Major Designers, Colors, & Shapes

Major Designers, Colors, & Shapes | April 25, 2010

Seldom does fashion change almost overnight, but in 1947 an exceptionally rapid shift in styles took place. After the war, the Western nations began to recover from the wartime devastation. World War II ended in August 1945. After a little more than a year in which there were no major fashion upheavals, the French designer Christian Dior caused a sensation by introducing a line of clothing at his spring 1947 show that deviated sharply from the styles of the wartime period and that came to be known as the New Look. It was accepted rapidly and became the basis of style lines for the next ten or more years.

Some individual members of the French couture continued designing in Paris throughout World War II, but most had left Paris or closed their ateliers. Mainbocher and Schiaparelli had gone to New York, Balenciaga had gone to neutral Portugal. Chanel gave her last show in 1940. But once the war had ended, the couturiers began to plan for a revival of their businesses. This revival was given an enormous push forward by the collections of 1947 and the New Look, the name given by the fashion press to the collection mounted by Christian Dior.

Dior had worked before the war for Piquet and after, briefly, for the House of Lucien Lelong. (Lelong was not a designer but ran an establishment carrying his name.) In 1945 Dior was offered financial backing to open his own establishment, and in 1947 the House of Dior made fashion history. The new styles were successful overnight, and the House of Dior became one of the most influential of the houses in the haute couture. Dior remained a major designer until his death in 1957.

Another major designer of the postwar period was Cristobal Balenciaga. The Spanish-born Balenciaga opened his first Paris establishment in 1937. When he returned to Paris after the War, he became a favorite of Carmel Snow, the editor of Harper’s Bazaar who featured his work often in the magazine. His work showed a mastery of almost sculptural forms and shapes and frequently his styles were well ahead of their time. A major force in the haute couture for the 1950s and on into the 1960s, he suddenly and unexpectedly closed his establishment in 1968. Balenciaga died in 1972.

Chanel did not reopen her atelier until 1954. Once again she became a major force in the couture, continuing to influence styles until she died in 1971. The couture remained a vital, active force in fashion throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. Interest in the couture remained exceptionally high and many other Parisian couturiers were active in the postwar period.

To achieve the fashionable look, women returned to more confining underclothing than had been seen since before 1920. Fortunately for the comfort of women, many of the undergarments required to maintain the soft curves of the New Look were made of newer synthetic fabrics that pulled the body into the requisite shape without the rigid, painful bones and lacing of the early 20th century. Necklines were plain, round, or square and ended either close to the neck or lower. Many dresses had small square or rounded Peter-Pan style collars, larger round or square collars, and Chinese style or “mandarin” standing collars. Although some full-skirted suits were worn, most tended to be made with narrow skirts. Jackets fit closely to the waistline, extending below the waist where they either flared out into a stiffened peplum or had a rounded, stiffened, and padded hip section ending several inches below the waist. Suit necklines varied in placement, but tended to stand away from the neck somewhat.

Skirt lengths dropped sharply. Examination of fashion magazines of the preceding months shows that there was already a tendency toward somewhat longer skirts. Many other designers in the spring of 1947 also showed longer skirts, but to the women on the street who had worn her skirts just below her knees for the preceding four or five years, the change was radical. Although there were pockets of resistance to the longer skirts the change seemed irresistable and within a year the longer skirt lengths were widely adopted. The square, padded shoulder that had been worn since the late 1930s was replaced by a shoulder-line with a round, soft curve which was achieved by a shaped shoulder pads. Whether the skirt was full or narrow, the waistline was nipped in and small. The rounded curves of the body were emphasized. Many daytime and evening dresses were cut quiet low. The curve of the hip was stressed. In jackets with basques, sections that extended below the waist, the basque was padded and stiffened into a full, round curve. The colors of clothing during this time were of plain and solemn colors. Most outfits were of a solid color such as ivory, black, navy, or other dark colors.