9 June 1957 “Fashion: Ten Years Forward, Ten Years Back, 1947, 1957, 1967”

1947 introduced Dior’s “New Look”. It gave longer and fuller skirts. Nipped in waists and an overall 19th century femininity that had not been seen in ladies fashions since, well, the 19th century.

Though in 1947 most women were still wearing a more general war time 1940’s look.

Now, here in 1957 we have been rather used to the New Look for some time and the silhouette is the same, but the skirts are beginning to rise and we are getting closer to that early 1960’s “Mad Men” look. Though the everyday today is not much different from the New Look. Full skirts, waists accented, trim form fitting sleeves, skirts, jackets and so on.

Yet, in 10 years hence how the look shall change so drastically.
This split skirt or skort is new on the scene. And this lovely teal blue dress is adorable and wearable for any age.
This ad for teen knits seems very modern. The young man could easily walk about today and completely blend in.

We also have 1967 to thank for low rise trousers, or as they were then called “Hip Huggers”. I have to say, if you are Twiggy thin, these are adorable, or if you are a 12 year old girl straight as a pin. However, for the majority of women, this style is the worse. It gives today’s fashion ‘no no’ the “muffin top”. Yet consider, if you will, the joy of that same figure in a 1950’s curvaceous outfit, even a bathing suit.

We seem to have gone back to the 1967 body image today. Even twiggy’s odd angular clumsy child pose seems des rigueur today. Certainly her child-like ultra thin body seems the norm on Catwalks today.
Consider the 1947 New Look.

The model is thin, but with a woman’s body. She is grown up, mature, confident. No put on ‘childishness’ nor feigned innocence. I am not saying one is necessarily better than the other, but I am saying that the overall appearance and therefore ideal to be obtained has changed drastically from 57 to 67. Gone is the role of the mature strong woman, or even the motherly can do it all and we have, instead, the time of the Teen. The epitome of youth, which of course we know is an odd ideal as we are but such youths for a mere five years. Then, we are expected to be quirky innocent self obsessed posing vixens into our 50’s? Can you imagine a grandmother in this outfit, constantly modeling and hoping to be cool?

I have to say I love some of the 67 fashions. The more mainstream looks seem wearable yet quite adorable and certainly a granny or a teen would look lovely in this coat and hat, don’t you think?

Pierre Cardin was a big contributor to the Mod look of 1967. The fun and pop of brigth color and simple line. It has an almost comic book appeal. It is as if having been a part of TV and Pop culture now since the 1950’s, fashion and youth simply live in that colorful moment of TV and Magazine snap shots. Certainly 1967 is a closer to our modern day than 1957. That simply 10 year span could be hundreds of years apart. 1957 to those in 1957 might as well be 1867.

Here is what 1967 Mod fashion thinks we shall be wearing come the year 2000. We often hear talk of interplanetary living by 2000, as the space race lead us to the moon in 1969. However, such dreams seem as distant now as buggy rides in a surrey with a fringe on top.


Any way you slice it, fashion not only reflects societies views as a whole, but most likely helps to form the younger sets view and ideals of what is important. I won’t even begin to guess what these teen jeans pre-destroyed says about our current society or what we consider important.

Well, let’s close with this 1967 moment of Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones singing a duet.