Vintage Menswear: 1954 & 1960-1962

More menswear!

The following images are featured in reverse chronological order from the years 1960-1962 with a final photo from 1954.

http://menincardigans.tumblr.com/

The above editorial reminds me a bit of the Mad Men season 2 poster - and the train scenes from Revolutionary Road:

I know this post is about vintage mens' fashions, but I love the chunky three-stand pearl necklace and wiggle dress on the female model!

I wouldn't mind seeing more modern men in patterned blazers!

He certainly looks to be in the midst of a jaunty number!

A 1961 model dressed like a 2009 hipster dressed like an 1890s dandy (according to the New York Times Style Section, if you want to take their word for it)... A thing like that! And who doesn't love plus-fours?

Is that a Bolex you're holding?

Like his frames. LOVE her dress!

Glitter isn't an oft used term in menswear descriptions these days, but I heartily welcome its return!

Again, some of my favorite menswear/fashion/lifestyle blogs:

http://vintagegent.com/

http://www.dandyism.net/ (The writing on Dandyism is just as, if not more, substantive than the style tips).

The Brooklyn Circus - video

http://thebkcircus.com/bkc/

http://putthison.com (All of Jesse Thorn's projects are worth a gander, but this is one of my personal favorites. I also highly recommend his non-fashion related podcast The Sound of Young America)

http://streetetiquette.com/

http://nerdboyfriend.tumblr.com/

Ladies of Harlem

This post is all about links!

First, I want to link to this great post at AfroDandy about Black / African Pin-up art. I'm a big fan of Bettie Page, but have either neglected to seek out or failed to come across many images of Black pin-up models.

The image below, originally featured on The Pin-Up Blog caught my eye and I couldn't resist posting it here:

The photos are great, but be sure to read Zavi's post!


Within that post, was a link to a blog I'd stumbled upon a few months ago while doing research for b.vikki vintage, but had, until the post at AfroDandy, nearly forgotten all about (I almost imperceptibly linked to it in my post on the movie Reet, Petite, and Gone): Ladies of Harlem!

It's a simple, one page site, but the pictures speak volumes!

I'll be posting more consistently in the coming days: more mens fashions from the 50s and early-mid 1960s, part 2 of Vintage Black Voters and Politicians, and the Vintage Black Brides series will move into 1961.... and if you read this blog, you know that I never EVER stick to a schedule, so there will be plenty of mix-ups and unexpected posts along the way.

Vintage Birthdays 1952 - 1969 (and mine!)

Today is my 23rd birthday! And the three month anniversary of b.vikki vintage!

Thank you all for reading.

Vintage Black Weddings - 1960

Don't forget to visit b.vikki vintage on Etsy!

The first Vintage Black Weddings post of the 1960s! I've been looking forward to breaking into this decade, as the gown styles become more fashion forward seemingly overnight. The line of demarcation is so pronounced it seems there was no time to transition.

In this post, featuring gowns, weddings, and brides from the year 1960, you can whet your appetites with a brief taste of the styles to come. I remember hearing during a Making Of Mad Men special that they chose to set the first season of the show in 1960 because the last year of any decade is the culmination of the culture of the one it proceeds (for example: the year that best sums up 1980s style and culture was 1990).

This post can be added to the anecdotal evidence column in proof of that theory.

As you can see, the prevalent 1950s trend of longsleeved gowns with scalloped or diaphanous necklines is still dominant in 1960.

What I love most about this photo is that the affection is so clearly evident! Looking at so many wedding photos has desensitized me to the occasion a bit, but images like the one above remind me of what it's all about.

In the image above, from a 1960 Ebony Fashion Fair editorial, you can see the gown styles shifting from the traditional silhouettes of the 1950s to more mod, architectural designs of the 1960s. In the next installment of Vintage Black Weddings, this shift becomes even more apparent. Because the photo above is from a pictorial and straight from the runway, it's a few years before this style trickles down to every day brides. But when it finally does, it revolutionizes bridal fashion.

A wedding fountain! A thing like that!

Trans-World Airlines' first Black hostess - reminds me of this post.

Eartha Kitt's 1960 wedding to John "Bill" McDonald must have been stunning. Her contoured illusion neckline is really beautiful in satin.

The next Vintage Black Weddings post, featuring images from 1961, is quite the departure from previous installments. I'm looking forward to sharing it with you all.

Thanks for reading.

Don't forget to visit b.vikki vintage on Etsy!