Are 50s full skirts/dresses only for evening wear?

[Darhling]

I am just in love with the big full skirts that are 3/4 lenght!! I have bought a pink halter dress and a black crinoline, but that particular dress is very much so for an evening event, maybe without the crinoline I could use it for a summer shopping trip - but it is the fullness with the crinoline I am mad for!

So my questions are, when do you wear full skirts with crinolines? If you wear them to work, may I ask what kind of work you have?

I dream of seeing myself in a dress very similar to a black one Audrey Hepburn had on in 'Love in the afternoon' -- it was beyond dreamy!

 

[Josephine]

I think you can wear a fuller skirt with a crinoline during the day, depending on the fabric type and the style of the dress. I would.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

and it does indeed depend on the type of job..and the country where you live.


so many variables....

 

[kamikat]

I have a smaller crinoline that I wear for everyday that isn't as puffy. If you can sew, they're easy to make. I used a regular crinoline pattern, but made it from cotton broadcloth, so the puffy layers aren't so puffy.

 

[Paul]

The thing about seeing vintage fashion on the internet is that you only see a snap shot of the period, when something notable was happening, and not what was worn every days, finding magazines and catalogues give an indication as to what was worn more every day.


People do associate full skirts with the 50's, so I say it's more down to practical reasons as when to wear or not to wear it these days than saying that full skirts in the 50's were not ever worn in daytime, somewhere some one would have been wearing one in 1950's.
So I say go ahead.

 

[kamikat]

The thing about seeing vintage fashion on the internet is that you only see a snap shot of the period, when something notable was happening, and not what was worn every days, finding magazines and catalogues give an indication as to what was worn more every day.

This is very true! Another good source is vintage patterns. Search on ebay for 50's sewing patterns. You'll find a wide variety of dresses with a wide variety of skirt puffiness. My theory is that there was a variety of crinoline widths to choose from. Super puffy for eveningwear to barely puffy for house wear.

 

[Lauren]

Full skirts were indeed worn for day wear. Remember the fad for embellished skirts with poodles and other paraphernalia? Those were worn mostly by college gals and under in the 50's for day wear or dance wear. While from my opinion a straight skirt is more appropriate for the office, if you had an occupation where you are in a less professional atmosphere I don't think it would be a problem wearing a full skirt if it were understated and made of more of a suiting fabric.
From my opinion, if I were to be socially conscious of wearing them in given circumstances, I would say a cotton one for going out and about, a wool or similar suiting for the office or meetings, or winter day wear going more "uptown", a chiffon or similar light fabric or floral pattern for afternoon events, like a tea or garden party, and the fancier fabrics reserved specifically for cocktail or casual evening affairs. Of course, full length for formal evenings. Granted, this is not 100% from period sources, but more of what I think I've gleaned here and there from patterns, movies, magazines, etc. There is probably an etiquette book out there which will tell you 100% what to wear

 

[KittyT]

I have a number of full skirts that I wear. Sometimes I don't wear a crinoline with them at all, for a less dressy look, or I wear a small crinoline for a little understated fullness. I love the 50s styles but can't really get into the super-full skirts, unless it's a formal dress, so a small crinoline is the best compromise for me.

 

[goldwyn girl]

I frequently wear full skirts and crinolines in the day. Mostly cotton skirts with a small to medium crinoline. Fuller ones are left for evening, as are the appropiate fabrics.

 

[Darhling]

Goldwyn Girl - would it be possible to see a pic of you in a full skirt/dress with small/medium crinoline? The one I got is definitly for evening wear, very big and fluffy!

What is all you girls favorite online shops for crinolines/any particular crinolines too? I prefer the very soft ones ..

 

[KittyT]

What is all you girls favorite online shops for crinolines/any particular crinolines too? I prefer the very soft ones ..

Your best bet for crinolines is ebay, or search for square dancing shops online.

 

[goldwyn girl]

This dress:

Has this underneath:

most of mine have been bought from ebay or at vintage events.

 

[Darhling]

^ Goldwyn girl, I love it!! You are and look like an absolute darling!! I think it is still very full enough for my taste!

 

[goldwyn girl]

Thank you, There is also another thread on crinolines and some of my others are in that one. it's here
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=19043

 

[Rosie]

I've worn very full skirts with very full crinolines under them for work. Admittedly, if I am going to a conference or something a bit more "professional", I won't wear a full crinoline because it doesn't seem like professional attire to me.

Other than that I say wear what you will. There have been days when I've gone out in full crinoline to walk my dog because that was what I felt like wearing. If it suits your fancy, go for it.

Although, please mind the wind if you choose to wear a circle skirt/fluffy crino combo. Even the slightest wind will have you holding down your skirt.

 

[Last_Chael]

I absolutely adore the full skirted look of the 50's!! But I agree, it might not be practical for certain places. So far I've only made one petticoat, and it was very very full! Not exactly practical for everyday wear. But I'm planning on making a less full one to wear under day dresses and the like. I've found that my big full skirted dress looks utterly horrible without some kind of petticoat underneath. It's jsut lifeless and a big sack of fabric otherwise! If it's a full skirt, it deserves to be shown to it's full potential!

 

[catsmeow]

A vintage seller was telling me that the girls back then didn't wear or avoided having the skirts/dresses too full on during the day. I guess that means not wearing those big petticoats under the skirt. In the evening it's a different story. Personally I don't see why you can't wear them during the day. For work, maybe that's a different story? It probably depends on the outfit and where you're going.

Has anyone noticed how expensive the crinoline petticoats are getting on ebay?

 

[Josephine]

Has anyone noticed how expensive the crinoline petticoats are getting on ebay?

YES! grrrrrrrrrrrrr :rage:

 

[Last_Chael]

What kinds of petticoats are they? My mum makes rock and roll and square dance petticoats and skirts out of various fabrics (netting for the stiffer square dancing look and soft chiffons and polyesters for the rock and roll), and I've been trying to convince her to start selling them on Etsy. It's nice to know there's a market for that sort of thing! Her's are very reasonably priced (in fact I often think she's ripping herself off!!), usually between $15 and $50 depending on how expensive the fabric and how much goes into it.

 

[KittyT]

Some links for petticoats:

http://www.glamourboutique.com/access/petti/index.html

http://www.malcomodes.biz/square.pc4.html Malco modes makes a repro 50s net petticoat as well as a not-too-poofy chiffon one

http://www.pettipond.com/ has used and custom repro petticoats

There are many sites out there for affordable new ones, and not all of them are the super full net ones. I've found that searching for square dancing petticoats yields the most results.