An Introduction to Mid-20th-Century Western Fashion

    Please keep in mind that the folks at Gentleman's Gazette, while enthusiastic about their subject matter, do occasionally make inaccurate claims like "wigs were infested with lice" (they were not; head lice drink human blood and would starve to death in a hairpiece) or "girding one's loins is about turning a robe into a loincloth" (it is simply about putting on a belt or girdle; the loins are at the lower back and hips, where the belt sits, and not the pubic area).  I have attempted to use only the most accurate of their articles and videos, but take anything about pre-1900s history with a grain of salt.

General information
Timeline, silhouette, miscellaneous.
    English Heritage. "Fashion Through History: Episode 6 – The 1940s." YouTube. August 19, 2025.
    Hallay, Amanda. "HISTORY in COLOR: The 1960s." YouTube. October 7, 2020.
    Itzcovitz, Natasha. "Explaining 1960's Fashion." Natasha Itzcovitz Personal Styling. June 30, 2023.
    Lady Izdihar. "Beyond Beauty Standards: Defending Soviet Fashion in 1952." YouTube. November 16, 2024.
    Rowe, Kaz. "Why the Medieval Aesthetic Never Dies: The History of Medieval Revival Fashion." YouTube. April 27, 2023.
    Schneider, Sven Ralph. "What Men REALLY Wore in the 1940s." Gentleman's Gazette. November 18, 2021.
    Zebrowska, Karolina. "1950s Fashion Is Not What You Think It Is." YouTube. May 23, 2019.

Accessories
Hats, scarves, footwear, jewelry.
    Daniels, E. J. "Why Did Men Stop Carrying Canes (Walking Sticks)?" Gentleman's Gazette. May 17, 2024.
    Lady Izdihar. "Headscarf Propaganda." YouTube. May 31, 2024.
    Maksy, Rachel. "I Tried Following a 1940's Hair Turban Tutorial." YouTube. December 13, 2018.
    Schafer, Willow. "What You DON'T KNOW About VINTAGE SHOES | 1940s & 1950s Retro Shoes." YouTube. October 15, 2023.
    Schlueter, Preston. "Why Did Men Stop Wearing Hats?" Gentleman's Gazette. June 28, 2021.
    Thibodeaux, Kyle. "Why Did Men Start Wearing Flip Flops?" Gentleman's Gazette. July 14, 2022.
    Thibodeaux, Kyle. "Why Did Men Stop Wearing Jewelry?" Gentleman's Gazette. October 2, 2023.

Cosmetics and hygiene
Make-up, perfume, nail care, teeth, bathing.
    Andersen, Cici. "1960's Space Age, Trends and Fast Fashion." YouTube. March 2, 2023.
    Kellgren-Fozard, Jessica. "Makeup Secrets: My Grandmother's Timeless Techniques." YouTube. December 1, 2024.

Furnishings and décor
Sculpture, carpets and rugs, tables, seating, wallpaper, etc.
    Rudolph, Nicole. "Why is there Carpet in the Bathroom??" YouTube. June 28, 2025.
    Rudolph, Nicole. "Why were Closets so small 'back then'?" YouTube. May 17, 2025.
    —. "The Best Mid-Century Scandinavian Furniture Designers." Design Addict. December 3, 2019.

Gowns and formal wear
State events, evening dress, high fashion, rich people stuff.
    Katharina, Emma Rosa. "Explaining 60s Wedding Fashion." YouTube. June 2, 2024.
    Schneider, Sven Raphael. "Why Did Men Stop Wearing White Tie (Formal Tailcoats)?" Gentleman's Gazette. October 27, 2022.
    Victoria and Albert Museum. "1960s Wedding Dress & Shoes Adapted for Disabled Bride | Inclusive Vintage Bridal Fashion." YouTube. June 17, 2025.
    Zebrowska, Karolina. "Oscars fashion review but it's 1954 and you're watching your neighbors color TV." YouTube. February 27, 2020.

Hair care and styling
Styles, perms, facial hair.
    Kellgren-Fozard, Jessica. "1950s Vintage Styles for Straight Hair! [CC]." YouTube. May 12, 2018.
    Schlueter, Preston. "Why Did Men Stop Wearing Sideburns?" Gentleman's Gazette. August 24, 2023.
    Schneider, Sven Raphael. "Why Did Men Stop Wearing Mustaches?" Gentleman's Gazette. December 4, 2023.
    Zebrowska, Karolina. "What Makes an Authentic Vintage Hairstyle?" YouTube. December 27, 2016.

Outerwear and working wear
Denim/jeans, sweaters, coats and jackets, athletic wear.
    Charleston, Beth Duncuff. "The Bikini." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004.
    Rudolph, Nicole. "The History of Jeans, T-shirts, and Hoodies: Time Travel 101." YouTube. March 20, 2022.
    Schlueter, Preston. "Why Did Men Stop Wearing Long Overcoats?" Gentleman's Gazette. November 27, 2022.

Textiles and materials
Viscose, polyester, acrylic, prints and patterns.
    Mustalish, Rachel. "Modern Materials: Plastics." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004.
    Rudolph, Nicole. "Are Synthetic Fabrics *actually* the Worst? Unraveling History." YouTube. Feb 8, 2025.
    Rudolph, Nicole. "The History of Elastic." YouTube. July 4, 2021.
    Schlueter, Preston. "Why Did Men Stop Wearing Color?" Gentleman's Gazette. March 16, 2023.

Undergarments
Slips, petticoats, corsets, underpants, suspenders, girdles.
    Glasscock, Jessica. "Twentieth-Century Silhouette and Support." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004.
    Hallay, Amanda. "SPOTLIGHT: 1950s Underwear and The '50's Breast Obsession (An Ultimate Fashion History Special)." YouTube. November 27, 2015.
    Schlueter, Preston. "Why Did Men Start Wearing Belts?" Gentleman's Gazette. August 18, 2022.

Youth fashion and subcultures
Mods and rockers, hippies, space age, greasers, etc.
    Katharina, Emma Rosa. "Explaining 1960s Hippie Style & Counterculture." YouTube. May 12, 2024.
    Museum of the City of New York. "1960s Fashion with Chris Benz: A Look at Mod New York." YouTube. March 14, 2018.
    Quinn, Alicia. "a deep dive into 1960s space age fashion ✨🛸." YouTube. May 20, 2024.
    Woodhall, Amanda Jayne. "WHO were the MODS and ROCKERS." YouTube. April 7, 2023.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

D&D Thinkpiece: Holy Symbols

Image
    I've been pondering the nature of holy symbols in Dungeons & Dragons and similar fantasy tabletop RPGs.  They're instantly recognizable, with strong lines and bright colors, and can be hugely fun to sprinkle throughout a dungeon as clues or emblazon on a character's shield to show their allegiance.  Yet, there seems to be a distinct lack of real-world analogs for D&D-style holy symbols.  How did that happen?      Although D&D was created by a deeply Christian man, E. Gary Gygax seems to have neglected the real-world use of holy symbols in his own religion, much less outside of Christianity.  Let's look at how the cross is used as a Christian symbol.     The cross or crucifix is, essentially, the ancient Roman equivalent of the gallows.  As the instrument of Jesus' suffering* and death*, it is the quintessential Christian symbol.  It can appear with or without Jesus (or other hanged martyrs), and w...
Read more

1910s Drafting, Tailoring, and Hatmaking

    There are a lot of resources out there for period patterns from the era(s) in question, at least from the 1800s onward, so I thought I'd add yet another series of posts to my blog.  Publication of sewing manuals seems to drop off after the 1910s, picking up again in the 1940s, but I will try to do as many decades as I can! General information      Bryner, Edna. Dressmaking and Millinery . Cleveland, OH: Survey Committee of the Cleveland Foundation, 1916.     Foster, Olivia Hyde. Sewing for Little Girls . New York, NY: Duffield & Company, 1911.      Ginsburg, Marcus O. Chart of Bias Cutting . New York, NY: The Public Press, 1919.     Goodwin, Emma E. Goodwin's Course in Sewing: Practical Instruction in Needlework for Use in Schools and at Home . New York, NY: Frank D. Beattys & Company, 1910.      Van Rensselaer, Martha, et al. A Manual of Home-Making . New York, NY: The MacMillan ...
Read more

A Young Person's Introduction to 18th-Century Western Fashion

     This is an unexpurgated version of a Tumblr post which had to be cut for length.  It was intended to be for those just getting into the subject, or those looking for more on a specific topic.  Unfortunately, it really doesn't treat fashion outside of Britain, France, and their colonies, but for Anglophone readers, I think it's a good starting resource! General information     Cox, Abby. " I Wore 18th-Century Clothing *Every Day for 5 YEARS & This Is What I Learned (Corsets Aren't Bad!) ." YouTube . May 10, 2020.     Dyer, Serena. " How much did 18th-century women know about their clothes? | Fast Fashion v Georgian Dress ." YouTube . July 30, 2020.      Rudolph, Nicole. " 18th century Fashion 101 : how media messes up ." YouTube . May 20, 2023.     Viljanmaa, Maria. " 1780s dressing the different social classes, english fashion ." YouTube . March 30, 2023.      McKnight, Cheyney. ...
Read more