Full Skirts - 1959

By 1959, the heydey of the full skirt is starting to wane. The look is still popular, but we see much less volume and shorter hemlines. Crinoline petticoats are not worn as often. Bell shaped skirts and skirts with volume at the sides and back instead of all the way around give the appearance of fullness while using less fabric than the dresses of 5 years before.

As I said yesterday, women expected a dress they purchased to last several years. In order to keep up with fashion, most women shortened the hems of their dresses that they had purchased in the mid 1950s rather than buy new ones.

Mr. Mort dress with bolero jacket from 1959.

Left: Gold brocade dress with fullness at sides and back and shorter hem by Youth Guild. Sold for $30 in 1959 (about $220 in today's dollar).
Right: Black point d'esprit lace over black organdy lining by Anne Fogarty hemmed just at the knee. Sold for $50 in 1959 (about $366 in today's dollar).

Kasper white silk beaded dress with bell shaped skirt. Sold for $125 in 1960 (about $900 in today's dollar).