Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Suits from the 1950s

Dior suit, 1950s
I've been on a bit of a 1950s kick as of late. It started with researching tea length wedding dresses for a friend which some how led to 1950s prom dresses. Also, I recently acquired two 1950s patterns for shirtwaist dresses. Both are a vintage size 18 1/2 (about a 40" bust) which means if I use them I will need to scale them WAY down. Anyway, after a trip to a local antique store, my current fashion love affair is with suits.

I bought a "new" suit this weekend. It's a 1950s wool and cashmere blend, two piece suit by Swansdown, Jr. of New York. I had a little photo shoot yesterday afternoon in between some much needed rain showers so I'll have pictures of the suit to post soon.

There is something so classy and flattering about a women in a well fitted suit and hat. Why don't more people dress like that today?

Suits from the 1940s and 1950s tend to be fairly simple - very tailored and with smooth lines. Yet they all have wonderful little details. Look at the collars, cuffs and pockets. Take a look at the images and links I've posted and you will see what I mean. The other nice thing about these suits is that because they were so well made and classic in design, many of them are extremely wearable today! I worn my Swansdown coat to work yesterday and got a lot of complements. :)

Fashion Era
Fashion Era

The photos and advertisements for suits below are from My Vintage Vogue. Notice the long, clean lines. And I love the slim skirts!

Glenhaven, 1950
Whitley-Ette 1952
Lampl 1950

Etta Gaynes-1951
Tina from what-i-found posted the other day about late 1940s suits. You can view that post here. Also see Couture Allure's post Vintage Suits - 1949.

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