These ’50s Fashion Trends Are Way More Relevant Than You Think

With its abundance of style icons—think Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor—the ’50s gave us plenty to be grateful for on the fashion front. From Christian Dior’s cinched waists, hyperfeminine elegance and a whole load of gingham prints, it’s safe to say the influence of the ’50s casts a fabulously long shadow. But while some key looks are immediately recognisable as hailing straight from the era that coined the word “teenager” and birthed rock ’n’ roll culture, others may come as a surprise.

Cropped denim, for example? A classic Audrey Hepburn look. Then there’s the bandeau bikini made famous by Brigitte Bardot in Cannes, and the 2018 beach accessories that were first debuted by Alfred Hitchcock’s über-glam film stars—namely Grace Kelly. Intrigued? Keep scrolling to browse our gallery of the most iconic ’50s outfits we’re all still wearing today.In February 1947, Christian Dior showed his La Coralle collection in Paris, which went on to define the cinched-waist silhouette of the coming decade. Back then, it was branded the New Look—a flouncy hyperfeminine counter to minimalist postwar dressing. Today it’s known as the fit and flare, a perennial fashion go-to and staple among summer wedding guests.