Customer Reviews

Everyday Fashions of the Sixties As Pictured in Sears Catalogs (Dover Fashion and Costumes)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There's often a difference between how we imagine or remember the Sixties & how they really were. I remember that they looked more like what's in this book: Jackie Kennedy, Patty Duke, Leslie Gore, Carnaby Street & San Francisco filtered through Sears & delivered to middle class America. It all got pretty silly toward the end of the decade. But something important was happening in women's fashions. Clothes became more comfortable & hair styles more simple, if that's what one chose. But the choice was there. That transition is captured by these amusing & thought-provoking catalogue pages.

It's a wonderful book for crafters of costumes & doll clothing, art students, pop sociologists & anyone who enjoys seeing how the times were a changin' through the mediums of clothing, hair, bust size & retail pricing. Very few color pix, though.

Bob Rixon

purchased to use as a resource for developing a course on 20th century visual (consumer) culture.

a fun quick overview of everyday American fashion in the 1960's. would love it more if it had more color photos, and a larger assortment of men's clothing options (it definitely focuses on women's clothing) , but it's a great quick reference.

Boy am I showing my age but I do remember wearing some of these fashions, or wishing I could have worn them, and I loved reading this book. A real trip down memory lane.

Great book for those interested in sities fashion. No interpretive text or historical context-- this book is purely an assemblage of some of Sear's catalog most enduring and representative patterns of sixties attire. Ripped straight from the catalogue pages, this book is just filled from cover to cover of catalogue models and accessory displays. And its not just young women's clothes as the cover may allude-- it ranges from womens, teens, childrens, to mens clothes.

My main criticism is that the cover is misleading-- only two pages of the book are actually in color, the rest are black and white. While I like the idea of black and white photos on the semi-gloss pages (which is a very mod scheme anyway), most of the photos are more fuzzy and gray than crisp black and white. That's just not what you'd want from a 60s fashion book. Half of fashion interest in the sixties is the bold use of color and pattern never seen before the period. I felt it was also short in length, so that with the lack of color was a disappointment.

Vibrant color was one of the most important aspects of fashions of the 1960's. Sadly, the color is a missing aspect of this otherwise wonderful volume.

However, if you are looking for a trip down memory lane, Everyday Fashions of the Sixties as Pictured in Sears Catalogs is a great way to recapture the era. It brought back fond memories of my school days.

If you are not a Baby Boomer, you might be very surprised to realize that many of the styles we wore were much more conservative and flattering than the media's reinterpretation of 60's style. (Oh! How I want those shoes!)

Highly recommended for fashion research or pure entertainment! I'd give it another star if there was more color!

I purchased this book while designing costumes for The Odd Couple by Neil Simon. It came in handy for identifying appropriate hairstyles, hemlines and tie widths. In any case the Sears catalogue is always an invaluable reference for the costumer of any decade!

This wonderful book provides a nostagic trip back to the 1960's, but more than just invoking fond memories, provides a glimpse of that changing decade through fashion. The early 60's ushered in mink stoles for $500.00, lady-like gowns and proper high heels. Towards the end of the '60's fashion takes on a distinct change, reflecting that turbulent time in the U.S. Gone are the wasp-waist dresses, and in come the "hippie" styles of striped bell-bottom pants for both sexes, mini-dresses and go-go boots modeled by Twiggy look-alikes. And the prices! A gorgeous pair of colorful leather flats were about $6.00, leather boots sold for $14.00. Of course, some of the styles are positively heinous according to current standards, but many have stood the test of time and would not seem out of place today. I love to scour old styles when I design my own clothes, and if you are a fashion designer or just love clothes, this is a wonderful reference guide.

Biggest problem is that while the photos are gorgeous, none are in color -- Only color pix are the inside covers!!! No wonder the book is so low-priced - the only reason I'm not returning it. I would not have bought this book if I had known photos were b&w.

This book is wonderful - apart from the introduction it is all pictures. Don't be put off that most of them are black and white, they are still fabulous! Wonderful resource for anyone interested in sixties fashion - it also includes underwear and menswear.

The decade-by-decade images from all the books in this series are, IMHO, required references for those interested in fashion and costume design in the 20th century.