Blouse and full skirt with suspendersA less formal outfit for girls, in a fashion school’s history of the decade.
Dirndl dressSleeveless or with puffed sleeves, and worn over petticoats, a costume encyclopedia says.
Dress with a full skirt and puffed sleevesGirls’ dresses began the decade with a natural waist, a full skirt and puffed sleeves.
Felt circle skirt with a record or music notesRecord players and musical notes were common decorations, a costume encyclopedia says.
Full skirt with a defined waistThe line of the decade: a nipped-in waist over a full skirt led fashion until the mid-fifties.
Petticoat under a full skirtDresses of the decade came with lots of petticoats. One under any full skirt adds swing.
Plaid, stripes or floralsAll three turn up on girls’ clothes of the fifties, a fashion school’s history says.
Pleated skirt and blouseWhat clean-cut girls wore with saddle shoes and bobby socks, a costume encyclopedia says.
Poodle skirtA felt skirt cut in a circle. The decoration could be anything, not only a poodle.
Sheath dressThe slimmer line that came in beside the full skirt as the decade went on.
Twinset over the skirtPoodle skirts were paired with knitted twinsets. A matching top and cardigan reads right.
Jeans and jackets 9
Black leather jacketWorn over the T-shirt and jeans in the greaser look. Any dark jacket you own will pass.
Blue jeans and a white T-shirtThe look that swept the decade for young men, a fashion school’s history says.
Knitted sweater or cardiganBoys wore them as jackets and blazers grew less common, a fashion school’s history says.
Letter jacket or letter sweaterWool with leather sleeves and a chenille letter: that look was set by the 1930s.
Pedal pushers with a matching topAn American designer introduced the pair in the fifties, a fashion school’s history says.
Short-sleeved collared shirt in a bright patternA popular everyday shirt for boys, a fashion school’s history says.
Slim black clothes, a beret and dark glassesThe beatnik look, dated to the fifties in a fashion school’s timeline.
Sports jacket, ironed shirt and tieWhat parents approved of for teen boys, with loose slacks.
Tan chinos and a V-neck sweaterThe clean-cut preppy outfit of the decade, a costume encyclopedia says.
Shoes and socks 8
Blue suede shoesRock and roll fans swapped their white bucks for them, a costume encyclopedia says.
Bobby socksWhite socks worn at ankle length or gathered at the ankle. Popular in the 1940s and 1950s.
Clean socks, for a sock hopDancers took off their shoes to protect the gym floor, which gave the dance its name.
Deck shoesThe other preppy choice, named beside white bucks in a costume encyclopedia.
Polished black or brown loafersPart of the parent-approved outfit for teen boys, a costume encyclopedia says.
Saddle shoesWorn with bobby socks by the clean-cut girls of the decade, a costume encyclopedia says.
White ankle socks with shiny black shoesFor girls, at a party or at school, a fashion school’s history says.
White bucksWhite buck shoes went with chinos in the preppy look.
Hair 6
BouffantHair backcombed until it stands tall on top of the head.
DucktailGrown long and combed back on both sides to meet behind the head.
Greased-back quiffIt went with jeans and a leather jacket. A comb and some gel will hold it for a day.
PonytailA favored hairstyle of the decade, a costume encyclopedia says.
Ribbon or two bows in the hairGirls’ carefully styled hair might be finished with a ribbon or two bows.
Short, neat haircutThe parent-approved cut for boys, a costume encyclopedia says. It needs only a comb.
Accessories 5
Accessories that match each otherMatching sets were the rule for women and girls. Pick one color and repeat it.
Bow on a blouse or a dressBows trimmed girls’ clothes through the decade, a fashion school’s history says.
Class ringA couple going steady swapped class rings, a costume encyclopedia says.
Identification braceletThe other token a steady couple exchanged. A plain chain bracelet reads the same.
Rickrack trimA trim found on girls’ clothes of the fifties. Tack a length to a hem or a collar.
From things you already own 4
Any full skirt with a tucked-in blouseA blouse and a full skirt was an everyday outfit. No poodle is needed.
Felt shape pinned to a skirt you ownA poodle skirt’s decoration could be anything. Cut one from felt and pin it on.
Hair ribbon from the gift-wrap drawerA ribbon in the hair is on record for the decade. Any ribbon ties a ponytail.
White socks folded down at the ankleThat is all a bobby sock is: a white sock worn at ankle length.
Leave for another decade 8
No disco sequinsSequins and satin ruled the dance floor in the seventies, not the fifties.
No flared trousersTight trousers that flare at the hem are a seventies look.
No jelly sandalsPlastic jellies in every color of the rainbow are an eighties shoe.
No leggings with an off-the-shoulder sweatshirtThat is the dance-wear fashion of the eighties.
No maxi skirtThe full-length maxi arrived in 1969, with the hippie look.
No miniskirtSkirts stayed below the knee in the late fifties. The mini is a mid-sixties look.
No shoulder padsWide shoulder pads belong to the eighties.
No tie-dyeThe tie-dye craze began only in the late 1960s.
How this list was compiled
The 51 things to wear, and the line under each, were written for this page on 2026-10-13; no list was copied. What a row says was worn in the 1950s comes from three places. The Fashion History Timeline of the Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, 1950 to 1959 (https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1950-1959/), read on 2026-10-12: the poodle skirt, twinsets, the full skirt and the sheath, pedal pushers, the white T-shirt, jeans, leather jacket and quiff, beatniks, and what boys and girls wore; its pages for 1960 to 1969 (https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1960-1969/), 1970 to 1979 (https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1970-1979/) and 1980 to 1989 (https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1980-1989/) for the looks that belong to later decades. Fashion, Costume, and Culture, a reference work published by Gale, in the entry Rock 'n' Roll Style as hosted by Encyclopedia.com (https://www.encyclopedia.com/fashion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rock-n-roll-style), read on 2026-10-12: saddle shoes, bobby socks, pleated skirts, dirndl dresses and petticoats, the ponytail and the bouffant, chinos, white bucks, loafers, the ducktail, blue suede shoes, decorations on poodle skirts, class rings and identification bracelets. English Wikipedia, as its articles stood on 2026-10-07: Bobby sock (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_sock), Sock hop (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sock_hop) and Letterman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letterman_(sports)) for the letter jacket; and on 2026-10-09: Tie-dye (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tie-dye). The second half of a line is our own advice on putting the look together from an ordinary wardrobe. Your school's dress code still applies on a theme day. Left out on purpose: films, songs, stars and brands of the decade, prices, and anything about body shape. Licence: own work
How it works
What should I wear for 50s day at school? A full skirt with a blouse, or blue jeans with a white T-shirt, and white ankle socks. These 51 fifties looks include four built from clothes you already own.
Read the full guide
Clean-cut or rock and roll
A costume encyclopedia sorts the decade’s teenagers in two. The clean-cut wore saddle shoes, bobby socks and pleated skirts, or chinos, V-neck sweaters and white bucks. Rock and roll fans wore tight jeans, T-shirts and black leather jackets, or felt poodle skirts. Pick a side and the outfit follows.
A theme day still follows the school dress code, so check the rules on hats and hair products first.
Pin the felt shape on with safety pins, and the skirt is yours again after school.
Questions and answers
What should I wear to a fifties themed party?
The same looks as for a school day: a poodle skirt or any full skirt with a blouse, bobby socks and saddle shoes, or jeans, a white T-shirt and a dark jacket with your hair combed back.
What should boys wear for 50s day?
Blue jeans and a plain white T-shirt with hair combed back is the rock and roll look. For the clean-cut look, wear tan chinos with a V-neck sweater and loafers, or an ironed shirt and tie.
What can I wear for 50s day with clothes I already own?
Jeans and a white T-shirt need nothing else. Or tuck a blouse into any full skirt, fold white socks down to the ankle, tie a ponytail with a ribbon and pin a felt shape to the skirt.
What is a poodle skirt?
A simple felt skirt cut in a circle, with a decoration on it. A fashion school’s history credits it to a California designer and notes the decoration could be anything. Record players and musical notes were common.
What should I not wear for 50s day?
Anything from a later decade. Miniskirts are a mid-sixties look, tie-dye became a fad in the late sixties, flared trousers and disco sequins are seventies, and shoulder pads and leggings are eighties.