50s question

Grouchy

Firstly apologies for posting here as it is not on topic (delete if necessary), but thought it might be a good place and I've no knowledge of this type of thing at all.

I'm doing some research for a friend abroad, I'll try to be brief.  I realize people here are not of such an age but there seems a wealth of knowledge from previous generations here. Online searching doesn't really help too much apart from a variety of images.

In suburban London 1950s would something referred to as a 'flowered rayon dress" for outdoors be for everyday wear or going out to the cinema or shopping or all of these? and worn by working class women or middle class women or both? It seems one of the major fashions of the 50s from what I can tell.  It's a very broad question I know, maybe a bit how long is a piece of string, but even that would be useful to know.  I've ordered a couple of books from the library, but while I wait ...any memories would be useful too.

Brie

A quick google comes up with this sort of image below - which looks to me like what a woman (or man if he was daring!!) would wear to go to work or shopping as well as less formal socialising (cinema but not the theatre/opera? with friends, a date but not a special dinner).  Working class or middle class is my guess.  I would have thought someone more upper class would wear a more natural fabric - cotton, linen, silk, wool.  

I am aware that rayon was considered a bit of a wonder product by some - very very modern, like polyester.  Being easier to clean due to the more plastic nature of the fibres would make it suitable for many occasions being less easy to crease so needing less ironing, lower maintenance.  

flowered rayon dress - Search Images (bing.com)

(FYI - not old enough to have lived in London 1950s and foreign as well so I'm taking my info from accumulated reading and the fact my mom was an excellent seamstress)

Katiehound

Actually I'm thinking that rayon dresses may well be more 40s than 50s. Nylon was starting to come in in the 50s. Think my grandmother had a rayon dress (that wouldn't have been a fashionable one! probably some years old)

Rosa_Damascena

Katiehound said:

Actually I'm thinking that rayon dresses may well be more 40s than 50s. Nylon was starting to come in in the 50s. Think my grandmother had a rayon dress (that wouldn't have been a fashionable one! probably some years old)

The style is definitely 1940s. Given that clothing costs (and the cost of everything really!) were expensive relative to earnings I would imagine there were plenty of ladies getting continued use out of their garments in later decades. It was a "make do and mend" era after all.

florianatwobob

Rayon was also known as artificial silk and was used for evening dresses in the 1930s I think

Rosa_Damascena

florianatwobob said:

Rayon was also known as artificial silk and was used for evening dresses in the 1930s I think

Just thinking about it is giving me static shocks 

greenbee

Rosa_Damascena said:

florianatwobob said:

Rayon was also known as artificial silk and was used for evening dresses in the 1930s I think

Just thinking about it is giving me static shocks 

It's made from cellulose. I've never found it to have issues with static (same family as viscose/lyocell)

MrsStepford

Rayon = viscose and it should be breathable and biodegradable.  

weenancyinAmerica

Since every female not in heavy-duty work on construction or something similar wore dresses in the 40s and 50s, it would have been a dress for shopping, going to church, visiting the neighbors, etc. Even little young ladies wore only dresses everywhere - we weren't allowed to wear trousers in public until I was in High School (aged about 15 by then). Even in the early 60s, I was still having to wear dresses most places. Going shopping with my grandmother in the 50s when I was between 3 and 12 even involved wearing gloves, hats, and Maryjane type shoes with white ruffled socks and always a dress. We didn't have to wear the hats and gloves for school but we did wear the hats and gloves to church and often when visiting. Dresses went through several stages - the newest one for special events or going to church, then you wore it shopping and visiting, then it became a housedress (usually with an apron) for painting or gardening or cleaning (still wore dresses for those) before being cut down for the next generation or cut up to use for cleaning. You took the apron off if someone came visiting.

bouicca21

As @weenancyinAmerica says, definitely dresses for everything.  I wasn’t actually allowed to wear trousers though there came a point in the 60s when my mother managed to convince my father that the trousers I coveted were actually slacks, and somehow that was ok.  I don’t think we dressed up for going to the cinema but the concept of Sunday best was still alive and well.

florianatwobob

I must admit that I am a fan of viscose and it’s family  because I can build up a lot of static with artificial fibres (polyester and nylon I’m looking at you specifically). I do try for pre loved/second hand though as I understand it’s manufacturing processes aren’t as eco-friendly as I’d like.