Collection: Pretty Ballerinas
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
After the restraints that World War Two imposed upon fashion, the 1950s was a time of renewed optimism and opulence. This was reflected in more feminine and romantic fashions that often required yards of textiles that were now able to be purchased by the home and professional dressmaker without coupons.
In the 1940s, textile scientists had been charged with developing new fibres and textiles for application to the war effort. After hostilities ceased and rationing ended, many of these were made available to the public. Many of the traditional silks – satins, jerseys, velvets and brocades, for example - that were available only to the few before the war, became more accessible when constructed of synthetic fibres such as nylon. There was a great deal of excitement generated by the new synthetics. Their early adoption by couture or high fashion designers inspired professional and home dressmakers and commercial pattern makers.
The Post War period also saw the return of the unrestricted supply of some important materials used in the fashion industry such as rubber, elastics (think corsetry) and metals (for zips, hooks & eyes). Two of these dresses incorporate zippers rather than the traditional hook/eye fastenings.
Christian Dior introduced his ‘New Look’ in 1947 which had an immediate and long-lived effect on the fashionable silhouette, lasting well into the 1950s. Influenced by the corseted fashions of the early Victorian period, Dior’s garments exaggerated a woman’s natural curves – the bust, waist and hips – and demanded many yards of fabric – unheard of during the war – to achieve the new silhouette.
The length of Dior garments was also very influential, hovering between the lower knee and the ankle for most of the decade. This flattering new ‘ballerina length’ derived its nickname from the costumes worn by dancers of the early 19th century – the Romantic period – and is the style that we most associate today with traditional ballet performance.
After the restraints that World War Two imposed upon fashion, the 1950s was a time of renewed optimism and opulence. This was reflected in more feminine and romantic fashions that often required yards of textiles that were now able to be purchased by the home and professional dressmaker without coupons.
In the 1940s, textile scientists had been charged with developing new fibres and textiles for application to the war effort. After hostilities ceased and rationing ended, many of these were made available to the public. Many of the traditional silks – satins, jerseys, velvets and brocades, for example - that were available only to the few before the war, became more accessible when constructed of synthetic fibres such as nylon. There was a great deal of excitement generated by the new synthetics. Their early adoption by couture or high fashion designers inspired professional and home dressmakers and commercial pattern makers.
The Post War period also saw the return of the unrestricted supply of some important materials used in the fashion industry such as rubber, elastics (think corsetry) and metals (for zips, hooks & eyes). Two of these dresses incorporate zippers rather than the traditional hook/eye fastenings.
Christian Dior introduced his ‘New Look’ in 1947 which had an immediate and long-lived effect on the fashionable silhouette, lasting well into the 1950s. Influenced by the corseted fashions of the early Victorian period, Dior’s garments exaggerated a woman’s natural curves – the bust, waist and hips – and demanded many yards of fabric – unheard of during the war – to achieve the new silhouette.
The length of Dior garments was also very influential, hovering between the lower knee and the ankle for most of the decade. This flattering new ‘ballerina length’ derived its nickname from the costumes worn by dancers of the early 19th century – the Romantic period – and is the style that we most associate today with traditional ballet performance.
