Women dressed "smartly' in the Fifties. Good grooming and a tailored look were prized. Acting and looking "every inch the lady" was taught virtually from the cradle and wearing a dress was a given.
Notice our first ladies have heels and gloves. This was required to complete the look.
The dress at left, a summery afternoon floral, has what was called a swing skirt. This very popular style had many forms, including the poodle skirt.
At right, the skirt part of the dress is in the pencil style. The object here is to attain an hourglass, or figure eight, body shape. This type of dress or skirt was not worn by young girls or teens. Too provacative. In this illustration, the dress also boasts bolero sleeves, which were popular.
Although not seen, a girdle was a necessary part of all ensembles.
Again, on the left a luncheon dress in the pencil style and an everyday dress with the swing skirt.
At right, an afternoon tea dress with characteristically FIfties soft feminine touches. 
Contrary to whatever impression you may have gathered from watching Donna Reed or Harriett Nelson, real wives and mothers did not go around doing housework in dresses accessorized by pearls and heels.
Mother might, however, wear a wrap dress as pictured at left. Or the simple everyday dress at right.The key here is the word "dress". It was the most common item worn by women at the time.
Soft, feminine, romantic...these words best describe Fifties evening wear.
World War II brought mass production of clothing as part of the war effort. As this expanded into the Fifties, it meant that ordinary women had a chance to buy designer inspired evening wear for the first time. 
The Women and Men were definitely inspired by the era's fashion icons such as Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and James Dean 
Nothing characterizes the Fifties quite as well as the saddle shoe. We all had them. We all wore them. And I'd be lying if I said I missed them. These things are heavy and rather stiff. And you couldn't just throw them in the washer when they got dirty! Give me my modern athletic shoe anyday.
The spike or stiletto heel was a fashion fixture. Designed to draw attention to the leg and calf, it was a chiropractor's dream device.
Ferragamo is credited with creating the steel support in a synthetic heel which allowed for a very small heel tip. Gee, thanks.
This phenomena impacted in more ways than one. Hoteliers and other managers of public facilities had to find ways to protect their floors from all those indentations! 
Flats were appropriate for slacks and was what we wore to school.
The Fifties look was usually achieved by an arduous process of pin curling and rolling. Remember - no blow dryers in the 50s. As demonstrated by super model Suzy Parker, one pinned the hair and sometimes sprayed it to keep the set. 
Also called the D.A. or duck butt, the style requires that you comb the hair back to the middle of the head, then with the end of a rattail comb, make a center part.
HULA HOOP In 1957, an Australian visiting California told them, quite casually, that in his home country, children twirled bamboo hoops around their waists in gym class. Most of us would have thought, "how nice" but for Knerr and Melin an idea spawned.
The Yo-Yo 
Telephone Cramming
Coonskin Caps
