Thesis

Exploring key themes of leisure and fashion in the post-war period, focusing on the local context of Southend-on-Sea. Chapter one explores representations of the 1950s, including archival film and newspaper articles. The following chapter looks at surviving dress from the Southend Museums Service archive. The case study of a cream sateen swimsuit is analysed in detail and related to the wider themes of fashion and leisure in this post-war context. In the final chapter, an oral testimony provides a narrative of lifestyle in the 1950s, including fashion, leisure and the seaside experience at Southend. 'The atmosphere was absolutely brilliant, it was full of life and happiness' (Joyce Poole)