Probably one of the most beloved and iconic teen fashions from the 50’s era, the poodle skirt arrived about the same time as Bill Haley and the Comets started rockin’ around the clock. Besides being comfortable attire for the dance floor, they were also a canvas of sorts, in which plenty of young girls exercised a little artistic personalization.

Their name was derived from the fact that the most common appliqué of the day was a poodle (no, not a real poodle, just an image.) That was only one of the popular ornamentations, however, as anything from sequins to images of dice, fish, cats and flamingos were fair game. Girls spent painstaking hours creating the keenest skirt in town so they could show it off while jitterbugging the night away.

Most poodle skirts were fashioned from a heavy wool material that, when combined with a net crinoline, would unfurl in all of their glory during dance routines to better display their appliqués. Both feminine and unique, they were the ultimate in fashion during the post-war era.

The only drawback to the poodle skirt was that its formidable real estate when poofed out served as a major obstacle for amorous males, who much to their chagrin, couldn’t quite get as close to their dance partner as they might have preferred. Perhaps that’s why parents didn’t have a problem letting their daughters out for the sock hop dressed in a poodle skirt.