A Formal Affair
Artist: Brian Netten
I use acrylic paints for most of my current work.
The Inspiration
I always loved the fashion ads of the 1950s. This style of painting is a direct homage to the 1950s Fashion Ads.
The classic 1950s look of the hourglass shape is sensual and also more realistic than later fashions that demanded a woman be stick-thin to look stylish. And you didn’t have to spend time at the gym to get your waist slim enough to wear a 1950s dress – you had foundation garments to take care of any little bulges. These may not have been terribly comfortable, but once you got used to them, they were just part of your daily wardrobe. "Comfort" was very rarely the point for a fashionable woman anyway.
At the time, the "New Look" (which actually began in 1947) was a radical departure for women who had been used to rationing during the war. Whether a woman worked in a factory or an office, clothes had to be simple and practical. No one could fuss over their appearance too much when there was a war to be won. Afterwards, however, women began to want prettier clothes again, and such clothes were soon available. Dresses with flowing skirts in bright, colorful fabrics, quickly replaced the utilitarian look of wartime clothes. While some women derided the New Look as fussy, impractical and uncomfortable – forcing women back into a decorative role, after they had proven their strength and abilities – other women embraced the opportunity to dress prettily in a way they hadn’t in years.
The 1950s look available in costume shops is for girls, not women. Girls wore poodle skirts, bobby sox, saddle shoes and ponytails. Women might wear sweater sets or blouses and skirts, but for most social events, they wore dresses. Dress styles of the 1950s fell into two categories. There was the dress that was fitted through the waist and then fell into a wide skirt, sometimes a full circle skirt, from just above the hip. A crinoline was often worn underneath to give even more shape to the skirt.
Results
The classic 1950s look of the hourglass shape
The classic 1950s look of the hourglass shape is sensual and also more realistic than later fashions that demanded a woman be stick-thin to look stylish. And you didn’t have to spend time at the gym to get your waist slim enough to wear a 1950s dress – you had foundation garments to take care of any little bulges.
