), then he would calmly leave the house on his bicycle or motorcycle.
I don't know how many secret relationships there were in the 50's, but probably many, because 50's dads were very strict. Another kind of relationship was the teen hearthrob.
- Teen Hearthrob
- A male singer, tap dancer, or football player who gets attention from many schoolgirls. He is usually attractive and suave.
In the very fictional movie and play "Bye Bye Birdie," Conrad Birdie was the hearthrob. All the girls would scream when they heard his name. He was a singer who beckoned to girls about "one last kiss." 50's schoolgirls often made up chants and dances for their hearthrobs. The bottom line in 50's relationships was that the girls were submissive and the boys had to ask all the questions. It was hard to be either gender then. You will find out how different things were in the other sections in this feature.
Well, come to be it, i didn't find too many fifties fashion pages on the web. I will put in my own input then (oh I just looove that!) To start out on your quest for 50's stuff, you have to decide how far you want to go. If you are worried about what people are going to say when you come to school clad in a June Cleave dress, I suggest you stick with basic stuff like scarves, shirts and shoes. If you want to go all out, I'm not the girl to talk to, and I suggest you search around for some neato vintage companies.
What this place is about is telling you how you can incorporate a 50's look into your normal nineties stuff. Of course if you want to be a nonconformist, just get into you're grandmother's closet and conglomerize a great sweaterdress!
No really, as many people start dressing "retro," it's time for the other people to start getting into the faboo fifties. Retro is great, and yes, easier to find, but how many movies like Bye Bye Birdie have retro stuff? Ahem! None!
Bye Bye Birdie's cool scarves and hairstyles mix with the clever ways you can trim the hemlines and modernize the hairsyles. For instance, you can have a really high ponytail with a purple chiffon scarf tied around it. You then can add a titch of mascara and some reddish lipstick to your lips.
Fifties dresses went everywhere, but most of the time, they were kneelength and they had short sleeves. If you snag a really neat dress, but the hemline is a bit to long and outdated, by all means hem it! There's no use for a dress that you never wear..and that's a fact.
The skirts from the fifties were my favorites. They had really neato long plaid skirts, gingham checked skirts, and the infamous poodle skirt. If I were you, and I hated the hemline, I would hem it. Think about what a fashion statement you would make with a above-the-knee poodle skirt!
Many of the shirts they wore in the fifties looked like sweaters. They had:
- button-up long sleeved sweaters
- white sweaters
- beaded sweaters
- short-sleeved, elastic waisted sweaters
- Sweater sets (short sleeved sweater, and then a long sleeved sweater over it
- Pastel colored sweaters
Saddle shoes were very popular in the 1950's and up to a few years ago, you couldn't find saddle shoes anywhere but in the kids section.
The thing you should remember when buying vintage clothing is ALWAYS try it on. The sizes were different back then, and some of those clothes fit different curves than the clothes these days do. Have oodles of fun shopping around!
Lifestyles of the infamous 50's