Whereas Asia and Europe were severly impacted by the devastation of World War II, the American economy achieved new levels of prosperity, fueled by an increase in consumer spending.
Despite only making up 6% of the worlds population, Americans consumed 30% of the world's goods and services. It was around this time when the country shifted from a production society to that of a consumption society - people were no longer just buying to fufill their basic needs, but also their wants. Adults of this decade grew up in economic depravation, living through the Great Depression and the rationing of consumer goods during WW2, so by the time people actually had the ability to purchase consumer goods, they were much more eager to spend.
Apart from the recessions that took place during 1954 and 1958, unemployment remained low bottoming at less than 4.5% and the economy grew an overall of 37% during this 1950s. The earlier part of the decade was however negatively affected by inflation. Prices were rising, currency was loosing its value and a recession was incoming, but luckily these issues were shortlived. By the mid-50s, the economy began to boom and prosper, giving rise to the American middle class.
This era also brought more income and jobs for Americans to be filled in the country's growing businesses and corporations. More workers joined unions that negotiated with managment for better pay, better working condition and retirment/health benefits, allowing blue-collared workers to enter the middle class. With readily avaliable jobs, the 1950s offered most people the opportunity to purchase non-essential goods and services soley for their material comfort.
The nipped in waist and full skirted silhouette of Christian Dior's "New Look", which originated from the late 1940s remained the dominating style unil the mid-50s.
The initial resistance to the New Look style died down by the start of the decade and soon became entrenched in women's day and evening wear. Even as the silhouette evolved and became progressively straighter and slimmer while the elegance and formality of the early decade lessened, its core style was still seen in day dresses, evening gowns and seperates. Details like square shoulders from the 40s still lingered during its early days but eventually progressed into the ultra-feminine and luxurious styles of the mid-50s. This included gently softened shoulders, smaller waists, roundly padded hips and skirts only 11 inches off the ground.
This decade saw women wear skirts from anywhere just below the knee to just above the ankle. For the most part, skirt and dress lengths remained below the knee, reflecting the conservative era.
As popular as Dior's New Look was, it was not the only style present. For the first time in fashion, people were presented with the idea of choice rather than just following one style. As the decade continued, the choices offered became more varied as new silhouettes were introduced by designers. Some popular examples of other designs included form fitting pencil skirts that ended at a mid-calf hemline, the looser sack dress, the A-line dress and bell shaped skirts that all loosened or moved the waistlines. Women around the Western world and beyond all embraced these different styles.
