Clothes in the 50s and 60s

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On TV and in films, even "poor" people wear beautifully cut clothes. People like midwives, secretaries, struggling musicians.

Was that how it was, "cheap" clothes didn't exist or is that just for TV?

They made their own.

My DM either made her own or bought a few really well made items that she wore and wore. There was no cheap, mass made clothing. People looked after the few clothes they had.

They used tailors to adjust the fitting.

If you look at actual photos from the time then you'll see it varies wildly.

Yes, if you were/knew someone skilled at alterations/dressmaking you could have well fitting clothes.

You would certainly have fewer clothes, would spot clean rather than wash them as frequently, would mend rather than discard.

I think the styles always look smarter to our eyes because they look lime our "best" or office wear rather than casual.

My grandma made her own so always a perfect fit - even when she was in her 90’s she altered things to fit. (predominantly button front dresses in cheerful patterns, with a housecoat tabard in beige for housework).
Lots of simplicity dress patterns found in the attic during house clearance!

I'd imagine it was more common to adjust clothes to fit too. Eg. Taking them in, letting out seams.

No fast fashion, no stretchy clothes, no funny fabrics that get bent out of shape. So clothes were made for measure or tailored.

Also girdles!!

You had very few clothes and looked after them. Less washing, more spot cleaning and brushing of suiting type of thing.
If you bought an expensive tweed jacket now it would last too if you cared for it. But the price will SEEM versus more modern fabrics and cuts.

Seem higher.

I honestly would have hated being in tight, even if otherwise well fitting, clothes, high heels etc. I'm not a slouch in elasticated trousers but nope, not for me.

All very true. People didn’t buy an outfit for just one occasion then consign it to the back of the wardrobe or the charity shop because it had been seen out once. So a week’s wages on a jacket or skirt didn’t seem so awful when it would last years and years with regular wear.

@LadyWithLapdog

I honestly would have hated being in tight, even if otherwise well fitting, clothes, high heels etc. I'm not a slouch in elasticated trousers but nope, not for me.

True.

@LadyWithLapdog

I honestly would have hated being in tight, even if otherwise well fitting, clothes, high heels etc. I'm not a slouch in elasticated trousers but nope, not for me.

This is probably how pyjama parties became a thing. Not so necessary now

Wait, pyjama parties? Is that not a 2010s invention of teenagers in onesies?

They used different materials. Lots more cotton and wool, which had to be ironed. Leggings hadn’t been invented

@LadyWithLapdog

Wait, pyjama parties? Is that not a 2010s invention of teenagers in onesies?

No

The film Pyjama Party is from 1964 (yes I looked it up).

All teen movies of the period feature pyjama parties surely?

I don't remember the 50s but, if it makes you feel any better, there were plenty of shit clothes around in the 60s. I mean yes, as a rule they were better made and much more expensive in real terms, compared to now. But there were also lots of new 'drip dry' fabrics that felt pretty grim. Winter clothes were really bulky because few people had central heating and houses were cold. Wool was itchy. Everything was repaired and patched until it literally fell apart and then repaired some more.

A lot of my clothes were custom made for me by one of my aunts but was I grateful? Was I hell. I longed clothes from a shop.

Photos are misleading because cameras were still a novelty so, if you knew you were going to have your picture taken, you dressed the hell up.

Yes people dressed up for their casually posed photos at home.
It's not an accurate reflection of normal wear note Sunday best.

I remember teen films in the 80s or 90s featuring pyjama parties, though I can't recall any name just now. I thought you meant real grown up people having pyjama parties. But then it was the time of the pampas grass, so who knows?

Sorry that should day "more Sunday Best."
Which itself is really not a thing any more.

I have some vintage 60s stuff and my god the armhole are cut really tight.

There was a LOT of nylon about.

Cameras were not a novelty and we certainly didn't dress up for photos. 😂
My mother made all our clothes. In the fifties fabrics were harder to find, but towards the end of the decade there was more choice. My sister and I had cotton frocks with big skirts and lots of petticoats. My sister was always in trouble for taking them off and dumping them on the floor to be washed, starched and ironed again (and our mother worked full time). We had about three best dresses for winter and more for summer. For playing we had shorts and aertex t-shirts. In the sixties there were far more fabrics including the dreaded crimplene. By the end of the decade we were hitting Biba on a Saturday morning and wearing mini dresses with feather boas. Such fun. 😂

Cameras were not a novelty and we certainly didn't dress up for photos.
Ok but there were in our house and that's what we did.

Sixties drip dry will outlast the apocalypse.