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Jewelry in the '50s went a very classic route. You wanted classic gems and simple pieces.
It wasn't particularly ornate, and a good example would be diamond stud earrings. You
can see how I have them in either ear. They were very simple, they complemented without
taking away from the hairdo. Another piece would be a single pendant necklace like this
one, this one has some amethyst in it. Very simple. No draping jewelry, a simple choker,
simple studs, nothing particularly ornate. You really wanted it to be a clean and simple
line. And in keeping with that, as far as perfume goes, the perfume industry wasn't
nearly as large as it is today in the '50s. It was mostly luxury brands that were making
different kinds of perfume. I have an example: this is the Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. Actually
the most popular fragrance in the 1950s was another Chanel fragrance, Chanel No.5. They
both were really classic lines and they went along with a designer that most women knew
well. As the women's fashion industry was expanding after the war, people really looked
to rely on brand names to pick things up. So they would look for brand name jewelry,
they would look for brand name perfume, and that was really where you wanted to go. And
you wanted it to be very simple once again. The '50s, it was about being a lady so along
with what we talked about with the make-up, you wouldn't want a really ornate perfume
that was too exotic or drew too much attention to you.