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1950s' Fashion for Men

Scholasticus K
The 1950s fashion for men was symbolized by numerous youngsters, trying to express themselves through the clothes they wore. For the first time after the war, men started using style to convey a sense of identity.
In the decades that followed the second world war, economies became more and more business-minded and fashion was heavily influenced during the rebuilding phase of all the economies. In that period, clothing had become modern and more liberal in nature.
Modern business fashion that has been in vogue is influenced by the way the men dressed in 1950s.

Formal Wear
In the 1950s, the economic and social conditions were improving and life was becoming comfortable, hence people started dressing accordingly, and tailors and designers started using cloth more liberally.
The 1940s fashion depicted a sort of simplicity, and the military dress influence of the second world war had made men's clothing better fitting. The fittings thus, was more precise yet simple, and designers excluded any part of the clothing which was not needed.
For example, the early 20th century three-piece suit was modified. The inner vest was excluded and the length of the tail coat was shortened. The tail coat usually had two series of buttons running parallel to each other. The two sets of buttons were reduced down to one and the number of buttons were also reduced to a couple or a triple.
Next, the height of the collar was brought down and the upright, erect collars became short, folded, and comfortable. The usual bow tie was replaced by the necktie.
The idea was to keep the wearer comfortable. These evolved and modified designs were also easier to manage and handle. Basically, the fashion from this era was practical. On any ordinary day at work, a person would wear the following outfits.

Suit Jacket

The stripped patterns were popular, but people also used plain jackets.

Shirt

Shirts were usually white, and in many cases they were also pale colored with a single pocket in the front.
Many designers started introducing pocket-less shirts. The cuffs were modified to fit the wearer comfortably. They also became shorter, and narrower.
A distinct feature that is seen in many shirts from that era is the good fitting of the sleeves, which were shaggy and ill-fitted earlier.

Pants

The pants were creased, (in some cases not), and well measured. Good and proportionate, bell bottoms were coming into vogue in this period. However, people never wore them to work.
The modern trouser and jeans that we wear today, are largely modeled on the same lines of this fashion design.

Casual Wear
This fashion highlighted the focus on simplicity and comfort in design. Trends from this era were heavily influenced by the western spaghetti and upcoming rock and roll fashion. The fashion designers took influence from cowboy wear.
The shirts for casual wear started having embroidery designs, and bell bottom over leather boots started coming into fashion.
Another men's clothing style that came into being was that of casual shirts. They were colored in liberal shades, were short, half-sleeved, and loose. Fashion clothing by famous tailors and designers had also started appearing, and icons such as Marlon Brando and Elvis Presley became the advocates of fashion in the 50s.
The 1950s is considered to be an important era as many noted fashion exerts, companies, and famous clothing brands such as Ralph Lauren, started doing their innovations and businesses in this decade.