Pants, Shorts, Culottes, Shirtwaist Dresses, Jackie Hats

by admin on July 5th, 2011 at 4:48 PM

Posted In: Fashion

The dress fashion of the early 1960′s basically duplicated the dresses of the 1950′s with a few exceptions. Everything was very conservative, and lady like.

Shirtwaist dresses with a flared skirt still was number one, but the colors and patterns were much bolder. Between flowers and hot pink, hot yellow, hot green, etc. the change was a bit more noticeable.

Pants, shorts, culottes became the rage as well in the 1960′s. Pants were tight fitting up to the ankle pretty much as they are today. There were Capri length pants which came to mid calf. There were also short pants that came to the knee. There were shorts that were a little above the knee, and were also known as Bermuda Shorts. Because the Police in Bermuda wore them that length. Short shorts came with a skirt which was open just enough to reveal the shorts, but not opened all the way. Culottes were especially fun as they were very loose fitting shorts little above the knee, but they looked like skirts. Perhaps there was a extra piece of material over the legs to make them appear as if you were wearing a skirt in the front, but the back as you walked you could see they were pants.

The “Age Of Camelot” was ushered in when the young and handsome John F. Kennedy and the classy, elegant, and very young Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy held the reins as the most powerful couple in the world. When John was elected to become President in 1960, he was the 35^th President. Wikipedia states that: “ John F. Kennedy was the youngest elected to the office, at the age of 43, the second-youngest President (after Theodore Roosevelt), and the first president to have been born in the 20th century. Kennedy is the only Catholic president, and is the only president to have won a Pulitzer Prize”. His glamorous wife, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy was certainly the youngest First Lady at the age of 31. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy

1960’s Era of fashion has to continue with the understanding of the Kennedy White House and the profound influence that those short years brought to us in this case Fashion. During their very brief time in the White House 1961- 1963. The First Lady Mrs. Kennedy brought elegance, excitement, and history to the White House with her impeccable taste in and out of the White House. She redecorated the interior of the historic building by opening up the storerooms in the White House and refurbishing and placing the historic art, furniture, silverware, and china of Presidents passed. When she was finally done she opened up our White House (The People House) to us, the people via television, and made the rooms come alive in our eyes and hearts. Although I was a kid back then I remember the criticism she and President Kennedy received for doing this and spending so much money on the redecoration and refurbishing of the White House.

This short time that they were in the White House Mrs. Kennedy became a leader in style for women at home and abroad. Her impeccable taste extended to her wardrobe as well. We were all exposed to her expensive taste. At first she wore only the European couture dresses. All other first ladies wore only clothes made by American designers. She was criticized for this, and was bad for politics. She found a French Born naturalized American named Oleg Cassini, and he was responsible for the style of the day.

Oleg Cassini Americanized the versions of French designs. He dressed Jackie in bright, solid colors with clean lines that was her preference. He added oversized buttons and coat pockets that experience in Hollywood told him would stand out in photographs.
Jackie dressed in three-quarter-length sleeves, boxy jackets with oversized buttons, A-line dresses that were also sleeveless, lace mantillas, and her infamous pillbox hats. These styles became her trademark. Hallston then was a milliner, and thanks to Jackie he became a well known designer of clothing as well..

Thanks to the JFK Library one can learn to understand the President and his First Lady, and how they had such a profound influence on all of our lives.

http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/Jacqueline-Kennedy-in-the-White-House.aspx?p=4