1950s Pants History for Women

1951 Women’s Slacks

Women in the 1950s were the first to really enjoy the freedom of wearing pants as acceptable women’s clothing. While the women in the 1940s loved their men’s inspired slacks, they were gradually losing favor in the 1950s for a more ladylike style. Women’s 1950s pants were taboo on TV until Mary Tyler Moore was seen wearing them on the Dick Van Dyke Show. After that, women were more comfortable wearing pants outside of the home.

1950’s Hostess Capri Pants

There are two styles of pants that the 1950s are most known for: capri and cigarette pants. Capri pants get most of the attention, but it was the cigarette pants that were worn more often. Cigarette pants had high waists, side or back zippers, flat fronts, wide waistbands (3 inches), and full hips and were slim fitting through the legs. They ended at just above the ankle.

Good 1950s pants were always lined. Having baggy knees was taboo, so lining helped keep the leg straight and wrinkle free. It wasn’t uncommon for linings to bust open with frequent knee bending. An outwardly perfect, good pair of pants could be ruined by a shredded mess on the inside.

1957 Cigarette Pants

Cigarette pants usually came in black. Brighter colors were reserved for capri pants and sport shorts. In the later 1950s, more patterns like polka dots, checks, stripes, and leopard prints appeared on casual cigarette pants. Cigarette pants were sometimes worn with a thin leather belt placed in the center of the waistband.

1950s Polka dot pants with a V notch waistband

Teenagers developed their own style with pants. Extra loose pants in the early years and extra slim pants worn with ballet flats, short cropped hair and very baggy “sloppy joe” sweaters in the later years created a bohemian artist look. Naturally, parents hated the style.

Early 1950s, Teens in Jeans and Sloppy Tops

1950s Capri Pants

1958 Denim Capri Jeans

Pants in the 1950s were called ‘capris’, not pants, not trousers, just capris. This is confusing today since we tend to call cropped pants capris and full length pants ‘pants’ or ‘trousers’. In the 1950s, capris were usually black. Capri pants fit like cigarette pants except they ended at mid calf with a slit on each side. Every woman a had a few pairs in her wardrobe. Black matched all colors easily but they were especially popular with striped shirts. Striped knit shirts were called Italian or Roman shirts. A red and white shirt with black Capris certainly looked very Italian. Pairing with blue pants gave a nautical look like summer clothes on the Italian riviera. To look European was a big deal in the ’50s.

1958 Nautical colors make summer capris fashionable

1952 Capri Jumpsuit

Another ethnic style was borrowed from the Spanish matador. Black capris paired with a white ruffled blouse, a Spanish cummerbund and an optional bolero jacket put the capri into a slightly more formal category. Adding a bi-corn hat put it even closer to a costume look, but women didn’t care. Mixing any of these elements with dresses and suits turned one outfit into many.

Add a wide white belt over black capris and a colored blouse, and the outfit was exactly like what fashion icon, Audrey Hepburn, would wear.

1958 Capri Pants

Capris took on other names as different lengths created new styles. Clam diggers or toreador pants were mid calf length pants with wide, cuffed, pant legs. Pedal pushers were another in between shorts and pants style. They came to a few inches below the knee and fit loosely but not baggy. They had the classic high waist and a sharp pleat down the front of the leg. Manufactures came up with many different names for these 3/4 pants, such as Motor scooter slacks, calypso pants and pirate pants. Learn more about 1950s shorts here. 

1957 Plaid Pants and Clam Digger Shorts

1950s Jeans

1950s Blue Jeans

1950s Jeans or Dungarees

Women wearing denim blue jeans

Denim jeans, also called dungarees, were not quite as form-fitting as pants and capris. They were made of heavy dark denim and lined with a vibrant plaid flannel that fit high on the waist, wide over the hips and tapered down to the ankle or rolled up to a wide cuff at mid calf (capri length). Extra large pockets were a carry over from the 1940s, but this time the trend was to outline them in contrast stitching.

Adding decorative trim to pocket openings that matched the lining exposed on cuffs was an extra bit of fashion, too. They were only worn for the most casual of at home occasions. Teens, of course, might rebel and wear jeans out with friends on a Saturday afternoon  but never to school. They also liked them a little tighter. The classic styling for jeans was with a white or plaid blouse, thick white bobby socks and a pair of loafers. Women copied this styling but ditched the white socks and wore solid colored shirts instead.

Denim Capri’s Jeans

Swing Dancing in Capri’s

1950s Western Pants

1951 Western Pants, Jeans, Slacks

The ’40s and ’50s obsession with all things Western life extended into women’s pants. Not just for riding horses anymore, women living the western California lifestyle wore western motif slacks and western shirts as every day casuals.  They appeared in the same cut as other women’s slacks with a tapered leg from hip to ankle. The western style came in with wide belt loops (and a western leather belt), white piping on the pockets and sometimes rhinestone decoration for a fancy Western flair.

1953 Western Pants with white piping around pockets

‘Wranglers’  brand jeans made their mark on ’50s fashion. Heavy “blue bell” denim jeans featured a ‘wrangler’ front fly (oh my!). Large pockets on the back with a smaller change pocket on the front was mostly for looks. Classic wranglers today don’t differ too much from the 1950s style.

1951 Wrangler Blue Bell Jeans

1950s Pants and Jeans Today

50s Style Capri Pants at Unique-Vintage.com

Levis makes a 1950s reproduction jean

Fortunately 1950s style pants are in fashion again. While capris are a summertime staple, high waist jeans are now also making a comeback. Plus, there are many ‘50s reproduction clothing brands that are making pants, capris and jeans, too. My favorite place to find ’50s style pants are with brands that target seniors. They are usually high waisted, side zipping, colorful capris and slacks that look nearly identical to vintage ’50s pants.

I gathered up many of these 1950s inspired pants styles on the 1950s style pants shop page here: