Fifties Males’s Style – Timeless Mid Century Type | FashionBeans

Diving into the golden period of favor, Fifties males’s trend epitomized a interval of transition, magnificence, and the beginning of recent informal put on. This decade, post-World Conflict II, was a time of financial increase and cultural shifts that considerably influenced how males dressed, each of their each day lives and on particular events. 50s males’s trend additionally laid loads of the groundwork for fashion staples that also dangle in individuals’s closets as we speak.

Nonetheless, the early years of the last decade have been a method desert, a buttoned-up hangover of inflexible post-war conformity by which even the maddest of males have been trapped in grey-suit lockdown; however an excellent loosening-up had begun to happen by the point the like of Brando roared into city.

Rock ‘n’ roll music, Beat poetry, and the summary expressionists have been main the countercultural cost, and trend took its cue from their let-it-all-hang-out ethos; cuts grew to become looser, collars misplaced their starch, and components of sportswear, workwear, and army uniform started to search out their means into the on a regular basis wardrobe.

This text delves deep into the essence of the period, exploring the basic items that outlined males’s wardrobes and the way these kinds have left an enduring legacy on modern trend. Maintain studying to find all that there’s to learn about males’s trend within the Fifties.

Key Takeaways: What Is Fifties Males’s Style?

This was a time when a few of as we speak’s fashion staples – the turtleneck, the denim jacket , the knitted polo – have been beginning to come into their very own, worn with an air of studied nonchalance, if not a sneer on the be-hatted company drones. However maybe nothing symbolised the brand new, rebel-yell period extra potently than the elevation of the common-or-garden white T-shirt.

Previously a military-issue undergarment, it was out of the blue draped throughout the last decade’s most iconic chests; Brando bought sweaty in a single in 1951’s A Streetcar Named Want, whereas James Dean brooded in a single in Insurgent With out A Trigger (1955). Even Arthur Miller was pictured in a single at his writing desk. “It became a kind of visual shorthand for rebellion,” says G. Bruce Boyer, trend historian and writer of True Type: The Historical past and Ideas of Traditional Menswear, who was himself a young person within the Fifties. “It represented the appropriation of blue-collar clothing for those who refused to buy into corporate society.”

In the meantime, rockers like Elvis Presley left extra formal gown codes, effectively, all shook up, changing trilbies with slick quiffs, ties with button-down shirts, and fusty flannels with featherweight fleck-linen jackets. Jack Kerouac and the Beats made a fetish of utilitarian workwear, each of their lives – of their plaid shirts and beat-up blouson jackets – and of their literature: “His dirty work clothes clung to him so gracefully, as though you couldn’t buy a better fit from a custom tailor but only earn it from the Natural Tailor of Natural Joy,” writes Kerouac of Dean Moriarty (impressed by real-life Beat hipster Neal Cassady) in 1957’s On The Highway.

Main the pack of unruly artists, Jackson Pollock sported splattered denim overalls when creating his epoch-making drip work: “A lot of artists in the 1930s and 1940s dressed like accountants,” says Boyer. “Jackson and his peers wanted to look like the antithesis of that.” Of their decisive break with sartorial custom, the Fifties rebels discovered their final – and most enduring – trigger. “They broke the mould,” says Boyer. “And we’re continuing to live with their legacy.”

Fifties Males’s Style: A Temporary Background

The Fifties have been a pivotal decade for males’s trend, characterised by a mixture of conservatism and flamboyance that mirrored the post-war financial increase and the rising youth tradition. At first of the last decade, males’s trend was closely influenced by the austerity of the Forties, with clothes that was purposeful and reserved. Nonetheless, as the last decade progressed, males’s trend started to embrace extra colour, sample, and informal kinds, reflecting a society that was changing into more and more prosperous and leisure-oriented.

Hollywood actors like Marlon Brando and James Dean grew to become fashion icons, influencing males’s trend with their informal, rebellious seems, together with leather-based jackets, denims, and T-shirts. This decade additionally noticed the rise of designer trend in males’s put on, with designers like Christian Dior and Hubert de Givenchy starting to affect males’s trend selections.

Tv and promoting grew to become extra prevalent, enjoying an important function in spreading trend tendencies and making a unified sense of favor throughout the US and past. The Fifties additionally marked the start of the Civil Rights Motion, which, whereas primarily a battle for social justice, subtly influenced males’s trend by starting to problem conventional norms of gown and grooming primarily based on race and sophistication.

Our Favourite Fifties Males’s Style Staples

Males’s Style within the Fifties: Type Necessities

Fits

Fits within the Fifties have been all a couple of masculine silhouette, with a transparent emphasis on straight traces. The traditional sack swimsuit (assume: looser jacket) was nonetheless fashionable in early Fifties male trend. As the last decade progressed, the straight sillouete remained however grew to become barely extra form-fitting and slimmer than in earlier years, that means shoulderpads used to create a extra V-shaped torso in earlier years fell out of trend.

The double breasted swimsuit was very a lot nonetheless in vogue, however the single-breasted jackets with wider lapels and rounded factors have been largely changing into the norm. The Roman-style swimsuit (invited by Brioni) additionally made its debut. Its largest contribution to as we speak’s fashion was the inclusion of facet vents (one on either side of the hip) vs. the one again vent regular within the American sack swimsuit. 

Materials performed a key function, whereas polyester had been invented within the Forties, it actually took off in Fifties males’s trend. However wool, flannel, and ultra-luxurious mohair continued to be predominant selections for his or her sturdiness and magnificence. The colour palette was comparatively conservative, dominated by shades of gray, blue, and brown, although the top of the last decade noticed a gradual introduction of extra vibrant colours and patterns.

Shirts

Shirts within the early Fifties have been sometimes fabricated from cotton or linen and featured daring patterns and sometimes loud colours. As the last decade progressed, males’s Fifties trend started to include softer pastels – some argue that is to permit for louder and bolder ties. The most typical kinds have been the shorter level collar and the unfold collar, and the membership collar (rounded edges) which have been appropriate for each formal and informal settings. In contrast to the Twenties when removable collars have been the norm, the Fifties males’s trend solidified the recognition of the connected collar – each for consolation and ease functions.

Fifties males’s trend additionally noticed the introduction of extra informal shirt kinds, together with the polo shirt and the Cuban collar shirt, reflecting a rising curiosity in leisure and luxury.

Emulating the Hollywood superstars of the day, like Marlon Brando (particularly from his function in A Streetcar Named Want in 1951), the plain t-shirt actually started its reign throughout this decade – an off-the-cuff wardrobe staple that is still fashionable to today.

Pants

Trousers in the course of the Fifties emphasised consolation and mobility, maintaining with the loser minimize of the earlier many years. The cuff on the underside of pants was very fashionable on the time, no matter whether or not you have been carrying denims or trousers. The cuff was sometimes 2-4 inches, relying on peak and private tailoring.

The popular pant fashion of males’s Fifties trend was high-waisted, typically single or double-pleated pants that offered an extended silhouette. Shorts or Bermuda shorts, round knee size, have been additionally very fashionable, these have been minimize and designed similar to dress-trousers or swimsuit pants and featured bolder colours and plaid patterns.

Denim denims started to emerge as a well-liked informal put on choice, particularly among the many youthful technology, impressed by Hollywood and the rising music scene. Chinos and khakis additionally gained reputation from the rise in preppy trend for each informal or semi-formal events, providing a lighter, extra versatile various to conventional wool trousers.

Sweaters & Knitwear

50s males’s trend marked a major interval for sweaters and knitwear as important elements of a gentleman’s fashion, reflecting the period’s shift in direction of extra informal and versatile clothes choices.

Sweaters grew to become fashionable for his or her consolation and practicality. They have been typically worn over shirts for a smart-casual look. The V-neck sweater, specifically, was a staple. It was simply paired with a collared shirt beneath and generally a tie, making it appropriate for each workplace environments and informal outings.

Using new artificial fibers, alongside conventional wool, allowed for a wider vary of kinds and colours, making sweaters and knitwear extra interesting and accessible to the on a regular basis man.

Jackets & Outerwear

Outerwear and males’s jackets within the Fifties have been characterised by variety, splitting trend tendencies and innovation, catering to each purposeful wants and trend statements.

Cardigans, leisure jackets, and sport coats grew to become symbols of the relaxed motion to males’s fashion. The teenage rise up of the last decade, thanks partially to Hollywood’s affect, noticed the rise of leather-based bike jackets and new rising subcultures. The ditch coat maintained its reputation from earlier many years, serving as a trendy choice for wet climate, whereas the pea coat provided heat and sturdiness for colder months.

Outerwear within the Fifties not solely offered practicality and luxury but additionally a possibility for males to specific their particular person fashion and adaptableness to altering social norms.

Footwear

Footwear within the Fifties noticed a mixture of conventional kinds and rising tendencies that mirrored the last decade’s numerous trend panorama. Oxford footwear remained a staple for formal events, obtainable in quite a lot of supplies and finishes, together with the ever-popular patent leather-based for night put on.

The idler, initially an off-the-cuff shoe, gained reputation for its consolation and ease of damage. When crafted in finer leather-based, it grew to become acceptable in additional formal settings. The leather-based slipper grew to become the alternative ‘house shoe’ of the period.

The introduction of the desert boot and the chukka offered an off-the-cuff but trendy choice that paired effectively with more and more fashionable informal put on, like chinos and denims. Sneakers, like Converse (nonetheless fashionable as we speak), as soon as primarily seen as athletic put on, started to cross over into informal trend, influenced by the youth tradition and icons like James Dean.

The footwear selections of this period underscored the evolving nature of Fifties males’s trend, balancing custom with a rising appreciation for consolation, versatility, and private expression.

Males’s Formalwear within the Fifties

Males’s formalwear within the Fifties continued to emphasise magnificence and class, with a concentrate on tailor-made fits and a spotlight to element that outlined the period’s strategy to formal events.

The tuxedo remained the gold normal for night put on, that includes a single-breasted jacket with a scarf or peak lapel, typically in black or midnight blue. The dinner jacket, in lighter materials and colours, provided a barely much less formal choice for night occasions, particularly in hotter climates.

Formal shirts have been sometimes white with a wingtip or turndown collar, accompanied by a bow tie or a slim necktie. Cummerbunds and waistcoats added a layer of refinement, whereas patent leather-based footwear accomplished the ensemble.

This era additionally noticed the rise of bespoke tailoring, permitting males to personalize their formalwear with customized fittings and distinctive particulars, reflecting the significance of particular person fashion even in probably the most formal settings.

Males’s Casualwear within the Fifties

The Fifties have been a turning level for males’s casualwear, marked by an growing need for consolation, performance, and private expression exterior the constraints of formal apparel. The last decade noticed the rise of leisurewear, influenced by the booming financial system, elevated leisure time, and the affect of youth tradition and Hollywood icons.

T-shirts grew to become a staple, transferring from underwear to a standalone piece, popularized by stars like James Dean and Marlon Brando. Denim denims emerged because the image of informal and rebellious youth, due to their sturdiness and luxury, paired typically with leather-based jackets or informal button-down shirts for a whole look.

The introduction of the Hawaiian shirt within the ‘40s continued to add a colorful and exotic flair to men’s Fifties wardrobes, reflecting the period’s fascination with journey and leisure. In the meantime, knit polo shirts provided a smart-casual choice, bridging the hole between formal shirts and informal tees.

For footwear, canvas sneakers, leather-based boots, and loafers have been favored for his or her consolation and flexibility, complementing the informal look.

Males’s Equipment within the Fifties

Hats

Hats maintained their standing as a vital accent for males within the Fifties, although their reputation started to wane as hairstyles grew to become a extra distinguished function of males’s trend.

The fedora, with its broad brim and indented crown, continued to be fashionable amongst males in search of a complicated addition to their ensemble. The trilby, a shorter-brimmed variant of the fedora, provided a extra informal look, appropriate for each formal and leisure actions.

For extra informal events, the flat cap, baseball hat, and newsboy cap offered a contact of working-class stylish, reflecting the last decade’s mix of kinds from totally different social backgrounds.

Regardless of the decline in hat-wearing in direction of the top of the last decade, these items remained symbols of magnificence and have been key to finishing the well-dressed man’s outfit.

Watches

Watches within the Fifties weren’t simply timekeeping gadgets however symbols of standing and magnificence. The last decade noticed the rise of luxurious Swiss manufacturers, with Rolex, Omega, and Patek Philippe main the way in which in innovation and design.

Watches have been sometimes mechanical, with guide or computerized winding, and featured elegant, easy designs with leather-based straps or metallic bracelets. The recognition of dive watches and chronographs additionally elevated, reflecting a rising curiosity in sports activities and outside actions.

Ties

Ties within the Fifties have been a vital part of a person’s wardrobe, signifying professionalism and individualism – as ties have been nonetheless seen as skilled with wild and daring patterns. Nonetheless, it was gaining popularity and nonetheless skilled to go to work or occasions with out one. The last decade favored wider ties with pointed ideas, reflecting a return to the daring kinds of the pre-war period, with vibrant colours and elaborate patterns, together with stripes, polka dots, and paisleys.

Silk, wool, rayon, polyester and even cotton knit have been the supplies used for ties of the period, providing a wealthy texture and sheen that complemented the period’s tailor-made fits. The bow tie additionally loved reputation, particularly pre-tied variations, providing a dapper and less complicated various to the standard necktie.

Suspenders and Belts

Suspenders remained a purposeful and classy alternative for securing trousers, favored for his or her traditional enchantment and luxury. Nonetheless, as the last decade progressed, belts grew to become extra fashionable, partially because of the growing casualness of Fifties males’s trend.

Leather-based belts, specifically, have been seen as a extra trendy and versatile choice, obtainable in quite a lot of widths and finishes to enhance each formal and informal apparel.

Glasses

Glasses within the Fifties grew to become a trend assertion past their sensible function. The introduction of horn-rimmed glasses, with their distinctive thick frames, added an mental aptitude to males’s look. Metallic-rimmed glasses and aviators have been additionally fashionable, providing a smooth look.

Sun shades gained in reputation, pushed by Hollywood and the rise of outside leisure actions. Types like the wayfarer and the aviator grew to become iconic symbols of the period’s cool, informal aesthetic.

Extra Standard Equipment for Males within the Fifties

Past the necessities, males’s trend within the Fifties embraced quite a lot of equipment to personalize and improve their outfits. Scarfs have been very fashionable within the colder season, typically neatly tied and tucked beneath the collar of a coat.

Males’s jewellery, together with signet rings and chain bracelets, started to realize acceptance, marking the beginning of a broader development in direction of accessorizing in males’s trend. These equipment not solely full the look but additionally allowed males to specific their individuality and standing in a quickly booming and individualistic society.

Males’s Grooming Tendencies within the Fifties

Fifties Males’s Hairstyles

The Fifties noticed quite a lot of males’s hairstyles that mirrored the last decade’s mixture of conservatism and rising rebellious tendencies. The crew minimize, and the Ivy League haircut was immensely fashionable for his or her clear, neat look, symbolizing the post-war return to conventional values. These kinds have been brief, straightforward to handle, and suited the skilled man.

On the opposite finish of the spectrum, the pompadour and the quiff grew to become symbols of the youthful rise up, impressed by music and film icons like Elvis Presley and James Dean. These kinds featured longer hair on high, styled upwards and again for a dramatic impact, typically utilizing pomade to attain the specified maintain and shine.

The ducktail, one other iconic fashion of the period, concerned hair slicked again across the sides and introduced collectively in the back of the top, resembling the rear finish of a duck. This fashion, whereas much less frequent in skilled settings, underscored the rising affect of rock ‘n’ roll on trend and tradition.

Sideburns additionally made a comeback, rising in reputation in direction of the top of the last decade, additional illustrating the shift in direction of extra expressive private grooming.

Fifties Facial Hair

Facial hair within the Fifties was usually saved to a minimal, with clean-shaven faces dominating the period’s grooming tendencies. This was in step with the last decade’s emphasis on neatness and conformity, particularly in skilled environments.

Nonetheless, the mustache noticed a resurgence in reputation amongst sure teams, typically worn skinny and neatly trimmed, including a contact of sophistication or ruggedness to a person’s look.

The goatee and the Van Dyke beard have been additionally modern in inventive and bohemian circles, although much less frequent in mainstream society. These kinds allowed for particular person expression inside the constraints of the period’s grooming requirements.

Grooming norms started to loosen up barely within the late Fifties, setting the stage for the extra different and expressive kinds of the Nineteen Sixties.

Huge Names in Fifties Males’s Style

Fifties males’s trend was formed by plenty of influential designers, celebrities, and cultural figures who left an enduring impression on the fashion world.

On the planet of high fashion, designers like Christian Dior and Hubert de Givenchy started exploring males’s trend, introducing tailor-made fits and refined casualwear that blended conventional craftsmanship with trendy aesthetics.

The affect of Hollywood was plain, with actors akin to Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, and Marlon Brando changing into fashion icons for his or her on-screen and off-screen personas. Grant and Peck epitomized the traditional, timeless fashion with their impeccable tailoring and understated magnificence, whereas Brando and James Dean launched a extra rebellious, informal look that resonated with the youthful technology.

In music, Elvis Presley emerged not solely as a cultural phenomenon but additionally as a trend icon, popularizing daring and flamboyant kinds that contrasted sharply with the conservative tendencies of the early Fifties. His love for flashy fits, leather-based jackets, and the pompadour coiffure influenced numerous followers and signaled a shift in direction of extra private and expressive trend selections.

50s fashion additionally noticed the emergence of influential photographers and journal editors who helped form public perceptions of trend. Figures like Richard Avedon and Irving Penn captured the period’s seems in placing photos that graced the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, whereas editors like Diana Vreeland championed the mixing of trend and tradition, setting the stage for the evolution of males’s fashion within the many years to observe.

The right way to Put on Fifties Males’s Style Right this moment

Incorporating Fifties trend into as we speak’s wardrobe is about embracing traditional fashion with a contemporary twist. Begin with the necessities: a well-tailored gray flannel swimsuit, a crisp white shirt, and a pair of polished Oxford footwear for a timeless formal look.

For informal put on, a pair of straight-leg selvedge denim denims, a plain white T-shirt, and a leather-based jacket can seize the Fifties insurgent spirit. Add a pair of loafers or canvas sneakers for a flexible look that bridges many years.

Decorate with period-appropriate items like a fedora hat or a pair of horn-rimmed glasses so as to add authenticity to your outfit. Nonetheless, the bottom line is to stability classic components with modern suits and kinds to keep away from trying such as you’re carrying a fancy dress. Combine and match objects from totally different eras and experiment with textures and patterns to create a glance that’s each nostalgic and related.

Ultimate Verdict

Fifties males’s trend was a decade of transformation, characterised by a mix of conventional magnificence and rising informal kinds. Right this moment, the period’s affect stays robust, providing timeless items that may improve any wardrobe. By adopting the important thing components of males’s Fifties trend and adapting them to trendy tastes, any man can obtain a glance that’s each traditional and modern, proving the enduring enchantment of this pivotal decade in fashion. Proceed on as we velocity in direction of the tumultuous 60s and what excitements in males’s trend lie forward.