In the first years of the 1960s, women always dressed in prissy, conservative, and lady-like outfits: Heels, gloves, and possibly hats, completed their ensembles. The traditional pencil-skirt and swing-skirt silhouettes of the 1950s were continuing their rampage to dominate fashion into the early 1960s. And, it's true that females never wore trousers or capris outside of their houses unless they were gardening or taking a walk along the beach. Think Mad Men.
It all sounds so strange now, 50 years later. Everything was more formal and predictable then, and that was rather nice in a cool vintage way. It was an era when young schoolgirls wore skirts or dresses with patent-leather maryjanes and little white anklets. Hey, teachers would have sent girls home for wearing pants, even if those girls were just trying to keep warm because the playground was covered in three feet of snow.
Strict Fashion Rules
Back then, big fashion houses dictated each season’s new trends to their upper-class clientele. And, the rest of America followed those same rules, like little puppy dogs, eager to have their masters’ approval. (View this Video of 1961 fashion shows.) No rock music polluted those dignified temples of European couture.
1961 Fashion Silhouette
In those days of cha-cha dancing at cocktail parties, the coveted female form was tall and willowy. Women’s clothing continued to have a somewhat relaxed silhouette, but it was fitted enough to be sexy.
- In the cut of the clothing, the shoulder looked natural and there were no shoulder pads.
- Some coats and suits were designed to give the illusion of width.
- Many fashion houses continued to design dresses with full skirts but only young girls wore fluffy, floaty petticoats under their skirting.
Jackie Kennedy Fashion
When John F Kennedy became president in January of 1961, the first lady Jacqueline Kennedy popped on the national fashion scene and began to show the country a young, fresh, and vibrant side of fashion.
Jackie, with her sparkling smile and her bouffant hairdo, became an iconic goddess for millions. After Mamie Eisenhower, the departing first lady, Mrs. Kennedy seemed so captivating and sophisticated, my God…she spoke French… that she cast a spell upon the world. And, women on every continent wanted to emulate her look. But, the cruel joke was that the boxy Jackie Kennedy style only looked good on her and a handful of other skinny, tall, flat-chested women.
Jacqueline Kennedy Style
Mrs. Kennedy was elegant and slender, so she looked best in A-lines and sheaths. Her clothing silhouette was mostly straight up and down, as opposed to the tight-waisted swing-skirted or pencil-skirted styles of the 50s.
Jackie was the youngest first lady ever. And, unlike her predecessors, she wore European clothing, and she barked at convention by going sleeveless in a time when it would have horrified most people to consider that look. Skirts were the shortest they had been in years.
Eventually, Mrs. Kennedy was forced to work with an American designer for political reasons, so she selected Oleg Cassini who made Americanized versions of French couture for her. This new Camelot Style had clean lines and bright, or pastel, solid colors because those were what made her shine. And, because Cassini had worked in Hollywood, he knew that great oversized buttons and coat pockets would photograph well.
The Jackie Look
Mrs. Kennedy and her couturiers must have had a grand time giving those cigarette-smoking, martini drinking, twisting-on-the-dance-floor women a good dose of European culture. This is the Jackie suit:
- boxy jacket with three-quarter length sleeves.
- A-line skirt to the middle of the knee.
- good quality material, all one color, in pastel or bright hues.
- gailored to fit perfectly.
- impeccable pearls.
Hats in 1961
Hats, though no longer required, were still a big part of fashion in the early 60s.
- sunhat
- cocktail hats
- fascinator hats
- Dior mink hat
- daytime hat
- pillbox hat
- headband
Unfortunately, Mrs. Kennedy’s time at the White House was cut short by her husband’s assassination, but the early 60s continue to give fashion inspiration to many designers and indie women. Some people call this look vintage, but Boomers like to call it nostalgia.
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Christina Gregoire - Christina Gregoire writes about divorce, fashion, and baby boomers. Her forte is explaining complex ideas in simple language.
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