In Your 1960s Easter Bonnet

Sunday is Easter, a day when traditionally a woman would unveil her new spring hat with much fanfare. It's going to be a week of few words as we look at hats through the years. Use your imagination and make up your own story about the women who wore these hats, or about yourself having the experience of wearing one of them. Share your story in the comments if you like. Today, the 1960s, the last great decade of hats.

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Reader Query - Proper Undergarments for 1960s Shift Dresses

In addition to yesterday's question about the proper undergarments for a low-backed dress, reader Tara also inquired about the correct foundations for 1960s shift dresses. Are a bra and panties enough?

I love this dress on you Tara! And you've asked another great question! The fact of the matter is, shift and sheath style dresses from the early to mid 1960s were designed to be worn with a girdle and women still considered them a necessity during these years. It wasn't until the later 1960s, with the advent of knits, pantyhose, and pants for day wear that the girdle loses favor with younger women.

Girdles from this time do become sleeker, though, with fewer seams and newer innovations in stretch fabrics.

And you'll find foundations in brighter colors and prints start to appear. The nice thing about the dresses from this era is that modern body shapers will probably give you the sleek look you want, so it's not necessary to search for vintage foundations.

Most importantly, though, you should wear a slip over your foundations to allow your dress to glide smoothly over them. Here's an earlier post of mine about the importance of wearing a slip.

Tara, while your 60s dresses look great, try wearing them with a body shaper and see if it makes a difference in how they fit. I think you'll like what you see! Thanks for your questions. And if anyone else has questions, please feel free to post them in comments or email me through the website.

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Tall, Tall Hats of the Early 60s

Miss Dior, 1961

In the early 60s, tall hats became all the rage. This was also the time when hairstyles started to get big. A tall hat gave the illusion of big hair without all the teasing, hairspray, and work involved. I think these hats are extremely elegant and they say "High Fashion" to me. What do you think? Would you wear a hat like this?

Nina Ricci, 1962

Lanvin-Castillo, 1962

Pierre Cardin, 1962

Who could forget the very brief cameo role of Carolyn Jones (right) on season 4 of Mad Men? Her entire outfit, including the very tall hat, just blew me away!

If you said, "Yes!" to wearing tall hats, I just listed this early 1960s version in white leather at Couture Allure. Made by Wilson's House of Suede, it originally sold at their Beverly Hills store. Isn't it fabulous?

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Suits in the 1960s

We've looked at suits from the 1940's and 1950's so far this week. As I said yesterday, about 1958-59, the shape of suits changes quite a bit. This red suit is from 1959. Here you can see that the length of the skirt is still below the knee, but suddenly we have a much shorter and less fitted jacket. All those darts in the jacket that emphasized a tiny waist are gone. Slight gathers or tucks start to appear at the skirt waist.

Sleeves are always elbow or 3/4 length during this period and suits are worn with long gloves.

Another jacket style that enjoyed a brief period of popularity was the longer, looser sacque jacket worn over a slim skirt. This style is seen from about 1958 - 62, and then disappears.

Dramatic and intricate details are gone from jackets. The most we usually see is topstitching, large decorative buttons, or pocket flaps without pockets. Collars are usually open, and the stand-away collar starts to appear. About 1963, hemlines creep up to right at the knee or 1" above and continue to creep shorter as the decade progresses. Princess seamed skirts often have hidden pockets at the hips.

The shorter jackets are often paired with dresses, or with a skirt and matching or contrasting sleeveless top. Evening suits are fashioned from fancy brocades, heavy silks, or metallics.

Closures sometimes disappear completely from jackets and they are worn open.

What happens next? Pantsuits! Check back tomorrow for suits from the late 1960's and 70's.

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Luis Estevez

In a Life magazine article dated April 2, 1956, designer Luis Estevez said his wife was his inspiration for his feminine designs. "She likes her dresses to have sharp lines and to be as sexy as possible within the boundaries of good taste."

I wish I could have met Mrs. Estevez and perused her closet. I like a woman who knows how to look sexy without being blatant. And another thing I wish? I wish my husband could design dresses like this early 1960's Estevez!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

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