Tag Archives: pants

Two Sisters, Two Styles

Posted on October 3, 2020 by Lynn

A reader from Colorado sent this wonderful photo along with a story, my favorite kind of contribution. Center and right are two sisters, with facial shapes, hair styles and eye glasses looking very much the same.  However, the similarity ends … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Woman Who Stayed In Style

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Lynn

One common assumption about older women is that they are much less likely to keep up with current clothing trends.  I notice this in my own dress.  There are lots of explanations for this phenomenon.  Usually older women have discovered … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s | Tagged , | 4 Comments

The Woman Who Loved Pants

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Lynn

While it’s not hard to find photos of younger women in pants from the 1940s, older women are a different matter.  This woman (I’m almost positive it’s the same one—or else a very close relative) might not yet be 50, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Stay Cool in Summer Shorts

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Lynn

What’s being featured here—the woman or the frig?  It must be hot, because she has on a short sleeved shirt and shorts.  That’s showing a lot of skin for an older woman, at least according to fashion advisors.  The clothes … Continue reading →

Posted in 1970s | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Finally Fashion Forward?

Posted on July 31, 2020 by Lynn

I used to think that I was the only woman in America who didn’t wear jeans, but maybe that is changing.  The Washington Post recently featured an article on the decline of jeans sales during the pandemic. More and more … Continue reading →

Posted in 2020s, General | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Anne Spencer in her Garden

Posted on June 11, 2020 by Lynn

When I began this project about ten years ago, I knew that it was a huge task to attempt to portray the dress of older American women in all their diversity. Although I’ve tried to include older women of color, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Lilly Daché in Pants, 1945

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Lynn

By the end of World War Two, French Born Lilly Daché had cemented her reputation as one of the premier milliners in the United States.  As she prepared to visit France just after peace had been declared, Life magazine published … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Glamorous Grandmas

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Lynn

Well, it’s not so hard to be a young looking grandmother if you are in fact young. Joan Bennett (1910-1990) was eighteen when she had her first child and all of 39 in the photo above.  This LA Times article … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Suiting Up

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Lynn

This older woman looks quite serious in her uniform, but what organization does she belong to?  I thought at first that the triangle insignia represented a position in civilian defense, but quick research showed that those triangles go the other … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s | Tagged , | 2 Comments

On the Road

Posted on September 25, 2019 by Lynn

When ordinary Americans began buying cars in large numbers, car camping became a popular pastime. The first club devoted to this leisure time activity was formed in 1919.  As we can see above, it was not just for the young.  … Continue reading →

Posted in 1920s | Tagged , | 2 Comments