Women’s fashions of the 1950s reflected a complicated mix of conservatism and glamour—a girl-next-door freshness as well as alluring femininity. Women who had lived through the privations of the Great Depression and World War II were now able to afford new styles and embraced them all, from the elegance of grand, sweeping skirts to shorts and trousers.
Starting in the 1940s, some clothing was being designed by Sears specially for the older, elderly women. These typically had longer sleeves, longer hemlines, higher necklines and a loose fit around the waist. These same practices were applied to 1950s elderly women’s clothing too.
Check out these vintage Kodachrome photos to see what styles of American older ladies looked like in the 1950s.
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