Some of you might be familiar with the show "Mad Men".
If you're not, let me fill you in...
Its a show about CEOs and their secretaries/ wives/ mistresses working in an advertising agency during 1960s.
Its not really the show that sparked my fashion philosophy interest, but when watching an episode one day, something clicked in my brain...
Fit and flare dresses, button up shirts, dress pants, blazers
The fashion norms of 1960s for men and women has flared back up this August!
In fact the trends of 1960s that you see on this show became so popular that Banana Republic launched a Mad Men inspired fashion line this season!
this was a fair line to put on the market because of how popular that areas clothing style has become.
At first I thought that the fall fashion line was just a play off business wear in general, however its not just that.
For men, the office scene fashion hasn't changed too much. Suite and tie. However now you see girls walking around not only in what men wore in the 1960s, but what women wore.
Real Housewives of 2011
Fit and flare dresses and knee length tight dresses have been very popular. However the similarities between what a typical housewife in the 1960s wore and what we wear today may be shocking.
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| 1960s Housewife |
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| one of Forever 21's New Arrival dresses |
Notice several of the minor details that make this dresses basically from the same era.
Fit and flare
Belt
Button up the middle above where the flare is
the collar
A very simple design built strictly to show a thin waist with an hourglass figure, which is exactly what men want to see on their women when they get home.
This exact shape makes sense as to why this fashion has been and is once again a popular style for women. It makes your chest and hips look big while making your waist look thin.
It was perfect for housewives back in the 1960s because their main purpose was to be domestic and maternal for the family household.
Also, the hourglass figure became popular right after the age of Marilyn Monroe the Sex figure of the 19050s, who flaunted the hourglass figure and promoted it upon women. After her, the fashion was made to accentuate the chest and hips.
Women today like this dress style because it makes you look feminine + all of the characteristics I mentioned before with the hour glass shape.
Yet something I can't figure out is why now and why has this house mom look come back to grab interest in young women today?
Business Attire
The one trend that I have been drawn to and most interested in this season is the male business look. Many different business garment pieces have been remade into clothing articles to complement the womanly figure.
For example:
The blazer.
If you have followed up on my blogs you know how i feel about blazers.
They're professional, complementing, and built perfectly to go with any outfit to make you look casual, put together, and trendy. I love blazers.
However, the blazer craze is not some magical jacket that got put on the market for women this year.
In fact as most of America knows, the blazer is a uniform over jacket for business men.
A blazer is what to be expected when a man dresses up to look professional or put together.
The blazer is just one clothing article that has been stolen from the typical male fashion line.
Button up shirts are another biggie.
Whether is lace, sheer, crop top or bright pink; everyone is doing it.
The button up long sleeved work shirt has hit girls closets like a bomb! A lot of my friends have been wearing them, and when you see someone in one, you think "Oh wow that looks so trendy!"
All of those shirts above are on the the Forever 21 new arrivals page as of October 31st, 2011.
They are in different shapes sizes and colors and they are everywhere young women have been shopping.
What I don't get is, why?
I mean don't get me wrong!
Even I am doing it! I love the look on me and anyone else wearing it.
Just what I dont understand is why!?
My philosophy has always been feminine looks are what become and stay most popular, but this piece of article in particular has no redeeming qualities when it comes to flattering a body.
They're baggy and not even reshaped to show girly curves.
Its the same reason that baffles me as to why girls like a risky business themed party!
Maybe its that whole "I am wearing boys clothes because someone found me attractive so he let me wear his shirt" look is what girls are going for.
Or maybe its the whole "if you can look food in this, you can look good in anything" look.
Or maybe its the fact that someone finally redid the old fashion women's button up shirt and finally decided to make it look trendy, professional, and slightly sexy.
My bet is on that one.
And old school women's button up blouse made women look old and boring.
Now there is a trendy twist, so we can look business casual, and still feel feminine and stylish without feeling boring.
So you can take whatever stance you want, I just call them as I see them.
And I see everyone wearing them.
Either with a tight black skirt or colored jeans.
The shirts themselves are already pretty wacky, you probably can't tack it out too much more than they already are.
Also don't forget, color blocking is from the 60s too...
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| Then... |
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| Now... |
I don't think I need to say too much more than that... Everyone knows about color blocking by now.
So as you can see the 1960s culture has hit the run way in a way that was truly unpredictable. The business world such as portrayed in the show "Mad Men" with the CEOs and secretaries, to the closet of a typical woman in the 60s has all come back for a repeat of style.
My Interpersonal Communication's teacher always says "The 80s are back"
I think tomorrow when he says that I will say "Excuse me professor, you're wrong. I have proof to show otherwise"
I don't know exactly what has drawn us back to the 60s out of all time periods, but it is here I am predicting until spring.
Everything from the typical housewife to a partying color blocking teenager to a working husband, majority of the style trends from this era are acceptable to mimicking in todays attire. Just look around, you will be shocked.
And in case you're interested, Mad Men is on Netflix instant demands if you want more stylish inspiration.
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