The 1950's

The 1950's

The principle fashion influence in the 1950's was Christian Dior's New Look which emerged in 1947 as a reaction to post war austerity, though there is evidence that many features of the style had already been present by 1939. It defined a silhouette with a narrow waist and fitted top accentuating the hips and chest, and wide skirts with a low hemline. This was the predominate shape throughout the decade with a few exceptions, the sack-dress and A-line being the most prominent.

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Day-wear was typified by the waisted jacket with a tight fitting pencil skirt with the hemline below the knee and a high waisted girdle would be worn to achieve this look. A full length corselet would be worn under a fitted dress to achieve the desired hour-glass look.

Merry Widow

For formal evening wear the backless or strapless evening gown filled out with crinolines was typical, this required a boned, strapless corset such as Warners Merry Widow, named after the 1952 MGM film staring Lana Turner or the guêpière, which had been designed by Robert Piquet & Marcel Rochas in 1945. The suspenders one these garments were particularly long because the fitted over a short net under-skirt. Since stockings were worn by almost all women, suspenders were fitted to most foundation wear or a suspender belt (US.garter-belt) was worn.

Fitted trousers as woman's wear also become more popular as casual wear in the form of slack and later on ski-pants and the long-leg panty-girdle achieved a smooth line.

Embroidered floral motifs and geometric decoration were used to associate a particular brand or range. Often the front panel on a garment had a distinctive shape and was made from a contrasting material such as satin. For example, the Warners ranges used circles, criss-cross, herring-bone patterns to differentiate them and Gossard used a strong chevron motif in their “Answer” range.

Elasticity was provided by rubber based fibres such as Lastex or woven net materials made from synthetic fibres such as nylon Leno and these were usually combined with the more traditional materials, cotton and linen. The moulded all rubber roll-on which had first made it's appearance in the 1930's was heavily promoted by Playtex and similar designs produced by other manufacturers became more popular towards the end of the decade.

This was a golden era of foundation garments with many manufacturers, from small corsetières making and fitting corsets to an individuals requirements up to large firms manufacturing for the mail-order and over-the-counter markets. Retailers even had a National Corset Week to promote foundation wear.

The French corsetièr, J. Roussel made and retailed high quality corsetry made from “gaine”, a fine elastic knit fabric. They had a shop on the prestigious Boulevard Hausmann in Paris as well as Regent Street in London. The use of decorative embroidered flower and leaf motifs featured in many of their designs.

J.Roussel Ltd.


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English Rose “the Flower of modern foundations” where a high quality British brand based in New Bond St., London.

ER Logo


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The Youthlines high-waited ‘Midi’ girdle shows how the nipped-in waist look was achieved, some even have a small section of boning in the waist-band.


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Other Names A selection of roll-on and step-in girdles more typically for every day wear. Though white, pink and black and pastel shades were predominate, by late 50's deeper colours such as burgundy and navy blue became available.

Girdle Sketch

Caprice	Warner	Unknown	Flexees	Gossard	Berlei	Youthcraft

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