During 1949, three major fashions trends were developed. The first one was the casual fashion. People wanted to have a more casual life style. The second one was a short, street-length evening dress. The last one was made from nylon fabric that was both woven and knitted. Silhouette was a very big thing in 1949 and so were fabrics. Women wore dresses, such as the cocktail dress, and it was ideal to have a matching jacket. The cocktail dress was essential as was suits.
The Zoot Suit was popular among younger men until the War Production Department restricted the amount of fabric available to be used. (The fabric had to be saved for the soldiers.) The same restriction led to the popular women’s convertible suit, jacket, short skirt, and blouse. Since silk stocking weren’t available, to give the illusion, women would draw a line up the back of their legs with eyeliner to mimic the look of a stocking seam.
1949 was the era of change in the music industry. Rock-n-Roll, country and western music was developing and popular. Carl Perkins created rock music and called it “Rockabilly”- a combination of country and R&B with some rock influences. The music in the 1950’s flourished because of the decade before.
A lot of the leisure time was spent dancing, or listening to music. The jitterbug dance became popular in 1949 as well as big bands (jazz groups). Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Cosby were popular singers in this era.
The language used in the book, The Catcher in the Rye, was reminiscent of 1949. Similar words and phrases were used among both.
Work Cited:
http://retro-fashion-history.com
www.thepeoplehistory.com/50music.html
http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade40.html#events
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmrRwX2jmFU
this is not giselle ... it's celeste, hacking richerds account.
ReplyDeleteit's funny how, i a way, fashion never changes. women still love their silhouettes :) and that jitterbug dance always reminds me of the wizard of oz.
you could see how women dressed on the 1950 tv shows like i love lucy. they wanted to keep up with fashion like we do now. many dance moves were created in the 1950s when new music was coming out. it is alot like today with the music, dancing and fashion! this is AJ not alina again
ReplyDeleteTimes have certainly changed. There is a lot more freedom and independence, especially within family structures and this is because as a society, we are so diverse (different types of families, beliefs, etc.) Teenagers had to work then to help support their families, it was just a part of life. Everyone was expected to work. Conforming was a big part of post WW2 life as well. Parents of teenagers at this time had grown up during the Depression, and they certainly wanted to do everything in their power to ensure that their children did not have to endure the economic lows that came with it. I think this is why we see such a strong push for teenagers to work and attend private school--higher education=more security. Parents also seemed to be much more strict, I'd imagine this was probably more out of fear of returning to that low place once again.
ReplyDeleteI think the Zoot Suit would be an interesting thing to wear. I think that more than just the Mexican-Americans should have worn them. People of all races should have worn them just to stand out!
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