What were the summer fashion trends in the early part of the 1960’s? Not all fashion at that time had a boho or hippie aesthetic. Here are 11 great retro sixties summer trends that are feminine, yet fun and colorful. All are taken from the pages of vintage mid-century women’s magazines.
Gingham – 1961
The May 1961 edition of McCalls magazine featured an article titled, “At Ease!”. It showed this black and white gingham look with an embroidery daisy print by Silva de Gay for Robert Sloan. The sleeveless dress with a red belt sold for $23 in 1961. No word on the matching daisy hair clip. It looks adorable with the model’s flip hairdo.
The article also showed this cropped gingham overblouse and shorts. The top sold for $12 and the shorts sold for $8. Sixties styling was all about contrast and color. Note the straw hat with the bold fabric band and the bangle bracelets. Adorable.
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Polka-dots – 1963
Polka-dot prints were also trendy in the sixties. These two looks were found on the pages of the May 1963 edition of Good Housekeeping magazine. As you can see, polka dot looks were fun and bold. Again, color was used. The complimentary colors of orange and blue offer fun sophistication.
A basic gathered dirndl dress is highlighted with a polka dot print.
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Stripes – 1964
I found several summer looks fashioned with stripes in my collection of 1960s fashion magazines. This casual look comes from a company called Lollipop. The two piece set was marketed as “Lolli-jamas”. They sold for $7 in 1964.
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Plaid – 1963
1963 was at the tail end of the baby boomer era. The need for chic maternity clothing was still in demand. This maternity shift was featured in the February 1963 edition of Good Housekeeping. The plaid print was perfect for long, carefree dresses. It was sold from Ma Mere for $40 in 1963.
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Quilted – 1960
The July 1960 edition of Mademoiselle magazine told its readers that “quilting is back in a big way”. They showed this plaid quilted jumper in their 2 page article. The look was described as an all-over quilted sleeveless jumper that was cut on the bias for the full dirndl skirt. It came from Lanz and sold for $19.95.
Bold Prints – 1961
A list of popular early-sixties trends would not be complete without a mention of bold prints. This image from the May 1961 edition of McCalls magazine is pleasing to us living in the 21st century thanks to its styling. The bold print is offset with a floppy hat and colorful bamboo bracelets. The look is by Mr Mort sportswear and sold for $8.
More from this article.
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White – 1963
No matter the decade, we love to have white in our summer wardrobes. The May 1963 edition of Good Housekeeping showed this fabulous free-flowing white “playdress” with giant pockets. It came from Weber Originals and sold for $10.
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Embroidery – 1961
A top with an embroidered motif elevates an outfit in today’s world. The same was true in the 1960s. This simple blouse from Ship ‘n Shore is embellished with a “flourish of flowers”. It sold for $3.98 in 1961. The look was advertised in the May 1961 edition of McCalls.
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1963 – Feminine Floral
Not all of sixties fashion was bold. The May 1963 edition of Good Housekeeping had an article called “Fashion is a Breeeeze”. It features some great sixties dresses in feminine prints. The dresses were made to be easy to wear and easy to care for. Here are two from the article.
The green floral print dress comes from Casualmaker. Made with nylon jersey, it sold for $15. The blue floral was also made from nylon jersey. Made by Shelton Strollers, it sold for $13.
I have included the full 8 page article. It is available for download below.
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1960 – Sheer
A little black dress doesn’t have to be sheer, but you can’t go wrong with chiffon. These party dresses from Joan Leslie were inspired by the movie “Portrait in Black” starring Anthony Quinn, Lana Turner, and Sandra Dee in 1960. The classic silk chiffon dresses sold for $40. They also came in brown and white. The ad appeared in the July 1960 edition of Mademoiselle.
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Color Block – 1963
The May 1963 edition of Good Housekeeping had a little booklet glued into the spine of the magazine. The full color booklet was advertising a new man-made fiber called Fortrel. Inside was 2 dozen items of clothing made with Fortrel. You have already seen 3 of them (see #2 polka dots and #7 white). Here are two more.
This “sailing outfit” uses a colorblock technique to make a bold statement using Fortrel’s wrinkle-free fabric. The jacket sold for $15.
This dress uses a blend of rayon and Fortrel polyester to achieve the classic linen-look dress below. It came from Youth Guild and sold for $25.
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