From red lipstick to pin curls and corsets, '50s fashion is everywhere we look. Whether it's Dita Von Teese or or your vintage-savvy best friend, it seems everyone wants to look like a pin-up or  vampy '50s housewife these days.

While it seems like a fairly easy look to recreate, it's actually very easy to end up just looking like an rejected extra from Grease. (You know what I'm talking about. We've all seen those awkward "pin-up" profile photo FAILS on Facebook.)

Revolutionary Road transported us all back to the '50s with its story of April and Frank Wheeler's rocky, suburban marriage, and the man in charge of transforming Kate Winslet into a fabulously dressed woman of the '50s has graciously given us some advice on how to easily and accurately get that '50s look, without going overboard.

Nominated for both an Oscar and BAFTA for his costume design work on Revolutionary Road,  Albert Wolksy is no stranger to capturing the essence of an era in the clothes he designs. He has worked in both Broadway (All That Jazz) and film (Grease), won his first Oscar for his work on Bugsy, and in addition to Revolutionary Road, recently did the costume design for the amazing, Beatles-inspired film, Across The Universe.

What Should Be In Your Wardrobe?

To get that '50s look, Albert says that a key three elements are necessary. He says that blouses or bodices need to be form fitting and close to the body, "The waist must be cinched, " he explained, "skirts can be both loose or tight, but always below the calf. Or, if it's cocktail time, even longer."

However, if you don't want to be in a long cocktail dress, Albert says that you can add other touches throughout your ensemble with "a simple blouse with short or long tight sleeves" paired with "a narrow belt, and a pencil skirt" that hits just below the calf.

Going for a more casual look? Albert suggests wearing a "short tight thin sweater tucked in the skirt instead of a blouse" with the iconic accent of having "a small, tight scarf at the neck."

For all you shoe freaks out there, Wolsky says that stilettos aren't the way to go. He explained that shoes should be ballet flats or, if you're wearing heels, that they should be "not too thin" and that the toes shouldn't be pointed.

More importantly, the good news is that you don't be missing a few ribs like Ms Teese to get that '50s flair in your wardrobe. Albert insists that the fifties can be worn by almost anyone: "It is a very flattering look and since skirts need not always be pencil thin but can ease from the waist if the body so demands."

And what about hair and makeup? Albert advises to "keep makeup simple with strong lips" and to have "hair that is short and close to the head".

A Sign Of The Times?

One of the things I find most fascinating about a lot of women's obsession with all things '50s, is that so many of us are choosing to look like from they're era where, if you're of the Betty Friedan school of thought, women were chained to the kitchen sink.

However, Wolsky says that you have to look at the fashion of the '50s for what it was, and not necessarily as a representation of the restrictions put on women. "I don't think though that today's love of the fifties represents those restrictions," Albert points out, "It's basically fashion which keeps recycling itself and adapting as it moves through time."

And how exactly did those classic '50s looks come about in the first place? Albert says it was the war-stricken '40s:

"Historically you have to look at the fifties as a reaction to wartime forties.  During World War II women took over men's work in factories and at home.  The more masculine look resulted from that as well as shortages of fabrics and the need to conserve.  It was not unusual for a woman to tailor a man's suit, making a short skirt out of a pair of pants.  Shoulder pads were both strong, broad and psychological since women were shouldering so to speak.

"With the war over, with men returning, with women going back to being homemakers fashion changed.  Women wanted to leave the masculine look and return to a more soft and feminine feel.  The arm holes in blouses were for example tighter to truly restrict movement and skirts longer to accomplish the same thing.

"t must be understood that this was an unconscious reaction.  No one sat there and decided to restrict and restrict.  It was a natural evolution and developed form the late forties and kept changing into the fifties".

Dressing Kate

The images of Kate Winslet from Revolutionary Road are iconic. Everything from her natural make-up and hair, to the gorgeous yet simple costumes she wore are simply beautiful. However, I've always wondered how, when dressing stars like Kate, costume designers accurately depict what somebody like Alice Wheeler would wear.

Albert, who has done period costumes on projects depicting various eras from '20s to the '60s, says that he's rather designer for the past, than for the present:

"My job is to describe characters through what they are wearing.  Therefore in designing a fifties piece such as Revolutionary Road, all my choices are based on who these people are, what they are doing and where they are living."

"Of course there is room within any period to keep in mind the proportions and bodies of the actors I am dressing.  Thus since my job is to describe, I find any period but the present wonderful to work on. The present is very challenging for my job since anything goes and there is no telling about class or money."

Albert adds that while you can most likely find most of the items to complete your '50s look on the high street, it's still a good idea to pick up extra bits and pieces from a a vintage shop to add to and compliment your look. "However, " he notes, "one should not overdo it.  It's very easy to slide into total costume."

Revolutionary Road is on now available from Paramount Home Entertainment on DVD for £19.99 and Blu- Ray for £24.99 in the UK.

Images courtesy of Paramount Pictures