A great way to dress like the 50s is to start with a defined waist and a full skirt, or a white T-shirt, jeans, and a jacket, then add one print and one finishing touch. That is the look the Fashion History Timeline from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) traces to the 1947 New Look from Paris for women, and to rebellious Hollywood stars for young men. Below, we cut the look by where you are wearing it.
We make 1950s costumes for kids and adults, and every costume goes through over 30 measurement checks. The full range sits in our 1950s costumes collection, part of our decade costumes, and our guide to decade costumes covers the 20s to the 90s.
Which 50s look fits where you are going?
Match the look to the occasion: a school decades day goes well with comfort and a dress-code check, a themed party with the full skirt or the drape jacket, and a night out with one loud piece.
| Where you are going | Build it from your closet | Ready-made option | In the box, and sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| School decades day | White T-shirt, jeans, a scarf tied around a ponytail | Girls 1950s Rock and Roll Costume | Pink and black polka dot outfit, buckled black belt, polka dot neck scarf; four sizes for ages 4 to 14 |
| Themed party, men | White T-shirt, jeans or dark pants, greased-back hair | Men's Red Teddy Boy Costume | Red suit jacket, white shirt insert, black slim necktie; Medium, Large, and XL |
| Themed party, women | Fitted top, full circle skirt, neck scarf | The 1950s costumes collection | Check each product page for what is in the box and the sizes |
| Sock hop or night out | Full skirt or jeans, white ankle socks, flat shoes | Our greaser and rock legend guides | Linked in the sections below |
What makes an outfit read as 1950s fashion?
A great start for 1950s fashion is a defined waist over a full skirt for women, or a white T-shirt and jeans for young men, with styled hair either way. The women's half dates from February 1947: when the New Look appeared, FIT writes, its nipped-in waist and full-skirted shape remained the leading style until the mid-1950s. A museum record for a Paris New Look suit describes its skirt as mounted on a stiffened taffeta petticoat, so a petticoat or a stiff slip is a great way to give a full skirt its shape.
FIT says the poodle skirt followed the same line, a defined waist and full skirt, and reports it as credited to a California designer: simple felt skirts cut in a circle that could carry any embellishment, not just a poodle. The designer's obituary describes the first one at a Hollywood Christmas party in December 1947: a large swath of felt cut into a circle with a hole snipped in the center, and green felt Christmas trees appliqued onto it by hand.
For young men, FIT credits two film stars of the decade with the rise of the white T-shirt, jeans, and greased-back hair seen throughout the 1950s. For girls, it describes party and school looks as almost always paired with white ankle socks and shiny black patent leather shoes, with carefully styled hair and perhaps a ribbon or two bows.
What do you wear for a 50s decades day at school?
For a school decades day, start with what is already in the closet: a white T-shirt and jeans, a scarf tied around a high ponytail, and white ankle socks. Check your school's dress code before you roll the cuffs. History.com notes that the rebel image jeans picked up in 1950s movies spurred a backlash often enforced through dress codes, and a historian it quotes says many of the more traditional parents felt jeans were inappropriate in polite settings such as school or work.
The ready-made school pick
The Girls 1950s Rock and Roll Costume packs a pink and black polka dot outfit, a buckled black belt, and a polka dot neck scarf. It comes in four sizes by age: Small for 4 to 6, Medium for 7 to 9, Large for 10 to 12, and X-Large for 12 to 14, and if your child is between sizes the product page recommends sizing up for comfort. Socks and shoes are your own; white ankle socks and shiny black shoes are the finish FIT describes for girls' looks. Care is hand wash only and air dry, with the pieces washed separately to avoid color transfer.
What do men wear for a 1950s look?
Two great starting points for men's 1950s looks are the white T-shirt and jeans uniform and the drape jacket. The closet version is a white T-shirt, jeans or dark pants, a jacket, and hair combed back with a little product; that route works for boys too, in their own sizes.
The men's jacket pick
The Men's Red Teddy Boy Costume is built around a red suit jacket, and the pack adds a white shirt insert and a black slim necktie. It is sized for adults in Medium, Large, and XL, and the product page suggests sizing up if you are between sizes. Pants and shoes are yours: plain black pants and dark shoes let the jacket carry the look. Care is hand wash only, no machine wash, air dry flat, and store the jacket on a hanger so it keeps its shape.
The greaser and rock-icon builds have their own guides: our guide to 1950s greaser and rockabilly looks and our 50s rock legend costume guide.
What do women wear to a 50s themed party?
Women's 50s party looks start with a fitted top and a full circle skirt over a petticoat, finished with a neck scarf and a high ponytail. To make the skirt, copy the original no-sew pattern: a felt circle with a hole cut in the center.
If you would rather buy the whole look, the 1950s costumes collection carries costumes for women, men, and kids, plus wigs, and the product page for each is where to check what is in the box and the sizes before you order. Our 60s dress up guide covers the next decade.
Can you wear a 50s look on a Halloween night out?
Yes, and a great way to do it is to let one piece carry the decade and keep the rest plain. A circle skirt with a felt motif, or a red drape jacket over dark clothes, gives the era away at a glance. Skip the petticoat in a crowd; the waist and skirt, or the jacket and slim tie, already say the decade. More ideas sit in our Halloween costumes collection.
What do you wear to a sock hop?
A sock hop was an informal dance for teenagers, often held in a school gym, so the outfit is a full skirt or cuffed jeans with white ankle socks and shoes that can come off or take a spin. Wikipedia explains the name as dancers taking off their shoes to protect the varnished gym floor and notes dances were publicized as sock hops as early as 1943. With the shoes off, the socks are on show: wear a clean white pair.
How much does hair change a 50s look?
Hair is a great place to start, and plenty of shoppers begin there. Between April 22 and October 11, 2026, 10 of 19 US orders on our site that included a 1950s-named item had a 1950s-named wig and no 1950s-named costume. FIT describes greased-back hair as pervasive for young men in the decade and, for girls, carefully styled hair perhaps with a ribbon or two bows, which makes hair a quick way to nod to the era.
For a closet version, comb hair back with a little product for the men's look, and tie a scarf around a high ponytail for the women's. If your own hair will not cooperate, our 1950s costumes collection carries wigs next to the costumes.
Frequently asked questions
How do you dress like the 50s?
Start with a defined waist and a full skirt, or a white T-shirt and jeans with a jacket, then add one finish such as a neck scarf, white ankle socks, or greased-back hair. FIT describes the nipped-in waist and full skirt as the leading style for women until the mid-1950s, and the white T-shirt, jeans, and greased-back hair as pervasive for young men.
What do you wear to a 50s themed party?
Women can wear a fitted top with a full circle skirt and a scarf, and men a white T-shirt, jeans or dark pants, and a jacket with hair combed back. For a ready-made jacket, the Men's Red Teddy Boy Costume packs a red suit jacket, a white shirt insert, and a black slim necktie in Medium, Large, and XL.
What do you wear for a 50s dress up day at school?
A white T-shirt, jeans, and a scarf tied around a ponytail cover it from the closet, and your school's dress code is worth checking before you go. The Girls 1950s Rock and Roll Costume is a ready-made option in four age sizes from 4 to 14.
What is a poodle skirt?
A poodle skirt is a simple felt skirt cut in a circle, often with an appliqued poodle, though FIT notes it could carry any embellishment. FIT reports it as credited to a California designer and calls it perhaps one of the most enduring images of everyday fashion in the fifties. You will find a poodle dress costume in our 1950s costumes collection.
What is a sock hop, and what do you wear to one?
A sock hop was an informal dance for teenagers, often held in a school gym; the name is usually explained as dancers removing their shoes to protect the gym floor. Wear a full skirt or cuffed jeans with clean white ankle socks and flat shoes.
