The Fit and Flare: Get Your 1950s On

The Fit and Flare: Get Your 1950s On
By Beaut.ie  | Feb 13, 2015

The 1950s was one of my favourite style eras. Voluminous skirts, cinched in waists, and it was all about Grease Lightening! And you know how fashion is cyclical right? Well, that puffy skirt look is all the rage now!

Technically known as the "fit and flare" those mid-length, tulle-fuelled skirts are what we know as the most iconic look of the era. But we cannot forget the twinset and the cropped trouser either. Celeb land has been paying attention, especially on the red carpet with some taking it right to the extreme!

Zooey Deschanel; Juliette Lewis, Lilah Parsons and Kelly Osbourne all love the skirt!

There have been varied styling techniques of the classic skirt recently, with my favourite being Juliette Lewis channeling the floral trend and the dark block colour on top. It's balanced and with that dimmed hem at the back, there's a contemporary edge to the traditional style.

But my tip to get the look right from the start, is keep it nice and pared back to experiment with the look, before fine tuning and adding in some trends, a la Kelly Osbourne.

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From left: River Island, €60; New Look, €29.99; Monsoon, €90

The skirt is a great Spring Summer addition and colour is a-plenty. Balance the looks by keeping one piece dark and the other light, whether that's the skirt or the top. I like the separates option as you can more pieces to style with your wardrobe. One key fear about this style is how it emphasise the hips.

Yellow skirt, €155, Coast; Floral skirt, €155, Coast; Floral skirt, €69, Oasis

But really it's about how you wear it that makes it flattering. The midi length needs a heel to elongate, so with a nice high sandal or court shoe, you can keep your calves nice and long.

The waist is key, so when choosing a top, keep to light fabrics that can be tucked in completely to show off the waist band of the skirt.

Pink dress, €229, Fee G; Lace Top and Skirt from Miss Selfridge Spring Summer Collection; Blue dress, €25, iclothing

If you prefer a dress, fear not! Irish label Fee G is the champion of this style for Spring Summer, as well as our favourite high streets. The dress takes the stress out of dressing, as you can just pop it on and go! Perfect for an occasion too! The heel rule still applies and watch out for various necklines in the summer collections; the boat neck and dipped round neck are the ones that are coming to the high street shops!

So you see Olivia Newton-John, eat your heart out! Now beauties, what do you think of the 1950s revival? Is this something you can style up for this summer's series of weddings?