After the hardships of the wartime years, the 1950s exploded in a riot of colour. Women embraced the hourglass figure of Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’ and wore big petticoats to make their skirts larger, and for the first time teenagers developed their own fun sense of style.
I wanted to share something a little different with you today. This lovely animation has been created by animator Gavin Edwards and was inspired by the Post War Textiles exhibition at the Copenhagen Design Museum. This is what he had to say about his inspiration and creative proces: The exhibition in question was at the(…)
One heady day in 1927 some bright spark decided it would be a good publicity stunt to send the MGM lion up in a plane. Little did they know how wrong that would go… To give you some background information there have actually been 7 different MGM Lions. Slats, the first lion doesn’t roar the(…)
I love movie posters – especially from classic movies. I have a poster of ‘To Catch a Thief’ in my living room which I absolutely adore. I’ve always particularly liked foreign language posters of Hollywood movies too though, like these Japanese versions. They’re an interesting take on the really familiar. From top: Singing in the(…)
An early publicity photo of James Dean taken in 1953 when he was around 22. I say it was an early publicity photo, but it was only taken 2 years before his death which just brings into perspective how tragically short his career and life were.
A saucy 1950s pin up from the cover of Flirt Magazine, April 1953. The painting was by Peter Driben.
This is something which I’m sure we’ll all find useful in everyday life! This amazing 1950s video shows a young woman learning to be a mermaid at Weeki Wachee. Her lessons include breath control, synchronized swimming, diet, modeling, announcing, and how to eat and drink underwater.
A beautiful flower-print 1950s dress with a big circle skirt on the cover of the 1958 Spiegel Catalog Cover. I love the fact that she’s got a sweater with a matching pattern to the dress!
In 1953 the BBC created a time-lapse video of the train journey between London and Brighton. 30 years later in 1983 they did exactly the same again, and again 30 years later in 2013. This video shows you the 3 journeys side by side showing how much Britain has changed since the 1950s. It’s(…)
1950s singer Buddy Holly in a photo booth with Waylon Jennings in Central Station, New York City in 1959.
A cheerful cherry-print 1950s bikini modelled by Shirley Deas from Florida, 1955. I’m not sure what to make of that strange hat though? Have you ever seen a hat like that before?! Source and copyright: No known copyright restrictions
It’s wedding season, so it got me thinking about how lovely vintage bridal styles are. When I got married nearly 11 years ago, I wore a 30s-inspired wedding dress – which I still love, but I love fifties style bridal gowns too. This vintage 50s dress in particular is so pretty! Clockwise from left: Faux(…)
A series of promotional photos of Elvis Presley from the movie Jailhouse Rock. You can see why he drove the girls so crazy can’t you (except for the photo where he looks drunk – I’m surprised that one made it through!) [3 photos]
As you can see it’s not *actually* a pancake, but the hat does look like a pancake so I’m going to call it a pancake hat (until someone more knowledgable corrects me). Anyway, this is a publicity photo of a young Joan Collins from the 1952 movie I Believe in You. I’m not sure how(…)
Isn’t this a beautiful vintage 1950s wedding photo? Miss Muriel Prince and Mr L Worsley married on August 6, 1952 at Oswald Road Church, Oswestry, Wales. They both look delightfully happy, don’t they? I love so many details about her outfit, the elbow length gloves, that pretty veiled hat, the long bouquet of roses, the(…)
Sean Connery is one of those people who always looks like a movie star in every photo you see, so I really like this 1950s picture which just shows him as a normal guy (albeit with very bushy eyebrows!). The photo was taken in January 1954 in London at the Buxton Club (a hangout for(…)
As I’m sitting here waiting for the Wimbledon final to start, I thought I’d browse around and look for some vintage tennis fashions. You can certainly why tennis has become a much more physical game when you look at what they wore to play in 1900! Which decade had the best outfits? I love the 1920s(…)
Discovering that the big Hollywood stars of the 30s and 40s all had cocktails named after them has opened up a wealth of possibilities for summer drinks in the sunshine. How exciting! (apologies if I sound like an alcoholic, but it’s been years since I had a cocktail and I’m excited at the prospect!) Which(…)
A gorgeous collection of 1950s swimsuits, photographed in Florida in 1959. Which is your favourite – I love the red and white one! Source and copyright: No known copyright restrictions