Presentation Summary: 1950s Fashion and Consumerism

 Me studying 1950s fashion through these chapters and making the mood board, I was initially drawn to themes of consumerism, which I focused my research and mood boards on. But deeper reading revealed issues, like Euro-American centrism, evolving fashion terminology, and how fashion reflected societal roles. These topics offer a more nuanced view of the decade's style and culture.

 

Main topics;


1. Euro-American Centrism in Fashion


- Fashion history often focuses on Europe and America, sidelining global influences.
- The stereotype of the 1950s centers on Western ideals: housewives in the Dior New Look, sharp suits, and Hollywood glamour.
- This narrow view overlooks the contributions of non-Western cultures to fashion systems.
- Takeaway: Fashion in the 1950s wasn’t just Western; global trends played a role too.

 

 2. Consumer Culture and Jargon. 


- Terminology Shifts: Words like "costume" shifted to "fashion" and "apparel," reflecting a growing, inclusive industry.
- Mass Appeal: The rise of "ready-to-wear" and affordable clothing brought style to the middle class, making fashion accessible and reflective of consumer demand.
- Takeaway: Fashion became a cultural shift—no longer exclusive but a reflection of a booming consumer market.

 

3. Fashion and Societal Roles


- Women’s Roles: Fashion reinforced domestic ideals, with hourglass dresses symbolizing control and tidiness for suburban housewives.
- Working Women: Practical clothing highlighted the reality of women entering the workforce, breaking the stereotype of the stay-at-home wife.
- Subcultures: Groups like rockabilly and beatniks rejected mainstream styles, challenging conformity with leather jackets and all-black outfits.
- Takeaway Fashion wasn’t a one-way road; it reflected diverse roles, choices, and resistances.

 

4. Global Influences
- Patterns, fabrics, and designs from non-Western cultures enriched Western fashion, contradicting the idea of a purely Western 1950s style.
- Takeaway: A global perspective is essential to understanding fashion history.

 

Conclusion
1950s fashion is often seen through a Western, consumerist lens, but the truth is more complex. It’s a story of shifting societal roles, evolving language, and global interconnectedness. By challenging stereotypes, we can appreciate the decade’s full spectrum of influences and meanings.

 

Philippe de Montebello, Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, commented: “The Costume Institute’s collection of Western Orientalist dress is unrivaled, and this exotic cache has been the inspiration for the exhibition. Orientalism uses the Museum’s wealth of material to define the resonances of the past that reside in contemporary design and to discover and convey the relationships that occur between historical and contemporary cultural issues through fashion.” Again and again, China, Japan, India, Southeast Asia, and the Islamic world have provided ideas for Western dress by creating textiles, offering new silhouettes, and envisioning alternative domestic interiors and lives. For centuries fashion has been one of the primary expressions of F.astern culture in the West. These stylistic influences were facilitated by trade in the 17th century; major textile imports in the 18th century; colonialism, trade, world’s fairs, travel, and the exotic tastes of the 19th century; and global exchange in the 20th century. With the opening of Japan in the 1850s, all of the visual arts were influenced by Japonisme, including costume that incorporated textile elements and the silhouette of the kimono. Designs influenced by the East in the second half of the 20th century include saris emulating Indian costume, and textiles, and sarongs inspired by Southeast Asian dress. Chinoiserie in the 1980s and 1990s employs references to the decorative arts as well as to costume. While all of the garments in the exhibition are Western, they will be organized by the five geographical areas of the East that influenced them: China, India, the Near and Middle East, Japan, and Southeast Asia.


Source; exhibiting fashion