page_title: Women's oversized fashion in the United States since the 1920s
section_title: The 1950s
hierarchical_section_title: Women's oversized fashion in the United States since the 1920s / The 1950s
caption_attribution_description: Cropped screenshot of Audrey Hepburn from the trailer for the film Roman Holiday.
context_page_description: Oversized fashion, distinct from plus-sized fashion, consists of clothing and other accessories that are larger than normal and reflect some sort of attitude, message, or trend of the period at hand. While oversized fashion trends from the 1920s to the turn of the century vary from decade to decade, there are many overarching themes that have been expressed during the past one hundred or so years. Masculinity, for example, has played a large role in many of the underlying communications of the fashions, although virility is manifested differently in the clothing depending on the era. Oversized fashion production, furthermore, runs largely parallel with the states of the American and global economies. Modernly, oversized fashion has taken on a new form - primarily in the realm of oversized accessories.
context_section_description: The post-war era of the 1950s brought a change to the family dynamic as well as to the fashion world. In 1947, Christian Dior launched as the first collection from his fashion house his "Corelle line", which featured oversized designs. The "Corelle line" became the look of the decade, ushering femininity, luxury and grace into the era, and making a great impacct on the female silhouette. This change implemented by Christian Dior dominated the decade.
  Clothes transformed from boxy styles, with square shoulders, to feminine and luxurious, with soft shoulder lines, corseted waists, round padded hips, and long skirts, leading to the knee-length "sack" dress. The knee-length skirts and dresses were the most oversized items of this 1950s. The introduction of new fabrics, including Terylene, Orlon, Banlon, Acrilan and Poplin, allowed for new fashion styles to be both created and introduced. Among these were the "wash-and-wear" sweater, the permanently pleated skirt, and the "drip-dry" skirt. Skirts of this era known as circle skirts were supported by layers of petticoats, creating a circular look that accentuated the waist line. Essentially, the petticoat reinforced the femininity of this period.
  The 1950s woman also tended to be influenced by the fashions worn by movie stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn in her roles in various movies such as Roman Holiday famously wore an oversized skirt that accentuated her waist, together with a tighter shirt.
caption: Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Holiday"
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