In Your 1960s Easter Bonnet

Sunday is Easter, a day when traditionally a woman would unveil her new spring hat with much fanfare. It's going to be a week of few words as we look at hats through the years. Use your imagination and make up your own story about the women who wore these hats, or about yourself having the experience of wearing one of them. Share your story in the comments if you like. Today, the 1960s, the last great decade of hats.

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

Reader Query - Proper Undergarments for 1960s Shift Dresses

In addition to yesterday's question about the proper undergarments for a low-backed dress, reader Tara also inquired about the correct foundations for 1960s shift dresses. Are a bra and panties enough?

I love this dress on you Tara! And you've asked another great question! The fact of the matter is, shift and sheath style dresses from the early to mid 1960s were designed to be worn with a girdle and women still considered them a necessity during these years. It wasn't until the later 1960s, with the advent of knits, pantyhose, and pants for day wear that the girdle loses favor with younger women.

Girdles from this time do become sleeker, though, with fewer seams and newer innovations in stretch fabrics.

And you'll find foundations in brighter colors and prints start to appear. The nice thing about the dresses from this era is that modern body shapers will probably give you the sleek look you want, so it's not necessary to search for vintage foundations.

Most importantly, though, you should wear a slip over your foundations to allow your dress to glide smoothly over them. Here's an earlier post of mine about the importance of wearing a slip.

Tara, while your 60s dresses look great, try wearing them with a body shaper and see if it makes a difference in how they fit. I think you'll like what you see! Thanks for your questions. And if anyone else has questions, please feel free to post them in comments or email me through the website.

Tall, Tall Hats of the Early 60s

Miss Dior, 1961

In the early 60s, tall hats became all the rage. This was also the time when hairstyles started to get big. A tall hat gave the illusion of big hair without all the teasing, hairspray, and work involved. I think these hats are extremely elegant and they say "High Fashion" to me. What do you think? Would you wear a hat like this?

Nina Ricci, 1962

Lanvin-Castillo, 1962

Pierre Cardin, 1962

Who could forget the very brief cameo role of Carolyn Jones (right) on season 4 of Mad Men? Her entire outfit, including the very tall hat, just blew me away!

If you said, "Yes!" to wearing tall hats, I just listed this early 1960s version in white leather at Couture Allure. Made by Wilson's House of Suede, it originally sold at their Beverly Hills store. Isn't it fabulous?