1950's Housewife Dresses, Hairstyles and Lingerie

This is a guide that, if followed diligently, can only result in nigh authentic capturing of the 1950's style of dress associated most with the lovely 1950's housewife. Here we will eschew descriptions of scandalous teenage fashion which eventually lead to the horrors of modernity and focus on the attire of the proper housewife.

As a 1950's housewife you wear dresses, skirts, and blouses. You do not wear pants, because you are not a Russian peasant, you are a lady. As a result of the rampant production and innovation mentioned in the first part of this most excellent guide to being a 1950's housewife, many of the fabrics you wear are new synthetics. Nylon, Polyester (though you will refer to this by the far more charming name of 'Crimpelene',) and a now defunct material, Orlon. You love synthetic fabrics as they not only make you feel superior by merit of being technologically advanced, but also because they usually hold their shape very well whilst being washed and may not even need to be ironed. Fancy that!

For much of the 1950's a demure housewife would wear high waisted dresses with skirts that flowed out demurely to about the mid calf. Skirts were always flowing and wide, however by contrast, blouses were often small and very fitted. This created a feminine silhouette by emphasizing the bust and the beginnings of the hips a way very flattering for a lady with larger thighs. The hourglass was the shape of the 1950's,

Hair should be soft and curly, in sharp contrast to the long straight hair worn by the hippies yet to spring forth from the loins of good law abiding 1950's housewives. An extreme of this look is the poodle cut, a hairstyle designed to make the wearer look vaguely canine like.

But what would you be wearing under those clothes? Well my dears, the 1950s were all about good support. You see a great deal of corselettes, girdles and suspender belts, the idea was to tightly control the female form in a way that was effective, yet not quite as barbaric as the corsets of days gone by. Bras were soft cones that created a rather notable look when worn under blouses or sweaters, and although they tended to make one look rather angular, everyone agreed that the look was swell indeed.

So, the key points to remember are as follows:

• Kitten heels
• Conical bras
• Nylon stockings and blouses.
• Fitted, feminine blouses, sweaters and jackets.
• Flowing skirts that largely obscured the legs until the mid calves.

And there you are, all dressed up and ready to take your place behind the stove.