New Look

ニュールック / 1947–1950s / Style / Fashion History

Cinched waists and long skirts of lavish fabric turned away from wartime utility clothing and brought the curve back, opening the golden age of postwar couture.

New Look — Display at a Dior exhibition (CC BY-SA 3.0) · © shakko
Display at a Dior exhibition (CC BY-SA 3.0) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · © shakko
New Look — Dior cocktail dress 1959–60 (CC BY 2.0) · © Regan Vercruysse
Dior cocktail dress 1959–60 (CC BY 2.0) · CC BY 2.0 · © Regan Vercruysse
New Look — ロブ・ヒリアー〈ニュールックのモデル、ニューサウスウェールズ州立図書館階段〉1950 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
ロブ・ヒリアー〈ニュールックのモデル、ニューサウスウェールズ州立図書館階段〉1950 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

At a glance

Visual cues

  • Hourglass silhouettes
  • Abundant fabric
  • Rounded shoulders
  • Formality restored

Best used for

  • Making a single occasion garment where fabric and handwork are not spared
  • Declaring luxury again after a stretch of pure practicality

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Dictionary entry

Type
Keep the name on an inside label and let the curve speak
Composition
Take a strong difference between bust and hip and drop the weight low
Material
Build the shape with interfacing and padding, never skimping on lining
Caution
Copying the outline while leaving out the internal construction lets the weight of the cloth win, the skirt drops and the shape collapses.
Further study
Christian Dior, the Bar Suit, 1947 / the end of fabric rationing / the protests against the New Look

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https://indexstyle.org/styles/new-look
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[New Look — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/new-look)
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