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To contribute to this collective history project, send pictures and stories about the older women in your life to americanagefashion@gmail.com. The more information you can include (date, place, etc.), the better.-
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Category Archives: 1960s
Hearts on their Sleeves–The Terno in Los Angeles
In what contexts do immigrants wear their native dress? For Filipina women, the most distinctive item of clothing is the terno—a dress or set of matching separates with a much extended, wing-like upper sleeve, as seen in the picture above. … Continue reading
Anna May Wong, Aging
By now, everyone must have heard that Chinese American actress Anna May Wong has earned a place on American quarters. Key elements of her famous look, including the bangs and high eyebrows, remained with her as she aged. The photo … Continue reading
Posted in 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, General
Tagged Asian American, California, hair
1 Comment
Sorry in the Sixties
Do grown women really play the game Sorry? I can’t quite remember the rules, since it has been about sixty plus years (no kidding) since I last played. This was apparently an afternoon for games, with Sorry substituting for Bridge. … Continue reading
Stylish Threesome
This eBay find is almost certainly a three-generation photo, one of my favorite kinds. The grandmother stands in the middle, with her daughter to her left and her granddaughter to the right. It is some kind of dress up event … Continue reading
Spring in Central Park, April 1960
If you can look past the two doormen at the center of this picture, it offers an interesting overview of different clothing styles adapted by a set of older women in New York at the dawn of the 1960s. Starting … Continue reading
Matchy Matchy in the Sixties
Renewed attention to Queen Elizabeth’s fashion choices has brought “monochromatic style” back into the fashion discussion. There is a less flattering term for it, however–“matchy matchy.” These days it’s often used as an insult for women without enough imagination to … Continue reading
Hope Skillman Fabrics
I’ve been wanting to write about textile designer and manufacturer Hope Skillman (1908-1981) for a long time, but pictures of her—especially with any sense of what she wore—are hard to find. This Vogue advertisement, featuring her fabric on a dress … Continue reading
Posted in 1940s, 1950s, 1960s
Tagged designers, sewing, textiles, women's organizations
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A Faith Ringgold Retrospective
Aren’t there times when you wished you lived in New York City? I wish I were there now to see the Faith Ringgold retrospective at the New Museum. It is the first comprehensive US retrospective of her work, beginning with … Continue reading
Posted in 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s
Tagged African American, artist, New Jersey, New York, textiles, visual arts
1 Comment
The Black Women of California’s Central Valley
During the Great Depression, when waves of migrants came to California to escape the drought, Black cotton farmers were part of the population transfer. Some were recruited by California cotton growers, while others came on their own. More migrated after … Continue reading
Posted in 1960s
Tagged African American, California, hats/headcoverings, jewelry, shirtwaist
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Imaginary Sewing
As a historian, I relish finding secret messages from the past—sketches in book margins, shopping lists and the like—that no one but the writer was meant to see. I discovered several such notes in an old issue of Vogue Pattern … Continue reading