--- title: Vintage Fashion From LIFE Magazine: The Best of the 1950s description: Trace the development of the decade's smartest looks, as seen on the cover of LIFE Magazine canonical: https://time.com/4143569/see-the-best-fashions-of-the-1950s/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-02T12:00:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:46:46.497Z og:title: Vintage Fashion From LIFE Magazine: The Best of the 1950s og:description: From pleats to parasols to ponytails og:url: https://time.com/4143569/see-the-best-fashions-of-the-1950s/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d0d486123b75204/698874b22dce0112659e6e15/151209-1950s-life-covers-09.jpg?branch=production&width=733&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 733 og:image:height: 412 og:image:alt: March 5, 1951 cover of LIFE magazine. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Vintage Fashion From LIFE Magazine: The Best of the 1950s twitter:description: From pleats to parasols to ponytails twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d0d486123b75204/698874b22dce0112659e6e15/151209-1950s-life-covers-09.jpg?branch=production&width=733&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See the Best Fashions of the 1950s > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) May 2, 2016 12:00 PM UTC  March 5, 1951 cover of LIFE magazine. March 5, 1951 cover of LIFE magazine. Gordon Parks—LIFE Magazine by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) May 2, 2016 12:00 PM UTC On Monday evening, the biggest names in fashion will gather in New York City for the annual Met Gala. With the [documentary](http://www.firstmondayinmay.com/) _The First Monday in May_ having recently shed light on the gala’s behind-the-scenes elements, the world is sure to be paying as much attention as ever to the looks that come down the red carpet. And the celebrity invitees are sure to take their own stabs at interpreting this year’s theme—”[fashion in an age of technology](http://www.metmuseum.org/press/news/2015/ci-spring-2016-exhibition)“—with futuristic looks. But, even as designers look to the future, it’s worth remembering that today’s fashions are never truly divorced from those of the past. With that in mind, take a look back at the fashions of the 1950s, as shown on the cover of LIFE Magazine. Throughout the decade, the magazine traced the evolution of fashion from demure tailored shirts and classic beach looks to casual college trends and elegant evening wear. (And, of course, “canasta pajamas.”) For those whose preferred looks are less sci-fi and more retro, the photographs can be a trove of inspiration. _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk)_._  January 23, 1950 cover of LIFE magazine. Gordon Parks—LIFE Magazine  March 13, 1950 cover of LIFE magazine. Gjon Mili—LIFE Magazine  April 24, 1950 cover of LIFE magazine. Milton H. Greene—LIFE Magazine  May 15, 1950 cover of LIFE magazine. Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  June 19, 1950 issue of LIFE magazine. Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  September 11, 1950 cover of LIFE magazine. Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  October 30, 1950 cover of LIFE magazine. Martha Holmes—LIFE Magazine  February 12, 1951 cover of LIFE magazine. Milton H. Greene—LIFE Magazine  March 5, 1951 cover of LIFE magazine. Gordon Parks—LIFE Magazine  May 21, 1951 cover of LIFE magazine. Milton H. Greene—LIFE Magazine  December 3, 1951 cover of LIFE magazine. Sharland—LIFE Magazine  January 7, 1952 cover of LIFE magazine. Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  February 25, 1952 issue of LIFE magazine. Nina Leen—LIFE Magazine  April 14, 1952 issue of LIFE magazine. Mark Shaw—LIFE Magazine  June 2, 1952 issue of LIFE magazine. Mark Shaw—LIFE Magazine  June 23, 1952 issue of LIFE magazine. Christa—LIFE Magazine  August 25, 1952 issue of LIFE magazine. John Raymond Solowinski—LIFE Magazine  September 8, 1952 issue of LIFE magazine. Milton H. Greene—LIFE Magazine  November 24, 1952 issue of LIFE magazine. Milton H. Greene—LIFE Magazine  January 26, 1953 issue of LIFE magazine. Lisa Larsen—LIFE Magazine  March 9, 1953 issue of LIFE magazine. Philippe Halsman—LIFE Magazine  May 11, 1953 issue of LIFE magazine. Milton H. Greene—LIFE Magazine  July 27, 1953 issue of LIFE magazine. William Helburn—LIFE Magazine  October 12, 1953 issue of LIFE magazine. Sharland—LIFE Magazine  December 21, 1953 issue of LIFE magazine. Sharland—LIFE Magazine  February 1, 1954 issue of LIFE magazine. William Helburn—LIFE Magazine  April 12, 1954 issue of LIFE magazine. Mark Shaw—LIFE Magazine  June 14, 1954 issue of LIFE magazine. Christa—LIFE Magazine  June 28, 1954 issue of LIFE magazine. Paul Himmel—LIFE Magazine  May 16, 1955 issue of LIFE magazine. Mark Shaw—LIFE Magazine  September 5, 1955 issue of LIFE magazine. Mark Shaw—LIFE Magazine  December 5, 1955 issue of LIFE magazine. Mark Shaw—LIFE Magazine  January 9, 1956 issue of LIFE magazine. Mark Shaw—LIFE Magazine  May 14, 1956 issue of LIFE magazine. Mark Shaw—LIFE Magazine  September 23, 1957 issue of LIFE magazine. Milton H. Greene—LIFE Magazine  January 27, 1958 issue of LIFE magazine. Loomis Dean—LIFE Magazine  March 11, 1958 issue of LIFE magazine. William Helburn—LIFE Magazine  August 11, 1958 issue of LIFE magazine. Paul Schutzer—LIFE Magazine  March 2, 1959 issue of LIFE magazine. Milton H. Greene—LIFE Magazine  November 16, 1959 issue of LIFE magazine. Jack Robinson—LIFE Magazine ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4143569/see-the-best-fashions-of-the-1950s/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4143569/see-the-best-fashions-of-the-1950s/"},"headline":"See the Best Fashions of the 1950s","datePublished":"2016-05-02T12:00:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:46:46.497Z","description":"From pleats to parasols to ponytails","url":"https://time.com/4143569/see-the-best-fashions-of-the-1950s/","keywords":["fashion","Newsfeed","photography","LIFE Magazine","1950s"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d0d486123b75204/698874b22dce0112659e6e15/151209-1950s-life-covers-09.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Liz Ronk","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4d0d486123b75204/698874b22dce0112659e6e15/151209-1950s-life-covers-09.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"March 5, 1951 cover of LIFE magazine.","caption":"March 5, 1951 cover of LIFE magazine.","creditText":"Gordon Parks—LIFE Magazine","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/fashion/","name":"fashion"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4143569/see-the-best-fashions-of-the-1950s/","name":"See the Best Fashions of the 1950s"}}]}] ```