Dresses: Which Decade?

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

30s, 40s, 50s dresses - which do you prefer and why?

This came to my while I was trying to zip myself into a back zip 50s number and couldn't. I gave up and put on a favorite 40's rayon dress instead. I'm casting my vote for 40's dresses.

So, which do you prefer and why? It doesn't have to be a practical reason like mine!

 

[LelaViavonie]

40's... I actually dont have a reason really.. I just think they look better on me I do like a good 50's dress on me once in awhile.. if Im feeling frisky.. lol lol

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

Oh darn, I tried to include a poll in this thread. Mods - can you create a poll with 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and other, options?

And if it's too redundant feel free to merge

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Oh darn, I tried to include a poll in this thread. Mods - can you create a poll with 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and other, options?

And if it's too redundant feel free to merge

Ask and ye shall receive..although I did add the 20's, since I know there are 20's fans out there in PowderRoomLand and we do not want to forget them!

 

[MissAmelina]

It all depends on how i am feeling that day.
Late 30's is just flat out romantic classic, with flattering lines and a certain something that makes me feel like a million bucks....like I am being viewed thru a soft lense, my hair tousled and lips lightly stained, going on some great adventure.
But when I want to feel grown-up glamourous, I prefer the 40's. For me, that style is more sleek, tailored and professional. Stand up straight, chest out, shoulders square. Real classy and sassy.
And then 50's are more girlie and playful---those full skirted dresses make me want to spin around in technicolor circles with a feather duster or a library book! And they are soothing to me when my butt feels bigger than normal. All you have to do is cinch your waist and the bum can swing freely!

So yep....it's all about mood for me...which is also why I refuse to go with just one era! They are all so pretty.

 

[KittyT]

50s all the way, though i do like 40s stuff as well. I find that their shape complements my curvy figure well and it's also easier for me to find affordable 50s dresses that fit. Also, I really, really hate the frequently heavy shoulder shape of 40s dresses. Shoulder pads went out after the 80s and I hope they stay there.

I think my penchant toward 50s style also has a lot to do with my general interest in 50s culture as a whole.

Note for MBH: you should get one of those clippy zipper pulls that are supposed to be handy when you can't comfortably reach the zipper on your own.

 

[Sunny]

I went for 40s, although my real favorites are from about 1937-1941. I like the fuller skirts that still aren't huge like 1950s (make wide hips wider!), not too long, slim-fitting and fairly natural, with smashing details of cut and seaming.

 

[Inky]

My real preference is WWII era to mid 50's. I've loved the rockabilly look for many years, but I am evolving myself into a more 40's era girl as I get older.

The way I figure, I'm 48 now, I can't be a rockabilly chick forever (well, I could be I guess in leopard and blonde hair a la Mamie VanDoren), but I think can pull off a 40's look well into my senior years.

Always thinking ahead....

 

[decodoll]

I said 40's too... specifically 1938-1945. Not that I don't love earlier 30's and early 50's at times too. As MissAmelina said, it depends on my mood. Right now, it's mostly 50's as I think the maternity fashions are more flattering than 40's for the most part.

 

[The Shirt]

I'll second Kitty T. I am starting to like 40's day styles although I am tremendously much pickier when it comes to them. I hate the shoulder pads as well. Of course if I had more dressy events to go to I would love the 40's hollywood styles - it's just not as practical for me. I do however prefer 40s hairstyles.

I like nearly everything 50s, daywear, evening wear, accessories but not the 'poodle' hair cuts. I think I like the darker side of 50s wear - not so much the collegiate or the happy housewife, more so the vamp and the girl who hung around the bad boys on motorcycles and fast cars. Sex appeal without necessarily all the skin of today.

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

Ask and ye shall receive..although I did add the 20's, since I know there are 20's fans out there in PowderRoomLand and we do not want to forget them!

Thanks Neec!

I adore the 50s as well. I think I like the 40s day dresses and 50s separates for day and the 50s for dressing up and going ot.

 

[Joie DeVive]

I admire the slim lines of the 1920s and 1930s, but I find they do nothing for me... So, while I love both the 40s and the 50s styles, I have a preference for the 50s. I find both 40s and 50s good for curvy figures, but like several of the other girls, I have no need for shoulder pads. I have broad shoulders for my height, and I carry my own around! lol I like the fuller skirts and the nipped in waist of the New Look. And I'll admit it, I love the "happy housewife" styles. lol

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

The shoulder pads come out of my 40s things. Sacrilege? I hope not.

 

[The Shirt]

Happy housewife

Joie - That is why you are happily married and I am forever single! Maybe if I start dressing the part the fella will take me seriously.lol

 

[Miss 1929]

Early 30s all the way

i like the 40s on other people - but as I am pearshaped, it just isn't my best look (and the 20s is very hard to wear for the same reasons!). I don't care for the later 30s as much either, it's more like the 40s than it is like the early 30s.
Shoulder pads look fine if you have a long slender neck - otherwise they make you look neckless. Not a pretty thing on me these fat days. I used to have a beautiful neck, it was the first to go...
I think I like the early 30s most because of its bias cut - flattering and fitting without binding. Also the snugness around the ribcage is nice, as it is the smallest part of me. Plus the collars and asymmetry and pretty sleeve details... it's feminine and interesting. And I like the longer skirt length as it is slimming.
I can live without the 50s. It's ok but certainly not my prewar cup of tea.
And, in answer to the very first post - how to zip yourself in a back zip dress - attach a piece of ribbon to the zipper pull with a safety pin, pull the ribbon over your shoulder, and remove when zipped.

 

[Mojito]

1920s all the way - but that's not news! I love both the teens into early 20s style dresses - the sheer exoticism, romance and whimsy of the styles, coupled with those fantastic headdresses of bandeaux, Kokoshniks etc. And for a different look, I love the sharper, more Deco lines of the second half of the decade. The intricate bead, sequin and embroidery work, the fabrics, the sheer wittiness of some of the dresses...and then the elegant, simple chic of others.

I just bought a dress from the House of Adair - pink lined and silver beads on green velvet, with a matching pink satin cape. It's mesmerising - the heavily beaded belt that weaves through it, the ruffled lining on the inside of the cape that is so pretty it looks like it could be worn inside out, the elaborite patterns of the different beads...just fascinating.

So my choice is more from pure aesthetics than from what necessarily is my best body type (with my height and broad shoulders, I should probably lean more to the 30s).

 

[Miss 1929]

....
I just bought a dress from the House of Adair - pink lined and silver beads on green velvet, with a matching pink satin cape. It's mesmerising - the heavily beaded belt that weaves through it, the ruffled lining on the inside of the cape that is so pretty it looks like it could be worn inside out, the elaborite patterns of the different beads...just fascinating. ...

can't wait to see it, please post in the Show Us Your Purchases when you can! Let me live vacariously through your 20s shopping!

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

can't wait to see it, please post in the Show Us Your Purchases when you can! Let me live vacariously through your 20s shopping!

Seriously Mojito. Please start a "Mojito's Dress Collection" thread so we call all drool!!

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I love them all! 20s and early 30s are so beautiful to look at, but I don't wear them because I know I'll look like a sack of potatoes

I've recently began to sew my own clothes and I'm finding that patterns from the late 30s and early 40s suit my body type most. And, of course, they are lovely to look at, too. SInce I try to lean more towards the 1930s, that's the decade I picked.

 

[Miss Sis]

Whilst I DO like dresses from different decades, I like the 30s most.

Why? For their long lines, clever cutting, subtle use of decoration in general, great prints and beautiful fabrics and the stunning evening dresses are a must have! I also like how there were so many options for clothes: 'proper' clothes for each occassion in your day, the move into casual clothing, the rise of trouser wearing! (Not that I have any vintage trousers, apart from a pair of men's flannels that are too small for my BF)

I have just bought a whole lot of lovely things from a friend who is weeding out her collection. And surprise, surprise, it is all 30s stuff. I've been there, done that on the 40s stuff. I still have a collection of nice 40s suits, some dresses, shoes, hats etc. They look good on me for my shape (tall and slim). I also have a couple of 50s dresses, mostly with full skirts rather than slim, wiggle dresses. They look nice too, but they just don't speak to me the way 30s things do.