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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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Tag Archives: pantsuits
The Biggest Hair, 1968
What a historical treasure! The photo was sent to me by reader Nann Hilyard, who got it from a friend, who got it from who knows where. The magic of the internet. Big hair was already heading out of style … Continue reading
Dancing at the Senior Center, 1980
When did older women decide to give up dresses and turn to pants as their basic mode of dress? The answer surely depends in part on location. The City of Commerce, where this photo was taken, is in Southern California … Continue reading
Kamala Harris, Plain and Fancy
By now you have probably heard about the dust up over Vogue’s February issue featuring Kamala Harris on the cover. According to Vogue, both photos, shot by African American photographer Tyler Mitchell, were approved for publication. The more casual look … Continue reading
Funny Hats on New Year’s Eve, 1970
I wish I had a funny hat and a collection of friends to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Given my love of champagne, or similar bubbly beverages, it is a favorite holiday of mine. At this party, sponsored by music mogul … Continue reading
The Woman Who Stayed In Style
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
Anne Spencer in her Garden
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
Betty Ford in Pants, 1977
You can guess by this photo that Betty Ford, First Lady of the US from 1974 to 1977, was a former dancer for Martha Graham. Apparently it was her idea to dance on the Cabinet Room table on the last … Continue reading
Book Review—Dress Like a Woman: Working Women and What They Wore
I was attracted to this book by the two big names on the cover, feminist scholar Roxane Gay and the New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman. Gay wrote the foreword, a brief examination of the many laws and customs … Continue reading
About Pantsuits, Not Politics
The American media is abuzz with interpretations of what Melania Trump might have meant by donning a white pantsuit to her husband’s first State of the Union speech. Speculation is fun, but what interests me is the fact that she … Continue reading
The Evolution of the Slacks Suit in Montgomery Ward Catalogs
What exactly is a “slacks suit”? It isn’t quite what we mean by a pantsuit these days, a matching pair of pants and jacket with the versatility of a man’s suit. In the 1930s, when the term emerged as a … Continue reading