What is the Atomic Style?

[darkman]

I've been collecting Hawaiian shirts for a while now, and have run across things that are similar to Hawaiian shirts, but the patterns are definitely not Hawaiian. I've started realizing I think they are called "Atomic" style. rounded square swirls inside of round corner squares...etc...
So I'm looking to expand my knowledge on this type of lounge wear or attire.

Would it also be called mid century? 1950's on? or???

I'm also wondering if there's a collectors book or anything that would help me accelerate my learning. I have several Hawaiian shirt books and have helped me a lot, but I can't find anything on mid century or Atomic style shirts or clothing.

Any help or discussion would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Darkman...

 

[Nobert]

In The Observation Bar there's a thread called "Rockabilly Subculture" that links to an article that you might find helpful for visual purposes (make note of the comments pointing out the inaccuracy of the term and date used by said article).

I'm not an expert on that time period, but I think of it as mid 50s to about 1966. So that could mean Danish modern furniture; spiky wall clocks; kidney-shaped tables; tiki bars; the first James Bond movies; Leavitown; Philco televisions; cars with tail fins; Sammy and Deano at the Sands; Beehive hairdo, Rayban wayfarers, sleeveless blouse and capri pants; skinny ties; Saul Bass's movie titles; Romance comics; The 64,000 Dollar Question, Esquival, shot glasses with burlesque girls on them, starburst shapes on everything, etc.

Others may disagree and they'd probably be right.

 

[darkman]

In The Observation Bar there's a thread called "Rockabilly Subculture" that links to an article that you might find helpful for visual purposes (make note of the comments pointing out the inaccuracy of the term and date used by said article).

I'm not an expert on that time period, but I think of it as mid 50s to about 1966. So that could mean Danish modern furniture; spiky wall clocks; kidney-shaped tables; tiki bars; the first James Bond movies; Leavitown; Philco televisions; cars with tail fins; Sammy and Deano at the Sands; Beehive hairdo, Rayban wayfarers, sleeveless blouse and capri pants; skinny ties; Saul Bass's movie titles; Romance comics; The 64,000 Dollar Question, Esquival, shot glasses with burlesque girls on them, starburst shapes on everything, etc.

Others may disagree and they'd probably be right.

Thanks Nobert, I'll look that up now.

 

[Edward]

I see it, broadly speaking, as the styles of the Atomic Era, give or take... though not strictly post-Bomb... I'd put it at around 1950 through 63... pre rocl and roll to pre Beatlemania. There's a bit of an overlap between that and the rockabilly thang, but I'd say it's more Baldwin and the Whiffles than CryBaby and his gang... A more mainstream, "nice" approach. Any of those things that you see as the "All-American, clean family home" of the McCarthy period, that's what strikes me as "Atomic". I'd agree with Nobert re the photos in that thread on Rockabilly Subculture as a good visual reference point.

 

[dh66]

I think Nobert and Edward are both pretty spot on. The Eisenhower era, for sure. Early space race, Sputnik, and what not.
I would doubt that you'd find many shirts like that in books about vintage aloha shirts, because I think those type patterns were mainly popular for curtains and upholstery. Probably didn't so much start showing up as clothing until the 80s or 90s.
I love those type of designs, though, by the way.

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk 2

 

[Doctor Strange]

Some good guidelines in the Wiki article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_Age_(design)

 

[tonyb]

You may wish to look up "atomic fleck" as well. I have a few examples of it in my closet.

"Atomic" stuff in general has been hot over the past few years. I attribute that mostly to the aging early baby-boom generation (figure those born from the mid-'40s to the mid-'50s or so) looking to capture something of their childhood years.

Coinciding with a baby boom was a construction boom (gotta put all those kids somewhere) and, hence, a whole mess of houses in what are now commonly called "inner ring" suburbs (out here in the West, at any rate; in the Eastern states "inner ring" usually refers to somewhat older communities). The new owners of those houses often look to furnish them in period styles. So, now we have reproduction "sputnik" light fixtures and "Danish modern" furniture, etc. And, of course, what remains of the authentic stuff, some of which fetches big, big bucks.