This week on the blog, we're talking all about vintage dresses! Lucy, Joanie's founder, is taking us back in time to explore the key dress shapes that dominated the decades from the 1940s up to the 1990s...
Let’s do the time warp… yeah!
Today we travel back through time to take a closer look at key vintage dresses - the shapes, details and fashions of our top five decades of the mid 20th Century, A.K.A. the period we currently call ‘vintage.’
The Fabulous 1940s Tea Dress
The first half of the 1940s was dominated by WWII, and as the war effort forced women to ‘make do and mend,’ fashion also had no choice but to adapt. Military and utilitarian influences began to creep into the mainstream, as women took over what was traditionally thought of as ‘men’s work’ in factories and outside in fields working the land.
Masculine style was the order of the day, with squared off shoulders (often enhanced by shoulder pads) paired with nipped in waists to emphasise the hourglass silhouette. Rationing meant very few bells and whistles - even the humble long sleeve was a luxury few could afford! Dresses had narrow, high waistlines, and finished just above the knee to save on fabric.
After wartime ended and society (and fashion) started to recover, the iconic 1940s tea dress shape really came into its own. Think pretty florals, polka dots, or pastel colourways, with frills, puffed or flounced sleeves, and sweetheart necklines featuring buttons, bows, ruching or shirring.
These vintage dresses were accessorised with seamed stockings, heels, hats, gloves, handbags, lashings of red lipstick and victory rolled hairdos. Ava Gardner, Ingrid Bergman, Katharine Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis - we love you!
The Nifty 1950s Shirtwaister (a.k.a. The Shirt Dress)
The post-war boom led to babies galore, music, movies and old Hollywood glamour. Most importantly, joy returned to fashion! When Christian Dior released his game-changing debut collection, the ‘New Look’ in 1947, gone were the limitations on fabric consumption and frugal cuts, and in came softer rounded shoulders, a tiny cinched waistline and an ultra-feminine very full skirt that celebrated and exaggerated the female form
This style is probably the most conjured when thinking about vintage dresses. Born is the ‘Shirtwaister’ (or shirt dress as we've come to know it) - dresses that became synonymous with mid-century style. Classically a button through front, with notched or shawl collar, nipped in waist with a full gathered on swing skirt (with pockets) that swished and swayed, perfect for dancing.
Shirtwaister dresses became shorthand for the classic 1950s housewife look, often layered over a full petticoat and paired with a matching apron to keep Mommy’s dress clean. More glam versions were known as hostess dresses for entertaining.
Those boomtime babies grew up, became teenagers and fell in love with Rock ‘n’ Roll, you’ve all seen Back to The Future…
“I Guess You Guys Aren’t Ready For That Yet. But Your Kids Are Gonna Love It.” Marty McFly
The Swinging 1960s Shift Dress
A new generation is formed from the so-called ‘Youthquake’. Attitudes shifted, and so did dress shapes.
The Beatniks in New York, the Mods in London, and the Space Age futurists in Paris all sported the same 1960s dress - a more relaxed shape with a slim or A-line ‘shift’ silhouette.
Gone were the forced waists and up went the hemlines. Futuristic feeling, often in brightly coloured, innovative or stretch fabrics featuring large zips or collars and bold prints, mini skirts were well and truly en vogue.
The 1970s - That’s a Wrap!
As the sixties rolled into the seventies, lines blurred, forms softened and a bohemian feel powered by flowers and LSD took over. Inhibitions were lost, and as sexual freedom ruled, bras were burned.
Necklines took a plunge and hemlines hit the floor as maxi-length dresses and jumpsuits became the go-to garments of ‘hippy chic’. Bold prints and colours became the ‘in’ thing.
The one garment that really reflected that freedom (due to its ability to be easily removed) was the wrap dress. Straight from the office to Studio54? It was the seventies - Buckaroo! A staple of our collaboration collection with iconic 1970s print designer Celia Birtwell, these easy-going day-to-night dresses never go out of style!
The 1980s - Power Dressing to the Max
Economic success, perms, mullets, shoulder pads, ‘buy, buy, sell, sell!’: the eighties was home to the ‘power dress’. To ‘dress for success’ meant having the confidence to express your new position in the workplace through the clothes that you wore.
Yes, those polka dots showed you really did ‘mean business!’ Celebrity exponents ranged from Maggie Thatcher to Lady Di. Nothing show’s ‘em who’s boss like a pussy bow neckline. Styling tip: layer over a black turtleneck and pair of 10 denier tights with court shoes to turn the power up.
The 1990s - The Grunge Girls
The '90s was a time when the tea dress reigned supreme yet again, this time in a more ironic way, à la Gwen Stefani in No Doubt’s 1995 ‘Don’t Speak’ video. The '90s-does-40s tea dresses were styled shorter in a more grungy fashion with ripped tights, clumpy Doc Martin boots and lashings of smudged black eyeliner.
Icons of this era were Courtney Love, Drew Barrymore, and Winona Ryder. The gals from classic sitcom Friends deliver a masterclass in '90s styling - see dungaree-style dresses, layering dresses with plaid shirts, waistcoats, or oversized slouchy knits.
Topshop in its heyday and the Britpop revolution with Kate Moss rocking the 'London Look'.
Maybe one day we’ll consider the Y2K's vintage, but it still feels all too recent to me... Where does the time go?
Which vintage dresses catch your eye the most? Shop your way back in time with our easy ‘shop by era’ edits!