1960 Fashion by Year | Mens and Womens Clothing

The fashion year 1960 was in transition from the conservative fifties to the youth-oriented swinging sixties. The full-skirted swing dress was still the main wardrobe staple for women, with the pencil-shaped dress gaining more popularity — especially with an ever shorting hemline. It was in the casual dress that the new youthful silhouette was emerging. More women were wearing pants in public, shorts and capris in summer, and coordinated loose tops and button-down blouses that mimicked menswear. Matching couples’ clothes was a trend as well.  Eveningwear saw many women dressing in all black, while ball gowns and party dresses looked classy in layers of lace. When shopping for a 1960 look, consider both 1950s and 1960s clothing.

For men, the shift to younger style was ahead of women’s fashion. Gone were the days of grey 3 piece suits. In style were plaid and check sport coats with colorful vests, skinny ties, and no hats. Sweaters were back in fashion too, a favorite of Ivy League college boys whose style was widely adopted in the early to mid 60s.  For mature men, casual fashion meant looking like they were going golfing in buttondown shirts or polo shirts, flat front colorful trousers, and slip-on shoes. Blue jeans were worn, but carried a western flair to them. They had yet to catch on to the masses. View some 1960s men’s outfits ideas here.

Here are some fashion pictures from my 1960 Montgomery Ward catalog.

1960 Fashion