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1950s
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New Look

The hourglass silhouette continued well beyond Dior’s debut. Later coats and dresses show designers adapting its proportions to different materials, construction and occasions.

Defined waistFuller skirtShaped hips and soft shoulders

About New Look

The New Look continued to shape 1950s dress through a defined waist, shaped hips and generous skirts, often supported from within. These later examples show adaptations of the proportions associated with Dior’s 1947 debut, rather than one unchanged collection. His New-York coat carries the line into outerwear; other designers explored different skirt volumes, fabrics and decoration. A shared silhouette does not make these garments identical in construction, price or occasion.

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FIT Fashion History Timeline: 1950–1959The Metropolitan Museum of Art: collection recordMuseum at FIT: Trend-ologyThe Met: Christian Dior
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