A Century of Hairstyles by Pamela Gibson

A Century of Hairstyles by Pamela Gibson

Author:Pamela Gibson
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: A Century of Hairstyles
ISBN: 9780747813729
Publisher: Osprey Publishing


Evening Chic: Dior’s New Look

circa 1955

The most influential of all postwar fashions was Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’ collection of 1947 and this picture shows that, eight year later, it still influenced eveningwear. Dior decided that women wanted romance, nostalgia and a new sense of femininity after the horrors of war. So he rescued women from their utilitarian clothes and practical trousers; he offered instead to imprison them in clothes that were almost Edwardian in their impracticality. Clothes were so snugly fitted to the body beneath that ‘waist-cinchers’ – abbreviated versions of corsets – were an integral part of the ‘look’. Skirts were long, even for day, and were either very, very full or pencil-slim. Heels were high, handbags and hats were tiny. Evening gowns were low-cut and backless with heavily boned bodices. The toilette was completed with relatively simple but elegant hairstyles, either wound up into a chignon or softly waved off the face.

Despite the restrictive nature of this New Look, Dior had gauged the mood correctly. Women loved these clothes and copies of his designs swept across the high streets of Europe and America. Here these young women show off their small waists and their hair is carefully dressed. One is holding up her skirt – this was often necessary with these gowns, since ease of movement was not part of Dior’s agenda.



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