GIRLS Costume Guide
Bottoms
You want them to be very full, and a
little long on you, because the
petticoats will shorten the skirt a few
inches. You can make one (they seem
pretty easy) or buy one. You'll want
to buy your petticoat. This will be
very specific. The best material will
be crinoline, and have a band at your
waist before flaring out at the hips.
For that extra stiffness, soak it in cold
water and starch then let it drip dry.
You can even dye the bottom few
inches a pastel color! There is also
the option of a tighter pencil skirt,
but those were usually worn by the
working women or by the more
“sophisticated” girls.
We'd also love to have some of you in pants. They
were called pedal pushers, and are high-waisted,
form-fitting, and calf length.
Tops
There are twin sweater sets, where you
have a sweater and cardigan of the same
color. You can also wear just a regular
sweater.
You can also go with a Peter Pan
collared blouse and a cardigan. These can be
in plain white or maybe a pastel color.
Embroidery and appliques were
popular so try to find a cardigan or skirt
with something like that. The most popular
design was flowers, of course, but other
options are small items like paintbrushes
and the Eiffel Tower. Popular patterns were
gingham, polka dots, plaid, floral, diamonds,
argyle, and other little things like guitars or
ice cream sundaes.
If you don’t want a sweater or a
cardigan, you can wear a blouse in a fun
color or pattern like plaid or stripes.
Feel free to accessorize! Accessories
were wide belts, stud earrings, cat eye
glasses, those little scarves tied around
your head or neck, small clutches, and
medium-length necklaces. Pearls were
very popular.
Popular shoes of the time period
were thin kitten heels or saddle shoes.
Dresses
There are many types of
dresses that were trendy in
the 1950’s, so here are some
examples to use as reference.
Some basic rules about
dresses:
1.) Make sure the length is
good. Dresses should
not be shorter than just
below the knee and can
be as long as mid calf.
2.) Patterns were very
popular, and were
worn much more than
plain colors. Anything
from plaid, to polka
dots, to floral, etc.
3.) Dresses usually were
completed with some
sort of belt around the
waist.