It’s almost as though the hot summer fashions have turned the clock back to 1958. Think Sandra Dee movies like Gidget, the all American girl in crop tops and capri pants and A Summer Place, where Troy Donahue gets her “in trouble.” Sandra Dee movies were a bridge from the innocent good girls, to the good girls interested in sex who joined the ’60’s sexual revolution.
Whether she wore cardigan sweater sets, gingham sundresses or modest bathing suits with color, stripes and polka dots, Sandra Dee’s characters and their wardrobes were sexy, but not overtly so.
This Karla Colletto, off-the-shoulder swimsuit is Sandra Dee modest but sizzling!
I love Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James line, named after her grandparents, Dorothea Draper and William James Witherspoon. It’s as Sandra Dee and down home sexy as a Southern girl can get. Witherspoon describes her brand’s feminine aesthetic as “grace, charm, humor, hospitality and originality.”
Even the seersucker sandals and checked mules have a refreshing friendliness and sass about them.
I don’t know about you, but I welcome the Sandra Dee/Draper James woman. I’m tired of ripped knees and low rise jeans–unless you’re built like Twiggy–hooker platform shoes, asymmetrical blouses with one sleeve and anything that even hints of a Kardashian.
Give me a fabulous white blouse–don’t you love the sleeves on Sandra Dee’s blouse–unbuttoned to destination interesting; slim leg pants (not leggings); some classy Julie Vos “affordable jewelry;” a pair of sleek flats and the right man, and I’ll show you him sexy. Speaking of summer shoes, have you read Dr. Barbara Bergin’s blog about “Summer Shoe Danger?” She’s always right on target, and it’s just in time.
We all know good girls like sex, so what if we stop dressing like hookers and wow men by being a lady in the living room and a…. Well, you know the rest.
Lots of great Summer of 1958 things to choose from, including Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James
I love these chic, one piece bathing suits. They hide a variety of things we don’t want on display!
Now lets talk simple but beautiful blouses…
Slim leg pants…
Julie Vos “Affordable Luxury” jewelry…
Let’s not forget a great pair of summer flats!
See you next week here on FASHION FRIDAY! XOXOXO, Brenda
18 Comments
We have similar taste! Love Draper James too.
There are several celebrity fashion lines–The Row and Victoria Beckham–that I like, but can’t afford. At least with Draper James I don’t have to admire from afar. Thanks, Jen. xoxox, Brenda
Brilliant! Your line about good girls made me laugh, because it’s so true. There are some items that should be completely eliminated from wardrobes and you pretty much covered them all. Essie xx
Glad you agree, Essie. Perhaps it’s because I’m a symmetry freak, but things that have just one sleeve look stupid to me. They’re not even “fashion forward.” Just plain dumb. xoxox, Brenda
All lovely and fun. Happy Friday!
Hi Paula, Happy Friday to you as well. I was just reading what you wrote about end-stage caregiving. Because my mother lived in a dementia facility, I wasn’t in the trenches like you are. I admire you more than you know. xoxox, Brenda
I’d love to be able to get nice fitted clothes without the vanity sizing; jeans that aren’t skin tight and ripped; clothes that coordinate and not clash, I could go on forever!
Great point about the “coordinate not clash,” Debbie! All the fashion rules we grew up with have been thrown out the window. They’re counterintuitive for me. Perhaps that’s why I don’t find them that attractive either. Thank you! Brenda
Cute and classy choices, Brenda! But I still want my AG cropped boyfriend jeans with the ripped knees. I have fun playing with more than one style!
Perhaps it’s my body type… I’m a little short-waisted… but cropped pants are laughable on me! I have a friend who’s tiny and petite, and she wears capri pants better than anyone else I know. I’m envious! xoxox, Brenda
Love this post! I totally agree. I was looking for capris yesterday… no luck. But Target has jeans that have been cut off with scissors into capri length pants. No hem! Um, no.
LOL! What about the hems that have been cut off and are uneven? Shorter in the front than the back? It seems as though fashion designers are doing ANYTHING to make “this year’s” clothes a little different in the hope they become trendy so we buy them! I have to agree with you Stephanie. Thanks for the great addition to my list, Brenda
A return to looking like a “Lady,” what a novel idea! All of the Kardashian-look-alikes don’t seem to realize that sexy is an inside job… and having a sense of style, and expressing it, is fun! Great article!
Yes and who, but a Kardashion and their lookalikes, would think butt implants fit in the category of having a sense of style and expressing it? Eeeuu! xoxox, Brenda
I love this post….it’s about classy and fun dressing. Why not look like a sexy lady…what a novel idea. I think I might need to go shopping!! Super article…thank you!!
Thank you, Kris! I’m so happy to know I’m not an opinion of one! Brenda
You have woven together the fabric of my childhood, watching my elegant Southern Mom and her sister effortlessly “ooze” class and girlish charm! Love this piece.
Thanks, Joan! I miss the class and charm women used to have. To be considered “classy” was a huge compliment. Now it seems like so many women no longer care. It’s tight leggings–even if we don’t want to see “all that,” or ripped jeans and t-shirts. I’m shocked at how many women get on an airplane that way… like they couldn’t decide, until the last second, whether they were going to work in the yard or go to New York City! BTW, I left you a message on your blog! Brenda