Plaid has long been a staple in fashion, but there’s something especially captivating about the way it was worn in the 1940s and 1950s. Vintage photos from this era capture the charm and versatility of plaid, whether it’s on crisp suit jackets, cozy flannel shirts, or chic dresses. Plaid is always a standout pattern and a fashion favourite.

In this post, we’ll take a nostalgic look at the iconic plaid fashions of the ‘40s and ‘50s, showcasing how this timeless print became a key part of everyday style.

Today is also PLAIDURDAY (OCT 4TH 2024) where we celebrate all things PLAID! I love a good plaid pattern and especially when it’s vintage!

1940s vintage photo: 1941 yearbook photo from the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina of a young woman wearing saddle shoes walking down the stairs of her school.

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 Best Vintage Photos from the 1940s & 1950s of People in Plaid Fashions: Timeless Style Inspiration

1950s photo of a couple in plaid shirts posing together outside. Love the Ducktail hairstyle on our man. Very cool.

1950s photo of a couple in plaid shirts posing together outside. Love the Ducktail hairstyle on our man. Fun 1950s Fashion inspiration.

Source: Etsy-iloveyoumorephotos

The following photo is from a past blog post on Easter photos & ads and I wanted to share it, not only for the plaid shirt but it has a similar feel to the photo above. That feeling being FUN!

1950s Vintage Photo: Easter egg race winners, Gatineau Park, Quebec, 1957.in

Plaid and a car, a perfect combo in this 1940s vintage photo. LOVE the plaid dress on the young woman in the photo.

Further Reading: Plaid: A Fall Fashion Trend. The Vintage Edition

1940s vintage photo of a young woman in a plaid dress posing in front of a car.

Source: Etsy-therescuedphoto

I would love to have the fabulous plaid vest our photo booth gal named “Rose” is sporting in this 1950s image. So awesome!

Further Reading: 1950s Photos of Everyday Women’s Hairstyles & Vintage Photo Booth Images 1930s-1950s

1950s vintage photo of a young Black Woman with 1950s hairstyle and a plaid vest posing in a photo booth.

Bottoms up! 1950s photo of a man finishing the last of his beer.

1950s vintage photo of a man in a plaid shirt downing a beer at a table

Source: Etsy-DearMacyVintage

Fun on the farm! 1940s vintage photo of a group of young women posing together on a farm. Love the girl in the middle with the cute cowboy hat and of course we have to point out our gal on the left in her plaid shirt.

1940s vintage photo: Vintage Image of a group of young women in 1940s fashions and 1940s hairstyles posing together on a farm. One girl is wearing a plaid shirt and another girl is wearing a cowboy hat.

Source: Etsy-DearMacyVintage

A lovely wedding day photo with our young bride sporting a stylish plaid jacket (I actually think it’s a suit jacket as I see a pretty blouse poking out) and our groom in a lovely suit.

The back of this photo says: “Taken April 5th, 1953. Charles 25 years, 9 mins 25 days. Evelyn Wall”.

1950s Vintage Photo: Wedding Day April 1953. A lovely wedding day photo with our young bride sporting a stylish plaid jacket (I actually think it's a suit jacket as I see a pretty blouse poking out) and our groom in a lovely suit.

Source: Etsy-DearMacyVintage

1940s vintage photo of a group of girls wearing matching plaid bows in their hair and seem to be all wearing some sort of costume. Of what? Not sure. Comment below if you know!

1940s vintage photo of a group of girls wearing matching plaid bows in their hair and seem to be all wearing some sort of costume. Fantastic 1940s hairstyle inspiration.

Source: Etsy-AlaskaVintage

1950s vintage photo of a family photo in the living room with bold floral wallpaper. The youngest in the photo, is sporting a plaid shirt. They look so happy.

Further Reading: Be Inspired! Vintage Photos of Wallpaper Designs in Mid Century Homes

1950s vintage photo of a Black-family posing on a couch together for a photo in their living room with the floral wallpaper. Fun Mid Century Interior Design.

Ready for a fun night out! 1940s photo of 2 women posing outside in their going out outfits. Our lady on the left is sporting a lovely plaid dress while her friends in a cute two piece suit with blouse. Big fan of the ladies 40s curl hairstyles.

1940s photo of 2 women posing outside in their going out outfits (1940s fashions). Our lady on the left is sporting a lovely plaid dress while her friends in a cute two piece suit with blouse. Big fan of the 1940s hairstyles.

Source: Etsy-girlcatdesign

Time to wash the pot! 1950s vintage photo in I think a school classroom.

1950s vintage photo: 1950s Woman Washing Pan at Sink in a Plaid Shirt

Source: Etsy-AlaskaVintage

I’m slipping this 1930s photo from 1935 in because it’s PLAID BIKINI! Amazing! Love it!

1930s photo of a woman in a plaid two piece swimsuit in 1935 on the beach.

Source: Etsy-DearMacyVintage

Saddle shoes, rolled up jeans and a plaid suit jacket look so cool together! I want to sport this fun 1940s look right now.

Further Reading: Vintage Photos of Saddle Shoes

Fall Fashion Look: Plaid menswear jacket as seen on our stylish young woman in this 1940s Photo. I love the rolled up jeans, paired with the jacket and the saddle shoes. Great look!

While not plaids for the body, how about plaids for your interior design? I just HAD to share this photo from the 1950s of this very busy living room. What do you think of the plaid curtains, pillows, carpet, rattan furniture with floral cushions and a very interesting horse wallpaper? Would you of decorated your home this way?

1950s vintage photo of a mid century living room filled with lots of interesting interior design choices. Plaid curtains, horse wallpaper, Rattan furniture and floral cushions.

Source: Etsy-SherwoodsTreasures

Thank you for dropping by and stepping into the world of Plaid with me. I hope you enjoyed the photos I shared today and please comment below on anything you wish to chat about on this topic. I love hearing from my readers!

Further Reading:

Liz

It’s that time of year—school is back in session! To celebrate, enjoy this nostalgic collection of vintage school photos and back-to-school advertisements from the 1930s to 1960s.

Further Reading: Part 1 – Back To School We Go! Roundup of All Things “School” from the 1940s, 1950’s and 1960s

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

1930s-1960s Vintage School Images & Advertisements

Two girls enjoying an ice cream after their school day. 1950s vintage photo.

1950s vintage photo of two teenage girls in 1950s cardigans and blouses and 1950s hairstyles enjoying an ice cream while holding their books.

Source: Etsy-DearMacyVintage

Bond Bread vintage 1930 print ad. “For school lunches, choose the bread that keeps its flavor.

1930s vintage ad: School Lunches for kids as seen in this Bond Bread vintage 1930 print ad

Bus Station, 1943. Schoolgirls waiting at a bus stop in a small town in Tennessee. Photograph By Esther Bubley, September 1943.

1940s vintage photo of a Bus Station, 1943. Black Schoolgirls waiting at a bus stop in a small town in Tennessee. Photograph By Esther Bubley, September 1943.

“Back to School and Early Fall Fashions by Berth Robert”. 1941 Back-to-School Fall Fashions Magazine (Digital Download).

This 16 page fashion catalog is a great example of early 1940s teenage fashion, featuring daily wear as well as evening dresses. It was published in 1941 by Berth Robert, a company that offered “semi-made fashions,” or partially completed clothing items that could be finished by a home sewer. Most Berth Robert catalogs come from the 1930s, and the company likely went out of business in the early 40s.

Vintage 1940s Fashion Catalog - Berth Robert 1941 Back-to-School Fall 1940s Fashions Magazine | Digital Download

Example of the 1941 back-to-school fall fashions for young Women. Fantastic fashion illustrations.

1940s Fashion: Vintage 1940s Fashion Catalog - Berth Robert 1941 Back-to-School Fall 1940s Fashions Magazine featuring fantastic fashion illustrations

Source: Etsy-20thCenturyFrocks

LIFE Goes to a School For Kid Geniuses, 1948

LIFE visited what might be called a genius school at Hunter College—a school filled 450 apparently well-adjusted, engaged kids from ages three to 11, who just happened to enjoy IQs averaging around 150.

1940s vintage photo of kids raising their hand at a School For Kid Geniuses, 1948. LIFE visited what might be called a genius school at Hunter College—a school filled 450 apparently well-adjusted, engaged kids from ages three to 11, who just happened to enjoy IQs averaging around 150.

Source: LIFE

1950s advertisement for “Good Hot Soup For Lunch” from Campbell’s Soup.

Further Reading: The Vintage Advertising for Campbell’s Soup Company

Source: Etsy-EncorePrintSociety

Taking the school bus. A 1950s vintage photo of teenagers on the bus.

1950s vintage photo of 1950s teenagers on the school bus

September 1945 Miss America Teen Life Magazine | Back-To-School Edition.

Further Reading: Plaid: A Fall Fashion Trend. The Vintage Edition

1940s vintage magazine cover for 'Miss America' teenager magazine from 1945 featuring tow girls in plaid fashions.

1940s vintage magazine cover for 'Miss America' teenager magazine from 1945. Inside features back to school 1940s fashions for teenage girls.

Source: Etsy-Jimpiphanys

Carole King women’s back-to-school fashions 1948 ad.

Those are some pretty stylish young women!

1940s vintage advertisement for young women's back to school fashions from Carole King. Fantastic 1940s fashion inspiration.

Source: Atticpaper.com

1960s teenagers chatting outside of their high school.

1960s vintage photo of high school students in 1960s fashions for fall sitting outside of their school chatting.

Source: pixels.com

Protesting the high school dress code that banned slacks for girls, Brooklyn c.1940.

Further Reading: The Brooklyn high school pants protest of 1942.

“Should high school girls, particularly students of Abraham Lincoln High School on Ocean Parkway . . . be permitted to wear slacks to class?”

1940s vintage photo of women Protesting the high school dress code that banned slacks for girls, Brooklyn c.1940. Fantastic 1940s hairstyles and 1940s fashions!

Source: ephemeralnewyork

1949 LUNCH BOX Sandwich Spread (made with Mayonnaise) for back to school sandwiches (sorry for it being a bit blurry, but I really wanted to share this ad with you).

1940s vintage advertisement: 1949 LUNCH BOX Sandwich Spread (made with Mayonnaise) for Back to School Sandwiches

Source: Etsy-KristensVintagePaper

Two students filling prescriptions in School of Pharmacy at Howard University in Washington D.C in 1946.

1940s Vintage Photo: Two Black female students filling prescriptions in School of Pharmacy at Howard University in Washington D.C in 1946.

Source: Essence.com

Bellas Hess c.1955 back-to-school catalog featuring 1950s fashions for everyone in the family (PDF EBook – Digital Download).

1950s vintage catalog: Bellas Hess c.1955 Back to School Catalog, Fashions for Family and Sundries for Home (PDF EBook - Digital Download)

Source: Etsy-ivarose

Sept. 1936–Students wait to enter school on the first day in 1936.

Source: jacksonville.com

1960s ad Fall & Winter 1960-61 sport coats & slacks for young men. “Campus-Educated Casual Clothes”. “Dickies trend styling inspired by Pat Boone”.

1960s young men's back to school fashion-1960s ad Fall & Winter 1960-61 sport coats & slacks for men. "Campus-Educated Casual Clothes". "Dickies trend styling inspired by Pat Boone"

Source: METV

Thanks for dropping by and spending some time at the Vintage Inn! This was another fun post to put together for all of you (and brought back lots of memories of my OWN school days).

Further Reading (Archived blog posts):

Please share any thoughts or memories you have on this topic in the comment section below.

Thanks for dropping by

Liz

Tag: Vintage images

The Best Vintage Photos of People in Plaid Fashions

The Best Vintage Photos from the 1940s & 1950s of People in Plaid Fashions: Timeless Style Inspiration

A Nostalgic Look: Vintage Back-to-School Photos and Ads from the 1930s-1960s

1930s-1960s Vintage School Images & Advertisements