Welcome to Sparkle Designs by Vivia where we create garments influenced by the 1930s to early 1960s.

With thanks to misslillianlove for the use of her photo as our background photo. She is wearing Virginia blouse by Sparkle Designs by Vivia and can be found at:

https://www.instagram.com/misslillianlove/?hl=en

The 1940s fashion-conscious woman incorporated in her wardrobe,

puffed shoulders made popular in 1931 by Elsa Schiaparelli (1890 - 1973) an Italian designer regarded as one of the most prominent figures in fashion, between the two World Wars. 

Actress Joan Crawford helped to make the puffed shoulder styles popular when she wore them in the film "Letty Lynton."

After World War 11 in 1939, women's fashions became increasingly militarized. Jackets, coats, and even dresses in particular were influenced by masculine styles, and shoulder pads became bulkier and were positioned at the top of the shoulder to create a solid look.  Soon the style was universal, found in all garments excepting lingerie, but tapering off later in the decade after the war was over and women yearned for a softer more feminine look.

During the late 1940s to about 1951, some dresses featured a soft, smaller shoulder pad with so little padding as to be barely noticeable.  Its function seems to have been to slightly shape the shoulder line.

By the 1950s and 1960s, small padded shoulder pads appeared only in women's jackets and coats - not in dresses, knitwear, or blouses as they had previously during the heyday of the early 1940s.

Beauty came at a price for the fashionable 1950s woman.  To achieve the perfect 1950s figure, women wore corsets in combination with a bra, girdle, or panties.

Pictured below is American actress, Jane Mansfield (1933 - 1967) sporting bullet bra under sweater. By the way, the bullet bra was also popular in the 1940s.