# More info on REAL retro/vintage fashion?



## GirlyDork (Feb 3, 2009)

I wanna know a lot more about how people _really_ dressed decades, or even centuries ago. The fashion eras I'm most interested in are as follows:

The Victorian era 
1930's 
1940's 
Some of the less boring 1950's 

I wanna know about fashion, makeup, and hair from those time periods. If someone can give me more detailed descriptions of those times, I would be very happy. (I've tried Google several times!!!)

Also, if you can think of another time in fashion when lace, floral patterns, plaid, and feminine, sexy clothing was in style, that would be great. I like vibrant, clear, cool-toned colors, too. As for makeup, I like to do a range of looks that always enhance someone's natural beauty (even with dark or bright lips, for a trendier example). For the hair, I like loose, full waves with more volume at the roots, but the curls are still big and soft.

XOXO Peace & Love,

Sarah


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## spacegirl2007 (Feb 3, 2009)

go to the library.

no, im serious.

go to the library and look at the magazine archives and fashion plates. old catalogues.


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## Le-Saboteur (Feb 4, 2009)

Yeah, the library is a great bet, old magazines are great, or even if you can find 'Fashion through the Ages' types of books, there's so much information in them that has yet to be converted to the interwebs.

I ripped this information for a project I had to do on hair and make up trends last year. I got about 90% of it from books and old magazines from the library (fashion books). It's a fair amount of information and the fashion is just a footnote, but hey. Sorry no images, but you can look those up easily enough.


40s - Makeup

For the first time, women wanted to appear as if they had been working outdoors. Those that were seen as not helping the war effort were frowned upon, so it became the trend for the average woman to have a glowing, outdoorsy look about her. To achieve this, a foundation colour with a warm, slightly darker tone than natural is used and topped with a powder that is slightly lighter than the skin. In contrast to this, some celebrities of the decade still opted for a creamy, pale complexion, with a pinkish undertone. 

Rouge was again popular for the cheeks to make the women look flushed. To get a natural rosy look popular rouge colors were red with pinkish undertones, bright pinks with fuchsia undertones and bright roses. It was applied high on the cheekbone and blended out towards the temple.
Eyeshadow was used sparingly in browns and greys, with the women of Hollywood favoring a dark, contrasting crease colour. A small line of brown or blackeyeliner was used just above the upper lid, and flicking out if a touch of glamour was desired.

Eyebrows were left alone for the most part; growing to their natural thickness but groomed well, with a definite arch and any stray hairs removed. A light brown pencil was used to fill in sparse places for blondes and brunettes alike.

For lips all shades of red including clear bright reds, cherry reds, pinkish reds, and orange reds were popular. Two different color plans for lipstick use existed. On the one hand there was the natural look; where lipstick was used to make a woman look healthy and pretty (includes light red, reddish orange, and raspberry tones). On the other hand there was the dramatic look; where lips brought a definite accent (includes cherry red, crimson and vermillion shades). Lips were full and soft, and slightly overdrawn. To effect this top lip was slightly exaggerated all the way along, as shown to the right.

Hair

Their day jobs working with machinery required women to wear their hair rolled back neatly around the neck or over the ears. They would often cover their heads with a scarf knotted at the front leaving the fringe or a few elaborately styled curls exposed. 
These scarves came in all sorts of colours and patterns, and showed how fashion forward a woman was.
Another popular option was to put the hair rolls in a hairnet affectionately called a "rat". 

The evening allowed for a bit more freedom. Feminine romantic styles reigned with soft curls falling onto shoulders, inspired by Hollywood starlets such as Lauren Bacall (right).  Hair worn in this fashion was always parted on the side, so as to look more glamorous.
Elaborate up-dos came back into fashion, with curled hair placed in various patterns across the head.

In the late 1940's, the victory roll hairstyle was wildly popular. This term was actually used for a fighter plane maneuver, but women adopted it for a fashion statement that celebrated the victory after WWII.

Fashion

Fashion was affected by WWII greatly. America's involvement by 1941 started changing the fashion scene. In 1942, Silk and the newly popular nylon, made by Du Pont, wasn't as readily available because it was needed for the war, mostly for parachute material, and many stockings were donated for this purpose. Some women used tanning make up for legs to emulate the look of stockings, or tried to draw the seam up the back of the leg with eye liner. These were both pretty messy options, so most women opted for short white socks instead.
During the Second World War, Paris produced restrained clothing to match the economic atmosphere.  The general wartime scene was one of drabness and uniformity, continuing well after the war finished in 1945.  There was an austere atmosphere and people were encouraged to 'make do and mend.' Uniforms were seen at all civilian social occasions from cinemas, weddings, restaurants to gala events.  It was impossible to go anywhere without being aware of war as uniformed men and women in auxiliary services were an everyday fact. People across the Western World (mainly in the USA and UK) were rationed clothing coupons as well as food. For women, cinch-waisted and shirt dresses were popular, as they were both practical for the workplace and helped emphasise femininity that many women thought was being brushed aside. Pencil skirts were still trendy, but a tight waisted, A-Line (or poodle) skirt was considered the height of fashion for younger women. Shorts were also worn; high-waisted and ending just above the knee. 
Jewelery was generally kept to a minimum.


50s - Makeup

Most women’s magazines now featured a ‘how-to’ section on make up. According to these, a flawless, peaches and cream complection was the basis of every makeup look. Applied as either a liquid or as pressed powder, the foundation needed to reflect the soft femininity of the day. The colours used were as close to the natural  tone of the skin as possible, but with a definite peachy or warm tint.Cheeks were a toned-down rose or apricot colour, used to enhance one’s natural colouring.
Eyes were still adorned in neutral shades like browns, taupe and greys, but the lining got a little heavier. The thin liner of the ‘40s gave way to a thicker style that could also be winged out at the tips. Many women returned to lining underneath the eye for a sexy, smouldering look that was used by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor (above right) to make the eyes appear larger and more intense. Lots of mascara was used to open up the eye, and false lashes were still popular as shown by Audrey Hepburn here (above left). Towards the 1960s, with the introduction of Rock n Roll, some bright shades were used, and turquoise was an especially popular choice for rocking kittens.
Eyebrows were plucked and groomed with an obvious, suggestive arch. It was a very feminine shape and flattered more women than the extreme brows of the ‘20s and ‘30s.
Red lips were still all the rage, especially for evening. With the addition of titanium to many lipsticks (which toned down the intense colours used earlier and gave a pearly sheen), pastel colours, as shown here, were favoured by younger women for day wear. The colours ranged from pinks and lilacs and orange and even to a light brown.

Hair

Even though World War II was over, the head scarves of the ‘40s were still popular as many women remained in the work place. The headbands seen in the 1920s and ‘30s regained their following also, often worn by younger women. These same women and girls also brought the ponytail into fashion in this decade. It was worn high at the back of the head and was decorated with ribbons or bows, and was often lightly curled for a bouncy, feminine look.
Hair-ups were definitely more relaxed. Hair was again curled and placed atop the head as in previous decades, but it need not be exquisitely shaped to be glamorous. Simple rolls and buns were generally favoured, although the hair could still be in a wave pattern leading back to the crown. 
The chignon (as shown right by famous actress Grace Kelly) was a relatively easy, elegant style that captured the femininity of the decade. The time that would otherwise be spent painstakingly pinning seperate curls in place could be spent otherwise; probably on achieving that perfect complexion.

Fashion

Flying In the face of continuity, logic, and sociological predictions, fashion in the 1950s, far from being revolutionary and progressive, bore strong nostalgic echoes of the past. A whole society which, in the 1920s and 1930s, had greatly believed in progress, was now much more circumspect. The desired silhouette returned to that of the 1910s; with a curvy hourglass figure most sought after.
The designers of Hollywood created a particular type of glamour for the stars of American film, and outfits worn by the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, or Grace Kelly were widely copied. 
For teenagers and younger women, full circle skirts and puff-sleeve blouses were a fashion must. Patterns became very popular in this decade, with polka dots, fruits and nautical themed motifs appearing everywhere from skirts to shoes to handbags. 
The greaser (or rockabilly or teddy boy) fashion was also very popular with young men and women, though it was deemed entirely inappropriate by most mature adults. Leather jackets, extremely tight pencil skirts (for the girls) and even tighter jeans and leather pants (for the boys and the girls) were widely worn.
Eye glasses were worn for purely decorative reasons, and came in many different shapes and colours. They were often adorned with rhinestones, glitter or other appliques. Bakelite jewellery also became popular, along with lockets and charm bracelets.


Sorry about the weird formatting. Hope that helped in some way.


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## GirlyDork (Feb 4, 2009)

WOW!!!!! Thank you!!!


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## metal_romantic (May 24, 2009)

Thanks _Le-Saboteur, that's fantastic! Thanks for typing all that out!
 _


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## metal_romantic (Jun 19, 2009)

1930s Makeup
1940s Makeup


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## funkychik02 (Jun 21, 2009)

I'm lucky enough to have some outfits that belonged to my nana.


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## metal_romantic (Jul 7, 2009)

*THE 1920'S - WHAT TO LOOK FOR*


 beaded flapper dresses 
 long strings of pearls 
 geometric design knitted sweaters 
 cloche hats 
 mesh evening bags (GLOMESH) 
 emboridred shawls 
 feathers and sequins 
 low waists 
 Designers such as -Lousie Boulanger, Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli 
*THE 1930'S - WHAT TO LOOK FOR*


 bias cut gowns 
 chiffon tea dresses 
 belted day dresses 
 twinsets 
 wide legged trousers 
 frilled blouses 
 tailored suits 
 shoulder capes 
 peep toe shoes 
 berets 
 Designers such as - Cristobel Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain, Coco Chanel, Nina Ricci, 
*THE 1940'S - WHAT TO LOOK FOR*


 wide shouldered jackets 
 fitted skirts 
 floral print dresses 
 trench coats 
 hand knitted twin sets 
 platform shoes 
 pillbox hats 
 wide legged trousers 
 narrow belts 
 Designers ; Christian Dior, Jean Desses, Coco Chanel, Irene 
*THE 1950'S - WHAT TO LOOK FOR*


 printed cotton circular skirts 
 fitted suits 
 beaded cardigans 
 poodle skirts 
 halter neck dresses 
 capri pants 
 opera coats 
 cats-eye sunglasses 
 stilettos 
 designers - balenciaga, coco chanel, christian dior, hubert de givenchy 
*THE 1960'S - WHAT TO LOOK FOR*


 a-line shift dresses 
 mini skirts 
 pop-art prints 
 pillbox hats 
 psychedelic prints 
 knee-high botts 
 afghan coats 
 maxi skirts 
 trouser suits 
 metallic knits 
 vinyl dresses 
 crochet dresses 
 Designers - pierre cardin, givenchy, pucci, lily pulitzer, yves saint laurent 
*THE 1970'S - WHAT TO LOOK FOR*


 kaftans 
 flares 
 maxi skirts 
 wrap dresses 
 tupe tops 
 tiered skirts 
 peasant tops 
 maxi coats 
 platforms 
 ponchos 
 disco dresses 
 hot pants 
 bondage trousers 
 playsuits 
 victorian blouses 
 Designers - pierre cardin, CHLOE, Elio Fiorucci, Anne Klein, Calvin Klein, Missoni, Emilio Pucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Vivienne Westwood 
*THE 1980'S - WHAT TO LOOK FOR*


 power suits 
 puffball skirts 
 lycra mini dresses 
 leggings 
 slogan t-shirts 
 pie-frill blouses 
 rah rah skirts 
 bodysuits 
 harem pants 
 novelty print sweaters 
 wide belts 
 logo print bags 
 puffy prom dresses! 
 Designers - Giorgio Armani, Chloe, Escada, Calvin Klein, Christian Lacriox, Ralp Lauren, Gloria Vanderbilt, Vivienne Westwood. 
(This is from an ebay guide by Princess_Vintage. eBay Australia Guides - HOW TO IDENTIFY, BUY AND SELL VINTAGE CLOTHING This guide has been compiled in reference to 'Viva Vintage'  by Trudie Bamford, Penguin Books 2003.)


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## metal_romantic (Jul 7, 2009)

CareFair.com - A Brief History of Cosmetics


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