THE 1950s saw huge changes in the way people dressed. Improved manufacturing processes and the development of new synthetic textiles meant that ready-to-wear clothing was almost as affordable as buying the fabric and making your own.

Christian Dior introduced a new ‘ideal’ silhouette with sloped shoulders, a cinched waist, and rounded hips with a very full skirt.

These two beautiful examples are from the Worcestershire County Museum collection, both dated to 1957-8.

Other popular garments during this time were cocktail dresses, two-piece suits for women and practical-yet-stylish house dresses.

The trench coat was popularised by actresses like Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn.

Hats were either small pill-box styles or large brimmed and saucer-like.

For men, after spending years in strict military garments, a more comfortable approach was taken to the suit.

Grey flannel suits, with shirt and tie, were worn with a handkerchief.

Hair was slicked back using ‘Brylcreem’ and new hat styles became fashionable including the Black Homburg, fedora, bowler, and the pork pie.

The 1950s was the era of the ‘teenager’ – the new economic group defined in 1959 by British social scientist Mark Abrams.

Teenagers were identified as aged 13-25, with huge spending power and rapidly changing tastes in a variety of products: records and magazines to drinks and cosmetics.

Their clothes expressed the rebellion which was expressed in new exciting rock’n’roll music and stars such as Elvis.

Teddy Boys were an important British sub-culture of the time, wearing clothes inspired by the dandies of the Edwardian era with pointed shoes, tight trousers and long jackets with velvet trim.

These wonderful dresses are on display in the new exhibition Lavish Living: Worcestershire in the 1950s in the Worcestershire County Museum at Hartlebury Castle.

The opening celebration for the exhibition is on Sunday, July 4, 11am-4pm, with music from the Bluebird Belles, a fabulous fifties fashion contest and 1950s inspired children’s activities, everyone is welcome.

The exhibition explores the changing society of the decade and showcases a range of beautiful and truly nostalgic objects and images from Worcestershire’s not-so-distant past.

Find out more and plan your visit at museumsworcestershire.org.uk