11 Pieces Make a Wardrobe - 1954

Fall has arrived and with it the traditional colors of brown, orange, and gold.  Take those shades, add a couple of prints that co-ordinate and you've got endless possibilities to mix and match.  Two dresses (the solid brown at the far right and the print shirtwaist next to it combine with a solid brown vest, brown straight skirt, brown bolero jacket, brown Bermuda shorts, a solid gold blouse, a print blouse and skirt, and an orange knit sweater jacket and skirt for a week's worth of outfits.

If you put your mind to it, I'll bet you could come up with an entire month's worth of outfits from these 11 pieces and not repeat the same one twice.  How would you mix it up?  I'd wear the brown bolero with the darker printed shirtdress.  Or I'd pair the gold blouse and orange jacket with the solid brown skirt.  Or I'd.............fill in the blank in the comments!

Skinny Pants - 1963

Today we call them skinny jeans, leggings, tights, what have you.  But narrowly cut pants are nothing new.  Neither are leggings.  With the advent of the new "miracle" knit fabrics in the early 60s, knit stretch and stirrup pants were all the rage with young women.  Make note, though, that pants like these were strictly for casual wear and would not have been worn to work, to a meeting with a professional or to a restaurant.  Many women wouldn't even wear them for shopping or to class.  Today's photos are from 1963.

Above at left:  Davenshire rayon/nylon stirrup pants came in 8 colors and were offered in short, medium and tall lengths.  At right:  Davenshire wool worsted plaid skinny pants, fully lined of course.

Tiger brand pants and coordinating blouses.  Left:  Black wool flannel pants (fully lined) worn with a printed acetate blouse.  At right:  Wool/nylon stretch pants with stirrups worn with a cotton blend blouse.

Koret of California introduced jacquard textured skinny pants in Permathal cotton knit.  Supposedly, the pants were tough enough to be tackled by football players!

 What did one wear with skinny pants and leggings?  Flats and only flats!  Shoes with heels would have been considered too "trashy".  Cute flat shoes and ankle boots were called for and the style choices were plentiful.  Above, 9 styles of flat shoes and booties, all by Sandler of Boston.

Three menswear style boots, all in leather.  At the top, Pappagallo buckle boot.  In the center, a laced bootie by Sandler of Boston.  At the bottom, A loafer extended into a boot by Trampeze.

Back to School Separates - 1955

If you were a teen or young 20-something in 1955, this is what you wanted for back-to-school, back-to-college, or for casual wear.

Jantzen separates were offered in lots of co-ordinating colors. You could mix-and-match their sweaters with pants, skirts, and Bermuda shorts. Prices ranged from $7.95 - $19.95 in 1955 ($65.00 to $164.00 in today's dollar).

More separates from Jantzen.
Orlon sweaters from various manufacturers were worn with pants and skirts.

Thermo-Jac "boy-inspired" khakis, plaid shirts, and plaid lined jackets. Pants sold for $5.98, shirt $4.98, and jacket $6.98 in 1955 (about $49.00, $41.00, and $57.00 in today's dollar).

Cotton long sleeved blouses by Laura Mae were so well priced, you had money to burn! All sold for $2.98 in 1955 (about $24.00 in today's dollar).

All photos from 1955 advertisements.