Classy, not Sassy

Canary Yellow, chiffon, pleated A line dress with bell sleeves. White cotton tent dress. Soft, white form fitting cotton with big satin ribbons to go around or below the waistline. Homemade, simple cotton shift dresses with tiny flowers; material obtained from huge fabric stores. Simplicity, McCall or Vogue patterns were composed of hand drawn lengthy models, as did the newspaper ads for clothes, and they were eye catching.

Smart, small hats. Even white gloves were a thing. My sister wore a pink Pillbox hat with a pink linen suit for her honeymoon. Stretch pants, not unlike today's leggings, but with the addition of elastic bands to go under the feet. White Go-Go Boots.

Twiggy may have been the first to advertise the mini skirt in the late 60s. Before that, skirts were knee length, just enough to show off nice calves with a heeled shoe and pantyhose, then called stockings. Twiggy could wear those short mini's because she had perfect thighs. If a girl could pull together a mini skirt with white boots she was most definitely "in". Add the fishnets. But older, more sophisticated women were happy with a Chanel type suit, low heels, and white gloves. It was a very neat look.

Hair was tied up or rolled up in a twist or a do one couldn't do by herself, or teased hair with flip out sides, often dyed a yellow bleached blond. Neat, combed and parted shorter hair, straight and sleek. Or gently curled like The Supremes. Short bangs or sideburns to emphasize one's face. Everyone was so pretty.

That's because the eyes had it. The Audry Hepburn glance. Twiggy's direct stare into the camera wtih her side part and huge, gorgeous eyes. Ann Margaret or Marilyn Monroe's faces shaped by both their eyes and hairstyles, becoming to the face. Lipstick, always.

This was pre-bell bottoms, pre-maxi skirts, and pre-Nehru shirts. Pre-long, messy hair. Pre- macrame belts over hip huggers. The hippy look in the 70s was the direct opposite of the 60s. Women's fashions were graceful, elegant, smooth, clean and confident, lossely form fitting with simple lines, feminine and attractive. They were classy, not sassy. Bodies were healthy, shapley, or naturally thin. The outfits and suits were smart. People dressed up to fly on Pan Am or TWA.

So what's in, what's out? What's back, what's not?

Black eyeliner and eyebrow liners have made a come back. False eyelashes have also come back in. As for eyeliner? I am on it. But save the lashes for TV or a stage performance. Hair? Almost anything goes, but give me those clean lines and 60s sideburns. The pretty face is in. Big, teased hair is still out yet some prefer it fluffy or don't bother with it. The pleated dress? It is very much "in". I bought almost the same dress as the yellow chiffon but in black for my flute recital. There were no bell sleeves. I couldn't resist a lavender full midi length chiffon skirt to go with a tight fitting sweater. Stretch pants? Well, leggings work just as well. Foot band not needed. Little flowered cotton dresses? Transformed into Banana Republic or Gap blouses just as pretty. I also bought a green tent style dress but hesitate to wear it as it seems a little wide. By the way, it is made of knit. Remember "knits" back in the day for pants, blazers and men's clothes?

And about those 60s suits. I would love a real Chanel tweed, but they are unaffordable. I have seen them on E-Bay for several hundreds of bucks. On a lone trip to Paris I found the original Chanel store with old mannequins in the window. Luckily it was closed for the evening as I might have spent all my travel money on a single item.

A few words about the choices we make. For the purose of this essay, I wish to go back in time when women dressed as gracefully as those mentioned above, by imititating those styles or renewing them in an eclectic, personal way. No one should be denied of who they are meant to be, and in my case and at my age, to be fully feminine. I would love to wear white gloves to an opera, or a hat to a daytime lunch date or tie satin ribbons around my waist, but I dare not do any of these extremes. Yet, one can tastefully blend these styles with newer looks. Fashion should be a subtle suggestion. It should also be a girl's personal empowerment.

The simple elegance of the 60s is attractive and compelling. What we all choose to wear is how we see ourselves, how we project our image so that others can see the real person we are meant to be. The 60s has no special meaning for me except that I became a teenager and fell in love with clothes and design, influcened highly by my French grandmother Memére who wore low heels, gloves and a hat to church, the grocery, or downtown New Orleans. I suppose these things left an impression, however I never thought about it till recently, many unmentionable decades later. I think we can still find ourselves later in life.

In the 70s, a dramatic shift took place in what girls wore. Then came the big hair in the most awkward 80s. Nothing special about the 90s. More eclectism in the 2000s. Things come back and repeated designs plus new ideas are up to those most creative in the field of fashion, those lucky enough to make statements and sell their looks. I believe that clothes are an art and our bodies our canvas for the medium of fabrics, and our favorite styles a reflection of our true personality within. As they say you are what you eat, you also, are what you wear.