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Fashion History

1950's Fashion Overview

1950s clothing experimented with a variety of silhouettes and styles, so when it comes to 1950s dresses, the options were incredible!

To begin, the “New Look,” as coined by Christian Dior, became a popular 1950s clothing aesthetic early in the decade and set the tone for designs of the era. 1950s dresses became rounded, with ballerina length hems and cinched waists for a delicate, feminine hourglass look.

The sheath dress was another design that created the desired silhouette of the decade, as the form-fitting material clung to natural curves. Ornate necklines also came into vogue; many dresses were constructed with jeweled or peter pan collars, or jazzed up with low-cut necklines for a feminine touch.

At Rouge Boutique, we love feminine dresses with flattering silhouettes, collared dresses, and detailed necklines on both dressy and casual items!

As the decade continued, so did the feminine dresses, but with more styles. Halter style dresses that developed in the 1930s as a part of eveningwear received a more casual approach; halter sundresses with cute, vibrant patterns like gingham and floral became popular.

The shirt dress also came to be during this era as a casual-yet-cute option for housewives. And as daytime clothing and eveningwear grew further apart in dressiness, the cocktail dress came about as the answer to fashion qualms of what to wear to semi-formal events.

Whether you choose to don casual-chic shirt dresses, darling printed dresses, or cocktail dressed with a rhinestone collar, you’re sure to evoke 1950s style and get the Rouge Boutique look.

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If you're like us and love retro, retro music, retro handbags, pin up hosiery, vintage swimwear, retro dresses, classic cars, and classic pin-ups, we can help find what you are looking for.

Shop from our website for shoes, dresses, old Hollywood fashion, retro style jewelry, retro prom dresses, formal dresses, brides maids dresses, handbags, and pinup accessories. Let us special order your vintage style outfit.

So here is one of the most common questions we get at Rouge Boutique. "Are your clothes Vintage?" "Are they retro?" Well we do carry a little bit of everything.

Hopefully the following definitions will help clarify what we carry at

Rouge Boutique Half Moon Bay...

RETRO CLOTHING-short for retrospective, or "vintage style" usually refers to clothing that imitates the style of a previous era. Reproduction, or reproduced, clothing is a newly-made, copy of an older garment. Clothing produced more recently is usually called modern or contemporary fashion. Opinions vary on these definitions.

VINTAGE CLOTHING-Generally speaking, clothing which was produced before the 1920s is referred to as antique clothing and clothing from the 1920s to 20 years before the present day is considered vintage.

VINTAGE INSPIRED- Yes all of the clothing lines are Vintage Reproduction. Every designer has a different take on what this definition really means. Every clothing company is unique in there own way.

Be sure to visit our store location located in Historic Downtown Half Moon Bay. Rouge Boutique has become a staple store in the community and we continue to offer hard to find styles to the San Francisco Bay Area. We are accessible to all parts of Northern California. Rouge Boutique is located 30 miles South of San Francisco and 40 miles North of San Jose. Be sure to stop by and take a look at what we can offer!

Looking for Retro Bridal attire? We can dress your whole bridal party for your special day. Please call 650.726.3626650.726.3626 to set up an appointment so we can go over every available option with you.

Rouge Boutique is also a great place to find that perfect dress for Formal, Prom and Graduation! let us help you look your best on that special day.

We offer free delivery in the Half Moon Bay to Pacifica area. Please call for details.