The Fashion of 1955: Montgomery Ward Spring/Summer Catalog from 1955

Hello friends! Well, it was a long and exciting week so let's just sit and chat about some vintage fashion! This Montgomery Ward 1955 Spring/Summer catalog has SO many gorgeous things in it, and makes me want to sew! I adore looking through these fashion catalogs and seeing all of the options a 1950s gal had for dressing well. The colors! The prints! The details! I swoon. What was your favorite item?
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[@WithLoveKristina]

Big thing I forgot to mention! A vintage misses size 20 is approx a size 12-14 now. I have several dresses from this era marked 20 and they fit me as a dress size 14ish myself ❤️ (as long as the skirt is flared, that is)

[@almostheavenhomestead1680]

they changed the sizes after the 80s... I wore size 5 jeans in high school in 84 and now I fit in 3 and sometimes 1????? sewing patterns are the only thing with true sizes anymore. I'm a 14 in sewing patterns usually.. sometimes a 16 depending on which brand. it's alll different now. Also people were not as plus as they are now. diets were different and no GMO foods or "lowfat" stuff that just does the opposite of what it says. and girdles. lol.

[@zeusathena26]

@@almostheavenhomestead1680 yeah, my grandmother wouldn't go anywhere with out her girdle on. She wore it under her housecoat! She had 8 kids though. 😁

[@almostheavenhomestead1680]

@@zeusathena26 i miss girdles and how we used to dress everyone looks like a bum or a streetwalker anymore

[@KerrieBerrie]

@@almostheavenhomestead1680 We don't really do "hating other people's bodies and fashion choices" here. ;)

[@almostheavenhomestead1680]

@@KerrieBerrie no one is hating.

[@DJ-mu3ev]

Yes. I would love a catalog series, especially the furniture, kitchen stuff, and decor. Such a fun video.

[@jessieborrell1856]

I love looking through these catalogs! So much fun

[@WithLoveKristina]

Aren't they dreamy?

[@roseystroup]

I love this episode. It is so cool you got a Montgomery catalog

[@angelakalmer1852]

We have the same taste & size. Could you do a tutorial on how to sew? I would love to learn how to sew! You're awesome! Keep it up! I love you channel!

[@LiaBunny93]

My mom was a seamstress, and she was born in 55. All of these dresses are so beautiful!

[@kkricket1968]

The dresses and shoes were so beautiful in that catalog. I thoroughly enjoyed this video.

[@chelsea-t]

I wish clothes were made now like back then!! By measuring our body then making the clothes to fit, not trying to make our bodies fit into a certain size! 💖 So many beautiful pieces! I love the swimsuits!

[@dandanjordan]

Agreed

[@ljhw8076]

This is soo me looking at 40s - 50s fashion! I want that! 😆. Also the set up is fine. I always say, work with what you have, until you get what you want.🤗

[@DWhoLover]

This is so much fun. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[@watsonmelon6575]

All the dresses are simply so dreamy!

[@ktrayan1]

There are sooooo many dresses to choose from!

[@brendas.7335]

Loved this video SO much!! I could watch this every day for sewing ideas! So much fun!! The children’s section would be great as well. 50’s kids clothes are so adorable! 😁

[@carolmccormick1628]

I enjoyed the catalogue. Please do more of the videos.

[@LiaBunny93]

Awh, love Laci Fay!

[@merrilynblackmore6962]

I remember looking through those catalogs saying… I want this and this and I really really want that. I always loved the clothes.

[@tinalehr3481]

I have a photo on my wall of my mother in a dress similar to these. She told me the picture was taken after I was born. She looked so beautiful in that dress. Always has been my favorite photo of her.

[@apace903]

Very enjoyable. My Mom wore the long leg panties, long line girdles, and Grandmom wore the oxford tie shoes. Grandma had white for summer, black for the rest of the year. Flat for everyday and some with small heel for dressup. Oh, Grandma wore corsetts all her life. Thank you fir another fun video😊

[@johnmills34YT]

I feel the same as you, just give me all the dresses!! Love this video!

[@VictoriasRoses]

I absolutely LOVE this video. If you go through other categories even men and children's. I would love it. I agree about the slips and undergarments. I finally found a good slip on Walmart of all places that is not shapewear. I think that a lot of the things in this catalog were probably made in the USA. Not anymore are they made here, so we do not have these fashions available as much just basic is what we get. I live in Oregon so I love this catalog is from here.

[@VictoriasRoses]

Yes do a series. I love it!

[@KatieRae_AmidCrisis]

So enjoy 'guided tours' thru vintage catalogues like this. I'm a Brit, and it always makes me wonder what mail-order offerings there were in the UK, at the same point in history.

[@bethanypetersen7005]

I'd love to see the kids and toys sections. So interesting, thank you 😊

[@thatvintagehousewife1308]

I loved this video, so much fun getting to see the catalogue! I would love to see the homeware section in another video. I really need to get back into sewing again, too... I have a reasonable "collection" (ahem, hoard) of fabric just waiting for me to actually do something with it all 😂 it can be hard to find the time/focus to sit down and sew when you have littles, too!

[@slothburglar]

"It's just going to be me going through all these pages saying "I want that"". That's.... why I'm here.

[@rachelledellinger174]

Yaaaaaaay! Love love love lacy! Love you both!

[@ktrayan1]

I am now dreaming of myself gardening in those house dresses 😂😂 I AM putting snaps on a dress I just made tho! Fancy for modern wear but definitely casual for the 50s hehe.

[@aquaaurora2747]

12:09 a year later but ~your reminder to sew more~ ^^ I also would just drool and be "oOOooOoh I want thaaaat" on many pages. I wish cloths/fabric (frankly everything- technology and tools too) today would last long enough to be repurposed/refitted/reused like in the past, things were made to last better than.

[@EverySingleDollar]

Great video. I loved looking at all the prints in the catalogue. Half sizes were like our modern day petite sizes. 18 1/2 menas Petite 18. For sizes in the 50s just subtract 6 to get a modern day size. Size 12 in the 50s is a modern size 6.

[@katjavoneiff]

Thank you for showing this wonderful magazine. I so love to swipe through this catalogues. I have some old one from the 50s from Germany and will show them on my KZbin account.

[@citrinedreaming]

Watching this less than a year later and you are more than double your subscriber goal! Congratulations!

[@Sabatuar]

I have that top nightgown in the bottom left three in pink. It's honestly nice enough to wear as a sundress with a slip underneath.

[@roxannlegg750]

This was lovely to see such normal sizes in an old catalogue. I have an early 1960's french lace coffee coloured dress, silk underlined in pale coffee, its bust is a 56" and waist is 42" waist. Even better, its low backed style, with a metal zipper at the back, and has a huge amount of ease built into it to increase the bust and waist by another 6" if required. It was locally made by the Myer Emporium, and is my prized possession. I actually wonder if it was the MOTB dress as it came with a sister dress, allmost identical in style, same fabrics, and slightly smaller in proportions, but it sold before I could snatch that one too.

[@yetta1944]

House dresses were made different back then. 2022 could never! Where's the order form? 👗😍

[@SB_McCollum]

@35:00 those long line girdles remind me of the kind of things older ladies (like my grandmother) were wearing at that time. They had first come in like that in the 1920s and they just never changed their personal preference. I think my grandmother still wore dresses made after the 1930s fashions at the latest. (She was born in 1896.) Watch some of the oldest B&W sitcoms of the 50s and 60s and there will be some older women characters who are still anchoring their look in their 20s and 30s, which is fairly common even today.

[@ginam8474]

I enjoyed watching you and what you were pointing at all at the same time. It was fabulous! Not weird at all….don’t fuss. Love these catalogs. Good job.

[@melissaledonne9027]

I used to love the Christmas catalog.

[@debbiecowger4422]

Yes! More, please!

[@susangridley8354]

Oh, yes please do some sewing videos. I quit smoking and am struggling now with accepting the pounds that took the place of nicotine.😬 Your positivity around loving the size you are is so helpful for me right now. I have vintage patterns in my new size but can't bring myself to make anything that big. I need inspiration! 🥺

[@ktrayan1]

I love your earrings.

[@keaghank]

OMG do it all! That sneak peek of the kitchen/home looks especially amazing!

[@debbiewhitelock1552]

LOVE this just getting into the vintage fashion, please share more of this catalogue it is so interesting 😊

[@jesskgarner5772]

Lord I want everything! Sigh. You gotta find an Amish store for slips! They have all the best slips at really reasonable prices. But I’m over in PA so I don’t know if that exists near you.

[@TheVintageGuidebook]

LOVED this!

[@chezamoonangelaiemma497]

Wow beautiful outfits 😍

[@ziggybaker3446]

I don't wear dresses, so I'm very inexperienced with things like this, but how do you know what size you'd need? Did you strictly go by bust size? What if your waist was larger than the size for the bust? Did you then go by waist size and just have it tailored to fit the top??? Everything is so hourglass shaped, but not everyone comes proportioned like that. Personally, I have such a difficult time with dresses because of my proportions so I never wear them and instead would always opt for a blouse and skirt, but so many of these are beautiful I feel left out hahaha

[@sallyeve4044]

So interesting, the year I was born!

[@therewillbecatswithgwenhwyfar]

I was born in Renton and grew up in Vancouver and Kitsap county! I’m in NH now!

[@WithLoveKristina]

I was born in Olalla!

[@therewillbecatswithgwenhwyfar]

@@WithLoveKristina I graduated from SKHS! LOL. Class of 1987!

[@CoraJean19]

When I was a kid my dad would plop a Monkey Wards catalog in my lap in November, and voila! How did Santa know what I wanted for Christmas?!

[@WithLoveKristina]

Haha we do this but with Walmart and Target catalogs 😂

[@rosemarygreen2001]

You can still shop at Montgomery Ward through their catalog. I believe all the physical stores have closed. I bought my new microwave from them.

[@italianbaby]

Hi love your channel and Laci fay's. question, Laci hasn't posted in 2 months, is she ok? thanks.

[@WithLoveKristina]

She is! She’s doing well, just had some work changes that have taken away her ability to film.

[@italianbaby]

@@WithLoveKristina thanks for the quick reply, have a wonderful day.

[@angelakalmer1852]

I wish I could share a picture with you. I just checked out 1950 vintage style clothes on Amazon. A black polka dotted dress with white fringe at the bottom with strawberries on it for only $33.95 for XXL (size 20 - 22). I hope you'll take a look at it.

[@seamslegit641]

The dress you took a picture of that you like, gertie has a tutorial on KZbin of the same dress on how to make it.

[@thejaneymac6385]

You look so pretty ❤️

[@sunraedollsewvintage1814]

I could always make you a pair of vintage shorts, my patterns go up to an 57 in. Wide hip 🙌🏻 Let me know! They are pretty easy to make 💋 especially the basic Bermuda length ones.

[@gohawks3571]

Yay! Celebrate real life👍👍👍 I thought you guys knew each other in person; didn't at least one of you give the other clothes? I guess you can ship stuff, just slightly surprised. I am happy you got to see each other!☺️ Do you mind if I whine a bit? Because I am really tired of the liposuction commercials😡 It came here, when I was just watching/reading that someone got fit, and my sweet cleaning lady & housewife who was just delivering a beautiful baby. I hate you very much, Sonabella!!!! If something causes me to use this kinda service (I don't see why), I will NOT be using your stupid services. Just because I was watching a pregnant lady. Geez, jerks!!!! Thank you for reading my rant😉 Sorry, just is pissing me off. I am definitely a plus girl😉

[@ktrayan1]

Has anyone ever seen a picture of their great grandmother from the 50s? Born around the 1910s? lol mine are all plus sized!

[@anacolon7709]

I AM SO GLAD 4 U THAT U GOT 2 MEET UP WIT LACY FAE.U R SO LUCKY.I WISH I KOULD MEET U AN HER IN PERSON.I WOOD B SO HAPPY NOTHIN LIKE THAT EVER EVER HAPPENS 4 ME.I JUST HOPE B4 I PASS AWAY I KAN MEET MY FAVORITE PPL

[@ktrayan1]

No people really don’t know about slips! They’re actually the only vintage garments I own because I can’t find nice ones modern made!

[@make_it_aesthetic]

All this has taught me is that you can do a hella lot with a single silhouette.

[@zeusathena26]

My grandmother got life insurance through Montgomery Ward. They died before she did. She lived to be 98, born in 21. The insurance was bought by another company.

[@Swiss1974]

You should make them according to people’s sizes and sell them. It’s hard to find nice tasteful dresses.

[@melissacarney4645]

Montgomery ward is still around. Not quite the dress selection though.