1. A 1952 Simplicity pattern for pajama style costumes for children. I want to hug the little penguin so much.

    A 1952 Simplicity pattern for pajama style costumes for children. I want to hug the little penguin so much.

  2. One piece animal costumes with removable ears and paws were especially popular with penny-pinching mothers of the 1950s, as they could be worn as pajamas after the Halloween season or costume party was finished.

    One piece animal costumes with removable ears and paws were especially popular with penny-pinching mothers of the 1950s, as they could be worn as pajamas after the Halloween season or costume party was finished.

  3. What we think of as the standard frilly prom dress, with layers of gauze and tulle, developed in the mid-1950s. This picture of the 1958 Prom at Mariemont High School in Cincinnati show a lovely variety of these dresses as well as the very dapper white jacket/black pants combo that was the pinnacle of men’s formal evening wear in the late 1950s.

    What we think of as the standard frilly prom dress, with layers of gauze and tulle, developed in the mid-1950s. This picture of the 1958 Prom at Mariemont High School in Cincinnati show a lovely variety of these dresses as well as the very dapper white jacket/black pants combo that was the pinnacle of men’s formal evening wear in the late 1950s.

  4. An Alfred Eisenstaedt photo of students signing yearbooks on the last day of school at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois in June 1950. Several girls can be seen wearing the Mexican inspired peasant blouses which were so popular in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

    An Alfred Eisenstaedt photo of students signing yearbooks on the last day of school at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois in June 1950. Several girls can be seen wearing the Mexican inspired peasant blouses which were so popular in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

  5. A stylish young lady photographed by Alfred Eisenstaedt at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois in June of 1950.

    A stylish young lady photographed by Alfred Eisenstaedt at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois in June of 1950.

  6. The dress code for boys was radically relaxed from the standard suits of the 1940s to the jeans and t-shirt worn by this stylishly modern young man photographed by Alfred Eisenstaedt at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois in June of 1950.

    The dress code for boys was radically relaxed from the standard suits of the 1940s to the jeans and t-shirt worn by this stylishly modern young man photographed by Alfred Eisenstaedt at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois in June of 1950.

  7. This 1948 Alfred Eisenstaedt photo shows high school girls in Des Moines, Iowa conforming to the local dress code of skirts, white blouses and ties.

    This 1948 Alfred Eisenstaedt photo shows high school girls in Des Moines, Iowa conforming to the local dress code of skirts, white blouses and ties.

  8. Jumpers (the American definition, not the British) enjoyed a great deal of popularity in with schoolgirls of all ages in the late 1940s. I love that selection from Fall 1947 is marketed as clothing that “Teens will love to wear… mothers will love to buy”, hinting that the age-old battle between mothers and daughters over appropriate school attire really is age-old.

    Jumpers (the American definition, not the British) enjoyed a great deal of popularity in with schoolgirls of all ages in the late 1940s.

    I love that selection from Fall 1947 is marketed as clothing that “Teens will love to wear… mothers will love to buy”, hinting that the age-old battle between mothers and daughters over appropriate school attire really is age-old.

  9. High school girls in Phoenix model frilly skirts and blouses in October, 1946. This style, inspired by traditional Mexican attire, was incredibly popular with young women in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

    High school girls in Phoenix model frilly skirts and blouses in October, 1946. This style, inspired by traditional Mexican attire, was incredibly popular with young women in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

  10. Suits and ties remained the everyday apparel of respectable young men of high school and college age until the early 1950s. This variety of sport and leisure suits is from the Fall 1946 Sears catalog. I find the “nifty” plaid-sleeved leisure suit (second from left) particularly fabulous.

    Suits and ties remained the everyday apparel of respectable young men of high school and college age until the early 1950s.

    This variety of sport and leisure suits is from the Fall 1946 Sears catalog. I find the “nifty” plaid-sleeved leisure suit (second from left) particularly fabulous.