Girls set the fashion statement with a pair of saddle shoes and then wore it when they went out dancing to the jukebox downtown. The fuller they were, or the more spin they had-the better it was. Some were designed with pretty jewels, flowers, little poodles, flamingos, hot rod cars, a pair of dice or whatever the latest fashion trend happened to be. Hemlines reached just to the knees ora bit below them. This pretty little number that you could find most ladies wearing during the 1950’s was known as the poodle skirt.
The poodle skirt was worn to school, as casual wear and even to the popular sock-hops. Your own grandmother may even have shared stories with you about wearing her poodle skirt. They were an instant fashion hit among teenage girls-if you didn’t wear a poodle skirt-then you might as well been a square! For girls who might have not been able to buy the latest poodle skirt in a retail store-the materials were readily available everywhere so that you could have your mother or grandmother could make you one. While the skirt itself was fairly affordable, the materials to make them were also cheap too. If your skirt was handmade, then it was more unique-which could be a fashion plus for a girl in the 1950’s.
The master clothing designer behind the poodle skirt was Ralph Walters. He designed the poodle skirt in New York in the year 1947. His creation of the poodle skirt launched his career and he became the chief designer of Jay-Mee Fashions which was located at 520 8th Avenue (the fashion avenue) of New York. His designs became popular at many well-known fashion retail houses such as Macys, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor and Bonwit Teller. The talented fashion designer passed away from leukemia at the young age of 47 in 1976.
Today, the skirt is still worn for retro flash-backs, costume parties and dress-up. Some organizations still hold retro sock-hops just so they can have a chance to twirl around in a 50’s style poodle skirt. They can also be purchased online from independent sellers, Ebay and retro clothing stores. Costume shops also carry the retro skirts and they still can be created from patterns that are available today. If you are lucky, your grandmother might even have hers stored away. You just might ask her if you can see her favorite poodle skirt. You could always design your own skirt that is similar to hers!
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poodle_skirt
