1955 - Everyday Life

Everyday Life

Vacuum cleaner inventor Hubert C. Booth dies at Croydon, England, January 14 at age 83.

Dress designer Cristóbal Balenciaga introduces a tunic ensemble that wins worldwide acclaim (see 1937). Now 60, the creative Balenciaga builds on the legacy of Coco Chanel and Madeleine Vionnet to produce clothes that break new ground while the better-known Christian Dior is reinventing the past.

Paris perfumer-dress maker Marcel Rochas dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at Paris March 14 age 53, the fashion house that he opened in 1925 closes, but an associate persuades his 28-year-old widow, Helene, to reopen the company, and she will head the house of Rochas perfume until 1971.

The stiletto heel comes into fashion for women and sweeps the world (see 1954). Marilyn Monroe will be quoted as saying, "I don't know who invented the high heel but women owe him a lot," but while some women profess to find high heels more comfortable than flats, most say their feet are "killing" them after a few hours in heels, and the new, sharp heels damage floors and carpets.

Marilyn Monroe
Film star Marilyn Monroe had nothing but praise for stiletto-heeled shoes. Not every woman agreed with her. (AP/Wide World Photos.)

Alberto-Culver Co. is founded by Chicago entrepreneur Leonard H. Lavin, 34, and his wife, Bernice, 28, who acquire a West Coast beauty-supply company from a man named Culver, whose chemist Alberto has developed a hairdressing formula for use at Hollywood studios. The Lavins move the company to Chicago, discontinue more than 100 products in its line to concentrate on the hair product Alberto VO5 Conditioning, and will open a factory in 1960 at suburban Melrose Park, Ill. (see 1965).

Fresno, Calif.-born farmer's son Kirk Kerkorian, 38, buys a stake in the Dunes casino at Las Vegas, Nev., beginning an involvement that will make him the leading player in the city's burgeoning gaming industry (see 1946; Dunes, 1957; International Hotel, 1969).

Contract bridge expert Ely Culbertson dies of lung and heart ailments at Brattleboro, Vt., December 27 at age 64.