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Vintage Dancer | 1950s Fashion | 1950s Petticoat History

1950s Petticoat History

1950s Fashion History

11 Nov 2013
1950s petticoats crinoline skirts and slips

1950s petticoats crinoline skirts

I just can’t talk about the history of 1950s skirts without also discussing the petticoats and crinolines worn under them. The Paper Doll look of the fifties could not be achieved with simple cotton and lace slips. The five yard skirt needed five net petticoats to achieve the Victorian volume that the doll look required. Five petticoats? You may think I am kidding, but I am not. Five petticoats made of 100 yards of net each was uncommon, but not unheard of.

1950s crinoline history

1957 petticoat slips and skirts

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100 years earlier, women used layers of cotton, horse hair, and rope-lined hoop skirts and petticoats to create volume. In the 1950s, they did the same. Netting was a newer invention that was lighter and more airy, requiring less petticoats, but it was also itchy and very prone to flattening out with wear. Net needed to be stiff, and so women’s popular magazines dished out plenty of advice on how to keep them stiff. Starching crinolines with liquid and or spray starch was one technique.  Pressing while damp was another. Ironing wax paper over net was a creative use of home supplies. Using shellac over a blotter was extreme, but hey, it did work. The stiffer the net, the more scratched ladies’ legs or nylons became — this is what women remember the most about petticoats in the 1950s.

“I remember wearing lots petticoats. Starched horse hair petticoats. My mother starched them and dried them in the kitchen on newspapers.
I had a clock skirt – felt circle skirt with a clock design ala poodle skirts. ”  – msrie

“I dipped my petticoats in pure starch, squeezed it out and dipped the next one!  Usually the bottom one just got a light starch so it would not scratch as much.  The next three or four got pure starch.  Then when dry you pulled apart the layers so they stood out more. The starch lasted a long time because we just poured it back into the bottle after squeezing the petticoats.  Starch came in gallon jugs then.

The top petticoat was always a really pretty one of taffeta that my Mom made for me.  The taffeta ones were pretty enough to wear as a skirt but I never did.  I liked them because they rustled when I walked or danced.

The funny thing about the full petticoats is that the next day we were just as apt to wear a really tight skirt. ” Barbara (Madame Hatsey- store closed)

 

1950s skirts and petticoats vintage under skirts

Watch out for Flying Skirts

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All that work of keeping the petticoats fluffy and full was a big job. The hoop skirt, another Victorian invention, seemed like a better option. It was less prone to flattening out and easy to wash and re-thread the hoops, but it had its own problems. Hoops do not bend through narrow doorways, down aisles, or into car doors very well. To even walk in them required learning to glide along so as not to sway the skirt  back and forth like ringing a bell.  Winter cold weather meant icy cold drafts up the legs, but it was worth if it achieved the perfect look. If a woman sat wrong or it was windy and the skirt blew up in her face…. mortification for life! The dangers of wearing a hoop were plenty, yet they were worn by some along with a petticoat or two on top to avoid showing any hoop lines through the skirt.

1950s Taffeta petticoats
Taffeta petticoats
1950s Petticoat with optional hoop
Petticoat with optional hoop
1952, long hoop skirts
1952, long hoop skirts

“I did have a hoop at one time but it was a cage hoop that had several loops. The idea seemed to be that you could remove some of them to create different styles.  The ends slid together and went through casings. I was a dancing fool and–you guessed it–one of the casings slipped out at the ends.  It just kept sliding until it was coiled. ” – Barbara

Petticoats and hoop skirts came in several lengths. The shortest was the knee length skirt. It was designed to end about two inches above the edge of the skirt. To have a petticoat show beneath the skirt or dress was a fashion faux pax. If this were to happen a friend might say “It’s snowing down south,” a polite old phrase indicating a visible white slip.  The other popular length was the tea length for longer mid shin length skirts. There were also full length petticoats and hoops for floor length ballgown skirts and dresses, too.

 

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1958 slips and petticoat slip
1958 slips and petticoat slip
Very full 50s crinolines
Very full 50s crinolines

 

 1950s Petticoats and Crinolines for Sale

You can still buy 1950s vintage petticoats and crinolines. Both Etsy.com and eBay.com are good places to start online. I found mine at a vintage thrift store. I love the softer feel of vintage net over most modern reproductions crinolines, but the cost is usually better with reproductions. Some of the softest repro brands are Malco Modes, Banned, and Tatyana.

There are many other styles available, too. Short, fluffy ones, for modern neo-fifties dresses, tea length crinolines for vintage 50s dresses and thinner petticoats for just a little fluff. Whatever your needs may be, there is a petticoat for your skirt or dress. Shop all of these petticoats and more on the 1950s Style Petticoat and Crinolines page:

1950s Petticoat History GRACE KARIN Womens Ankle Length Petticoats Wedding Slips Plus Size S-3X  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
GRACE KARIN Womens Ankle Length Petticoats Wedding Slips Plus Size S-3X
1950s Petticoat History GRACE KARIN Womens Ankle Length Petticoats Wedding Slips Plus Size S-3X  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
GRACE KARIN Womens Ankle Length Petticoats Wedding Slips Plus Size S-3X
1950s Petticoat History 50s Cotton Petticoat  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
50s Cotton Petticoat
1950s Petticoat History Unique Vintage 1950S Style Black Ruffled Petticoat Crinoline $58.00 AT vintagedancer.com
UniqueVintage
$58.00
Unique Vintage 1950S Style Black Ruffled Petticoat Crinoline
1950s Petticoat History Colyanda Womens 3-Layered Pleated Tulle Petticoat Tutu Puffy Party Cosplay Skirt  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
Colyanda Womens 3-Layered Pleated Tulle Petticoat Tutu Puffy Party Cosplay Skirt
1950s Petticoat History Soft Tea-Length Chiffon Crinoline Petticoat Underskirt Full Slip w/ Lace  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
Soft Tea-Length Chiffon Crinoline Petticoat Underskirt Full Slip w/ Lace
1950s Petticoat History Malco Modes Womens Chiffon Petticoat Slip for 50s Costume  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
Malco Modes Womens Chiffon Petticoat Slip for 50s Costume
1950s Petticoat History Plus Size (or any size) Vintage 1950s Petticoat Pattern - PDF - Pattern No 216 Melanie Petticoat Skirt 50s Fashion Sewing Instant Download $7.26 AT vintagedancer.com
Etsy
$7.26
Plus Size (or any size) Vintage 1950s Petticoat Pattern - PDF - Pattern No 216 Melanie Petticoat Skirt 50s Fashion Sewing Instant Download
1950s Petticoat History 1950s Petticoat Skirt in Any Size - PLUS Size Included - Depew 7309 -INSTANT DOWNLOAD- $7.50 AT vintagedancer.com
Etsy
$7.50
1950s Petticoat Skirt in Any Size - PLUS Size Included - Depew 7309 -INSTANT DOWNLOAD-
1950s Petticoat History Soft Tea Crinoline Petticoat Underskirt for 50s Poodle Skirt Costume Malco Modes  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
Soft Tea Crinoline Petticoat Underskirt for 50s Poodle Skirt Costume Malco Modes
1950s Petticoat History Unique Vintage White Retro Style Ruffled Petticoat Crinoline $58.00 AT vintagedancer.com
UniqueVintage
$58.00
Unique Vintage White Retro Style Ruffled Petticoat Crinoline
1950s Petticoat History Ankle Length Petticoats Wedding Slips Plus Size S-3X GRACE KARIN Womens   AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
Ankle Length Petticoats Wedding Slips Plus Size S-3X GRACE KARIN Womens
1950s Petticoat History Malco Modes Samantha 835
Amazon
Malco Modes Samantha 835 Luxury Vintage Tea-Length 26 Chiffon Petticoat Pettiskirt for Rockabilly plus
1950s Petticoat History Malco Modes Melonie Luxury Child Crinoline Slip Organza Binding Adjustable  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
Malco Modes Melonie Luxury Child Crinoline Slip Organza Binding Adjustable
1950s Petticoat History Nuoqi Womens 50s Petticoats Sweet Lolita Dress Lace Tutu Swing Skirts  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
Nuoqi Womens 50s Petticoats Sweet Lolita Dress Lace Tutu Swing Skirts
1950s Petticoat History Belle Poque Womens Petticoat Crinoline 50s Christmas Tutu Underskirts (3 Layers)  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
Belle Poque Womens Petticoat Crinoline 50s Christmas Tutu Underskirts (3 Layers)
1950s Petticoat History GRACE KARIN Women 50s Petticoat Skirts Tutu Crinoline Underskirt CL8922  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
GRACE KARIN Women 50s Petticoat Skirts Tutu Crinoline Underskirt CL8922
1950s Petticoat History Malco Modes Womens Chiffon Petticoat Slip for 50s Costume  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
Malco Modes Womens Chiffon Petticoat Slip for 50s Costume
1950s Petticoat History MM Ruffle Panties Bloomers Dance Bloomers for Sissy Victorian  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
MM Ruffle Panties Bloomers Dance Bloomers for Sissy Victorian
1950s Petticoat History GRACE KARIN Women Petticoat Skirts 50s Tutu Crinoline Underskirt for Rockabilly Dress S-XXL  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
GRACE KARIN Women Petticoat Skirts 50s Tutu Crinoline Underskirt for Rockabilly Dress S-XXL
1950s Petticoat History GRACE KARIN Women’s Underdress Spaghetti Strap Full Slip 1950s Vintage Petticoat Crinoline Tutu Underskirts S-XXL  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
GRACE KARIN Women’s Underdress Spaghetti Strap Full Slip 1950s Vintage Petticoat Crinoline Tutu Underskirts S-XXL
1950s Petticoat History Floor Length Petticoat Long Underskirt for Formal Dress Shimaly Womens Floor Length Wedding Petticoat Long Underskirt for Formal Dress S-3XL  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
Floor Length Petticoat Long Underskirt for Formal Dress Shimaly Womens Floor Length Wedding Petticoat Long Underskirt for Formal Dress S-3XL
1950s Petticoat History Vintage Rockabilly Petticoat Crinoline Underskirt 26 Malco Modes  AT vintagedancer.com
Amazon
Vintage Rockabilly Petticoat Crinoline Underskirt 26 Malco Modes
1950s Petticoat History Linen Petticoat White Petticoat Linen Underskirt White Underskirt Victorian Petticoat $65.00 AT vintagedancer.com
Etsy
$65.00
Linen Petticoat White Petticoat Linen Underskirt White Underskirt Victorian Petticoat
ViewMore

 

 

 

debbie
We are Debbie and Oscar, your guides to dressing up like decades past. We are here to help you find clothing online and learn about vintage fashions as worn by everyday people, just like you. Need help with your outfit? Ask us anytime.
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