The Development of Women's Fashion Trends Since the 50's

The Development of women’s fashion trends since the 50s  

By Adalynn Grace

AKA your modern day Carrie Bradshaw

Since the beginning of time, people have experimented with fashion. Fashion has had a very long history and much like humanity itself it has evolved over time. While all decades of fashion are influential, my focus will be on the development of fashion from the 1950s to the present.  

Women’s fashion in the 50s 

Fashion in the 50's was relaxed but also formal. In 1947, Christian Dior launched his lavish “new look” for women and, this looks stayed popular throughout the fifties, so this “new look” played a big role in the trends and styles of the fifties. With icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Brigitte Bardot that showcased Dior’s new look in movies, photoshoots, and more. One of Marilyn Monroe’s iconic looks is the white dress featured in the movie “The Seven Year Itch” (1955) the top is a halter neck, and the skirt is pleated.  

“The fifties look” involved lots of capri jeans, bold colors, polka dots, red lipstick, kitten heels, pearls, and of course the iconic poodle skirt. Poodle skirts are wide felt skirts. The design usually incorporated a poodle and occasionally the poodle was replaced with a different patch. During this time frame there were multiple significant fashion designers, for example Coco Chanel, Cristóbal Balenciaga, and Hubert De Givenchy. Coco Chanel was known for her innovative brand and her quintessential “little black dress”. Cristóbal Balenciaga was eminent for fabricating elegant ball gowns and structural pieces. Hubert De Givenchy was acknowledged for his creation of “the sack dress" as well as his designs for Audrey Hepburn such as her memorable black dress paired with a pearl necklace in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1962). 

Women’s fashion in the 60s 

The sixties marked a shift towards casual elegance. Fashion in the sixties was heavily reflected by Jacqueline Kennedy, Priscilla Presley, Twiggy, and previously mentioned, Audrey Hepburn. This vibrant decade introduced timeless pieces like miniskirts, Gogo boots, stilettos, low rise pants, minidresses, mod dresses, swing dresses, shift dresses, and turtlenecks. Makeup trends featured flashy winged eyeliner, blue eyeshadow, and rosy cheeks.  

Priscilla Presley had a big impact on fashion in the sixties in view of the fact that her whole look was about mod outfits, mini dresses, and tall boots. Key fashion innovators in the sixties were Mary Quant, André Courrèges, Yves Saint Laurent. Notably, Mary Quant and André Courrèges were heavily credited for inventing the miniskirt and Yves Saint Laurent is known for his brand YSL. In the sixties, the brand YSL was most recognized for its simple shift dresses. Shift dresses are dresses that have a straight silhouette that hang straight down. The main reason they were called “shift dresses” was because they allowed women easy movement while also being fashionable. 

Womens Fashion in the 70s 

Seventies fashion was on the border of bold and laid back. The fashion was emphasized by hippie and disco styles. Seventies style is what they would have called “groovy”. The trends of this time frame emphasized big hair, bell bottoms, halter tops, maxi dresses, leather, high heels, tie dye, hot pants, midi dresses, and high waisted jeans. These fads were often inspired and displayed by Stevie Nicks and Farah Fawcett. Stevie Nicks’ fashion was described as witchy, majestic, ethereal, and enchanting. Stevie Nicks was known for wearing her exemplary flared jeans and many times flowy maxi dresses. Farah Fawcett was notorious for her big hair and peasant blouses. Her large hair was significant to her look. Big hair was very popular in the seventies. A well-known designer in the seventies was Diane Von Furstenberg, and she was very popular for her interpretations of the wrap dress. A wrap dress is a dress where one side crosses the other, hence the name “wrap” dress. The dress gives the illusion of a small waist and was very popularized in the seventies. 

Women’s Fashion in the 80’s 

Eighties fashion had a vibrant color scheme, bold patterns, and eye-catching accessories. This era marked a dramatic shift in style compared to the previous decades, it was heavily influenced by punk music and pop culture. Crop tops, big hair, leg warmers, jelly shoes, neon colors, and jelly bracelets were a big trend amongst young audiences. People found style inspiration from Madonna, Brooke Shields, and Blondie. Madonna stood out not only for her music but also her flamboyant fashion choices such as cone bra corsets, neon clothing, chunky combat boots, and large statement earrings. 

 Brooke Shields’ style embodied more of a classy elegance. She was frequently photographed in white button ups, blouses, jeans, and blazers. Another example of bold fashion choices was Blondie. Blondie wore a lot of sequin dresses, fringed jackets, and mesh clothing. However, she often wore casual clothing like jeans and graphic tees as well. A couple of the considerable fashion designers of this era included Claude Montana and Stephen Sprouse. Claude founded the brand “The House of Montana” and was also named “the king of the shoulder pad”. He was recognized for his ingenious ideas and dedication. Stephen Sprouse was credited for his clever concept of “downtown punk pop style”, leaving an impact on the fashion scene in the eighties. 

Women’s Fashion in the 90’s 

Nineties fashion was described as a blend of minimalistic and chic. Nineties fashion was affected by pop culture and emblematic influences. This era saw a variety of clothing like jeans (baggy and skinny), baby tees, slip dresses, claw clips, scrunchies, chokers, and bomber jackets. Supermodels like Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell were pivotal in shaping trends. Many women looked at them for inspiration. Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell both had similar styles and were often seen wearing casual outfits like jeans and a white T-shirt. For more formal events they were often seen wearing slip dresses or sparkly mini dresses. However, their runaway outfits were off the charts. One of the most iconic runaway shows was “Versace Spring 1995”, where both Campbell and Moss walked in the show including various other models.  

Fashion in the nineties was also encouraged by music artists like Gwen Stefani. She often wore brightly colored clothing, leopard print, and crop tops. Usually, she wore her classic bright red lipstick. Calvin Klein and Vivienne Westwood were big designers in this era. Calvin Klein was recognized for his broad range of products from clothing to accessories. Vivienne Westwood was famous for her eclectic clothing designs, and her creative jewelry pieces. 

Women’s Fashion in the 00’s 

Women’s fashion in the 2000’s wasn’t too different from the fashion trends we saw in the nineties but 2000’s fashion was influenced more by popstars then supermodels, with trends like sparkly shoes, miniskirts, kitten heels, leopard print, zebra print, halter tops, low rise pants, rhinestones, and tracksuits. The main icons of the 2000’s were Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Sarah Jessica Parker. Paris Hilton often wore her essential “Juicy Couture” tracksuits. These tracksuits gained a lot of traction just by Paris wearing them. Paris would also wear low rise miniskirts and halter tops a lot. Lindsay Lohan often rocked low rise jeans, a Von Dutch trucker hat and a babydoll top. A babydoll top has straps, flows out at the waistline, and is form fitting around the bustline. Britney Spears usually wore crop tops and more colorful clothing. 

 One iconic look from Britney was the 2001 VMAS where she sported bedazzled shorts, a green cutout bra top, with multiple scarves attached to her waist. In this performance she also carried a large Burmese python. Sarah Jessica Parker was a big fashion inspiration, people especially loved her looks in the show “Sex and the City” (1998), where she plays as the character Carrie Bradshaw. In the show she is seen wearing multiple iconic looks that people are still inspired by to this day, including bodycon dresses, slip dresses, and maxi skirts. A popular designer in the 2000’s was Stella Mccartney. Stella Mccartney was known for her innovative ideas of making fashion sustainable, using eco-friendly materials. In the 2000’s multiple celebrities wore Stella Mccartney further launching her brand to become more popular. 

Women’s fashion in the 2010s 

In the 2010s fashion became more relaxed and casual with clothing such as skinny jeans, chokers, statement necklaces, flannels, leather, combat boots, and chevron patterns and brands like Gucci and Chanel making a big comeback. The main stars that people got the inspiration for these looks from are Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, and Bella Hadid. Kendall’s usual look was high waisted jeans, crop tops, graphic tees and casual athleisure but, for event’s Kendall usually wore long elegant gowns. The Hadid sisters both had a similar style, they often wore combat boots, leather, graphic tees, and they both liked to incorporate vintage pieces into their outfits. For more formal events they also wore elegant gowns, usually from designers like Dior, Givenchy, and Versace. A big trend in the 2010s was festival fashion; like Coachella. People at these festivals often wore space buns in their hair, floral crowns, fringe, maxi dresses, lace, statement accessories, crochet tops, and vintage clothing. Important people of this decade were Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour. Karl is the creative director of Chanel; he has made great designs that are still memorable to this day such as the baguette bag and the Chanel tweed jacket. Anna Wintour was and still is highly influential to this day. In 2013, she became the artistic director of Conde Nast, she reviews magazines, helps set trends, and does so much more. 

Women’s Fashion Now 

Since the 1950’s, women’s fashion has continuously evolved, so much goes into creating, curating, directing, writing, modeling, and all things fashion. There is still a litany of things that go into these processes that go unmentioned. Today fashion is more inclusive and worldwide than ever with social media and online platforms to boost fashion, and fashion has come a long way since the fifties.