We were not complaining when glamour came bouncing back.

It was a time for looking forward. And as soon as it became possible that’s just what people did. Optimism was epitomised by a new style of dress influenced by the Christian Dior ‘Corolle’ collection. This style came to be known as the New Look, because its daring form hadn’t been seen - and probably wouldn’t have been allowed – before.

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This 'New Look' dress shows the optimism of post-war Britain. Unlike utility clothing, it uses a lot of fabric and is made of ultramodern nylon. The popular 'New Look' style emphasised a nipped-in waist and created an increasing interest in corsetry. Lingerie was one of the most fashion-conscious areas of the business and was regularly updated. This item is a sample from a wearer trial in 1959. Hats were extremely popular in the 1950s because they provided an easy and cheap way to update an outfit. This example is made of straw and has the St Michael Regd logo on it. These Swiss Rolls were sold in the late 1950s. The packaging was designed by our in-house food packaging designer, Charlie Wilkinson, who handpainted the design. This dress was donated by Mrs P. Nicholson, who describes how 'they were worn by all five of my daughters and the hems went up and down depending on which child wore them. They were last worn by our twins'. This stuffed cat was donated to the archive by Lesley Hughes, who purchased it in October 1954 for 9s 11d. This was an extremely popular toy, and was featured in the staff magazine twice – first in an advertisement in 1954, and then in an "At the Factory" special about its production in 1957.

1950-1960 In Depth

Rationing continued, but there was a positive side. It had shown people that fashion wasn’t just for the rich, but was accessible to everyone. And it also had to be practical – to wash well and last longer. In response, Marks & Spencer put a lot of effort into improving products as well as experimenting with new technologies and fabrics.

We took a man-made fabric we had created in the war and made it into a popular line of dresses influenced by Parisian designers. This fabric was known as Utility Schedule 1005 in wartime, but was now renamed Marspun.

By 1955 fashion finally had the chance to rebel against the harsh conditions of the war years. The New Look dress was based upon the ‘Corolle’ collection by Christian Dior, and became very popular. It used a lavish amount of material and went against all the utility clothing regulations. When he saw this new trend the President of the Board of Trade said, "There should be a law against it".

In 1957 we decided to improve sizing for ready-to-wear clothes (like tailored ‘super-fit’ nylon stockings), which we created through surveys of women’s bodies. Very fitting indeed.

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