1950s Fashion Trends

Films have always been a huge part of the entertainment world. From approximately 1915 to 1955, films were America’s most popular form of entertainment (History Matters Website). Films have completely evolved from black and white to color, to actual movie theaters. The 1950s played a huge role in American Film history; such as the rise of drive-in theaters, fashion influences, and fads. Drive-in theaters were created in 1933 by Richard Hollingshead but did not peak until the 1950s. According to the Filmsite Website, in the late 1950s, there were over 4,000 outdoor screens. One huge reason drive-in theaters peaked was because of the prices. Drive-ins were inexpensive which was perfect for teenagers. The average movie ticket was very cheap. The prices were between 49-68 cents (National Association of Theatre Owners Website). Teenagers had disposable income from their parents and part-time jobs.

During this time, jeans, long narrow skirts, and blouses were very popular. Rounded shoulders, shapely bust lines, and poofy skirts were also popular (University of Vermont/UVM Website). According to the Vintage Fashion Guild Website, most of the fashion was regulated by the three c’s-code, conformity, and consumerism. Although fashion was changing, the hourglass shape still remained. Corsets, bullet bras, waist cinchers also played a huge role in fashion during the 1950s. Fashion started to emphasize conformity on how a person should look. Women were sold on a certain body shape, the hourglass. Women’s fashion may have changed in color or patterns but there was a common look. During the 1950s, the fashion industry began to focus on the teenagers because they had more buying power since they would receive money from their parents and part-time jobs (Many Things Website). In addition to the fashion, there was also many fads that played a huge part in American Film History during the