The Vintage Inn

As the temperatures rise and the sun shines brighter, it’s time to start thinking about your summer wardrobe (Summer officially starts June 20th). And what better way to get inspiration than by flipping through the pages of a Sears 1955 Spring / Summer catalog?

From flowy sundresses to high-waisted shorts, this catalog is filled with timeless pieces that still have a place in our closets today. So grab your lemonade, put on your cat-eye sunglasses, and join us as we dive into the world of summer fashion in the 1950s.

(NOTE: click the link above to visit the entire catalog. IT’S HUGE!)

1950s Vintage Fashion as seen in a 1955 Spring / Summer Sears Catalog featuring an image of two women in 1950s full swing skirt floral dresses.

All images from ‘christmas.musetechical.com’

The 1950s Spring / Summer Fashions for Women

“This is the year for dresses with matched accessories”. Parasol & dress for only $8.98.

1950s Fashion / Vintage Summer Outfit as seen in a 1955 Sears Spring / Summer Catalog. The 1950s dress fabric has umbrellas on it that matches her parasol

“This is the year to look smooth. The smooth, slim dress looks smartest in navy or black”. You can also call this style “the wiggle dress”.

1950s Vintage Fashion as seen in a 1955 Spring / Summer Sears Catalog featuring an image of a woman in a 1950s Wiggle Dress

1950s fashion a womens wiggle dress or slim dress as seen in a 1955 Spring Summer Sears Catalog

” This is the year for the Petticoat Dress. Ours are the finest, fullest and most flattering we’ve seen for only $10.98″.

The dress on the right is gorgeous and very on trend for this year as floral dresses are being seen all over town.

1950s fashion - The Petticoat Dress / a 1950s Fit and Flare dress style as seen in a 1955 Spring Summer Catalog from Sears

1950s Fashion: Petticoat Dress / Fit & Flare Dress Style. One of the 1950s dresses is a Floral dress. All dresses seen in a 1955 Spring / Summer Sears Catalog

“This is the year for new elegance in dresses that wash” & “This is the year for pleats and these wash!”

1950s fashion for Spring Sumer 1955 featuring women's 1950s fit and flare dresses and housedress in stripes, polka dots and floral

1950s fashion for women as seen in a 1955 Spring Summer Sears Catalog featuring women dresses with pleats

“This is the year to go formal”. Women’s 1950s evening dresses. AND “This is the year

1950s fashion: Women's 1950s evening dresses as seen in a 1955 Spring Summer Sears Catalog

1950s Fashion: Women's 1950s party dresses in the full skirt style of the 50s as seen in a 1955 Spring Summer Sears Catalog

“This is the year get more for $5.98” (Like a floral swing skirt dress, coat dress or a stripped flare skirt dress). AND “This is the year for Caribana cottons. They’re washfast…won’t shrink over 1%..wrinkle resistant”. LOVE the patterns on the skirts (the one in the middle is drummer boys and they are calling it a ‘dirndl skirt’).

1950s Fashion: Women's Floral Swing Skirt dress, coat dress & flared dress as seen in a 1955 Spring Summer Sears Catalog

1950s Fashion: Women's Full Skirt Patterned Skirts & Patterned Summer Dress as seen in a 1955 Sears Spring Summer Catalog

In these 1950s dresses, you will be able to take them from Spring right into Summer. What one is your favourite (I like the top middle floral dress with the bolero cardigan)?

1950s women's fashions for Spring & Summer as seen in a 1955 Sears Catalog. The catalog page features 1950s dresses in stripes, florals, polka dots and more!

“Skirts & blouses that go together” and “Fashion Separates add up to a versatile wardrobe for city and country wear”.

Love all the combinations of floral full skirts with blouses, blouses with shorts, blouses with capri pants. How fun and a great way to haves o many fun combinations for summer!

1950s Fashion: Women's Fashions for summer that go together and interchange. 1950s skirts with blouses and blouses with shorts or capri pants and jackets. Fun!

“New Junior Cottons” for young Women’s 50’s dresses.

1950s Fashion: Junior Women's Dresses for Summer as seen in a 1955 Sears Spring / Summer Catalog.

‘California styled separates of sportswear denim’. “Sun and fun fashion in brilliant colors to mix or max in the fashion fabric of sportswear…a superior quality denim with new depth and brilliance of color”

These fashions are SO FUN!! Bermuda shorts (love!), pedal pushers, culottes (can I have 2?!), matching bra and shorts, Italian pants and shirt and blouse. You will 100% be the best dressed at your Summer BBQ.

1950s fashion-1950s summer fashions for women featuring Bermuda shorts, pedal pushers, culottes, matching bra and shorts, Italian pants and shirt and blouse. as seen in a 1955 Sears Spring Summer Catalog

The “Sensational New TAB SHIRT” is what caught my eye on this page of fun 1950s tops and blouses. I love the jacket-style look that you can wear open or closed with a belt.

1950s fashion-women's tops and blouses for Summer as seen in a 1955 Sears Spring Summer Catalog

To have a standout Summer dress or skirt, you 100% need to start with a stunning novelty print fabric for your Butterick Pattern design. The “Signed Originals by Famous American Artists” is just what you need!

I love the boat print on the dress at the bottom. What is your favourite?

1950s Fashion: Women's 1950s cotton novelty print fabrics for your 1950s dresses and 1950s skirts as seen in a 1955 Sears Spring Summer Catalog

Women’s 1950s skirts-pleated, tiered, & patterned.

1950s Fashion: Women's 1950s Skirts-Full Skirts with pleats, patterned & tiered as seen in a 1955 Sears Spring Summer Catalog.

Women’s 1950s swimsuits-‘Kerrybrooke Sea Stars’.

Fantastic Women’s 1950s summer shoes (Oxfords, espadrilles & sandals). “Luscious Color!” “Breeze-cool Cotton Play Shoes to wear wherever your summer fun plans take you. Stay-bright colors was as easily as your nylons”.

Further Reading: “Kedettes”-Keds Stylish Women’s Shoe Division

1950s fashion: Women's summer shoes as seen in a 1955 Spring Summer Sears Catalog -Oxfords, espadrilles & sandals.

“Winsome Wedgies”. These wedge Summer shoes will be perfect with any outfit you chose to pair them with.

1950s Fashion: Women's 1950s shoes for Summer-Wedge Shoes as seen in a 1955 Spring Summer Sears Catalog.

1950s Men’s Summer Fashions

“OUTDOOR WEAR for Leisure Hours”. Men’s sports shirts and shorts.

1950s fashions for men-Summer fashions for men shorts and men's shirts from a 1955 Sears Spring Summer Catalog

1950s Men’s Short Sleeve Sport Shirts….”Cool as a Summer breeze”.

‘Sport Style Knit Shirts & Soft, Knit Cotton Terry Cloths shirts for men’.

1950s Fashion: 1950s Men's Sport Shirts for summer as seen in a 1955 Sears Spring / Summer Catalog

It’s swimming time! Summer Beachwear for men. Cabana beach set & swim trunks.

1950s Fashion: 1950s Men's Beachwear-Swim trunks and Cabana sets as seen in a 1955 Spring Summer Sears Catalog.

The “California-Styled Casual Coat & Tropical Slacks” are the perfect look for stylish men in 1955 Summer (and today!).

1950s Fashion: 1950s mens casual jackets, shirts and slacks / pants for summer as seen in a 1955 Spring Summer Sears Catalog.

Thanks for dropping by! Share what your favourite Summer fashions were in the comment section below (or anything else about this topic).

Further Reading: Vintage Summer Blog Posts & Vintage Catalogs (Archived Vintage Inn Blog Posts)

VINTAGE SHOPPING: If you like what you see and you would like to own your own vintage summer fashion piece, I highly recommend Etsy , eBay to do your shopping.

Enjoy your Summer Friends!

Liz

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase

Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 15th and one thing that many dads / men enjoy to do is BBQing / Grilling. I know my husband and my dad is a big fan (and I am a big fan of the food).

1950s vintage photo of two men in Scottish kilts grilling on their BBQ outside of a store opening celebration (Source).

Today’s post is a collection of 1950s BBQ fun. Vintage images, advertising, cookbooks and even some fun vintage items.

Let’s fire up the grill and begin!

1950s Backyard Barbeque illustration of a 1950s housewife setting the table while her husband looks on smiling while cooking his chicken

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

The Weber Grill is Invented & Barbecuing is all the Rage!

1952: George Stephen, a welder at Weber Brothers Metal Works, cuts a metal buoy in half to make a dome-shaped grill. He uses the top half as a lid that seals in flavor and evenly distributes heat, and adds vents to get oxygen to the fire. The iconic Weber grill is born (Source).

Further Reading: A Brief History of the BBQ Grill by Popular Mechanics

1950s vintage image of the creator of Weber Grills, George Stephen showing off his Weber Grills he created in 1952.

Source: Weber.com

Shopping note: On the Weber website they are selling Limited-Edition 70th Anniversary Kettle Collection at WEBER (avail as of June 2024). If you are looking for a grill, off you go!

Available colors from the 1950s were Jet Black, Chestnut Coppertone and Marbleized- a squiggly lined/crazed finish (source).

In 1952, WEBER founder George Stephen introduced a charcoal kettle grill that started a global outdoor cooking revolution. This limited-edition Collection celebrates Weber’s innovative spirit and passion for creating a better grilling experience for people everywhere. Available in four heritage colours with intricate details that reflect American culture in the 1950s, these kettles pay tribute to the past, present, and future of cooking outside.

1950s photo of demoing Weber grills on television.

Fun Fact: WNBQ in Chicago was the first television station in the world to broadcast all of its programming in color (source).

1950s vintage photo of a man in a hat demoing Weber grills on television.

Source: tvwbb.com

The Vintage Photos, Advertisements, Cook Books/Recipes & More!

A 1956 ‘BIG BOY BARBECUE BOOK‘ – “Shows how easy it is to cook on spit or Grill”.

1950s vintage Barbeque cookbook featuring vintage recipes for the bbq or grill -The 1956 Big Boy Barbecue Book. The cover features a dad in a BBQ chefs hat grilling steaks for his family outside.

“A Picture Treasury of Barbecuing-A test recipe institute cook book”.

1950s vintage Barbeque cookbook featuring vintage recipes for the bbq or grill -The 1956 Big Boy Barbecue Book.

Source: Etsy-CathysVintageTrunk

1956 Rheingold beer advertisement featuring “Miss Rheingold 1956-Hillie Merritt” serving up some BBQ.

Further Reading: Let’s Have A Beer! Vintage Beer Advertising

Source: Vintage-ads.livejournal.com

Barbecue for two as seen in a Life Picture Cookbook, 1958.

1950s vintage photo of a couple having a barbeque on their patio in 1958 in their 1950s fashions.

Source: Pinterest

1950’s MCM vintage “Come And Get It” apron featuring a Chef with a barbecue tool.

1950’s MCM vintage "Come And Get It" Barbeque Apron featuring a Chef with a Barbecue tool

Source: eBay

Here is a 1950s man smoking a cigarette while grilling and wearing his own chef’s apron with a fun image on the front.

1950s vintage photo of a man having a BBQ in his backyard while wearing a chef apron and smoking a cigarette

Source: Everyday life in the past

1950s Reynolds Wrap advertisement. “Let’s have a Bar-b-q it’s easy!”

1950s vintage advertising for Reynolds Wrap featuring an illustration of a couple having a barbeque outside while dad grills and kids looks over the fence

Source: Pinterest

1950s vintage Mid Century enamelware platter depicting a BBQ Grill, and all the things to go with it! Fun!

Source: Etsy-UppityWomen

1950s BBQ cookbook: The Terraced Chef offers an array of recipes for meat, seafood, drinks, salads, desserts, For anyone that has dreamed of having a backyard cooking event that features crabs stuffed with avocado and guinea hen, or eggs stuffed with caviar and pheasant, then this book is for you.

This cook book was actually written by ‘Ruth Cheir Rosen (but her husband was given the credit) who was a very popular cook book writer during the mid-century. Learn about Ruth and see her cook books & some recipes in my blog post, ‘Dig That Dish-The Coolest Vintage Recipe Book Around‘

Barbecue party planning ideas.

1950s vintage cook book showcasing party planning for your next outdoor barbecue

Source: Etsy-fabfunkyfunvintage

Vintage photo of a happy man grilling in the backyard.

1950s vintage photo of a man grilling steaks in his backyard

Source: eater.com

Stylish 1950s barbecue party.

1950s vintage illustration of well dressed men and women in 1950s fashions having a barbecue

Source: Pinterest

“It’s Cookout Time Start with SPAM for “Kabobs Neapolitan”” 1950s vintage ad.

1950s vintage advertisement for SPAM for a barbecue in the backyard with the family

Source: Vintage-ads.livejournal.com

1950s beach barbecue.

Further Reading: Vintage Photos of people Having fun at the Beach

Source: eBay

1957 “How to Cook Outdoors, Easy as 1-2-3”. “Charcoal Grilling, Spit Barbecuing, Hickory Smoking, Sauces and Seasoning”. Vintage cookbook is from Montgomery Ward.

1950s vintage recipe for how to cook round steak on the barbeque from a vintage cook book from 1957

Source: Etsy-CopperPraire

“Time to flip the sausages!” 1950s photo of a woman barbequing with a makeshift grill stand out of concrete blocks.

1950s vintage photo of a woman having a barbeque and flipping sausages outside of her house.

Source: Etsy-RenascenceVintage

1950s Fashion: 1950’s “Kenrose” Cotton Sundress edged in Black-White Gingham. Front Pockets have Pixie-Type Girls poised at the Barbecue Grill dressed in Matching Gingham Dresses which actually have Pockets which MIRROR their images!