When I was a teen, I thought that the 1960s was the grooviest time ever. I thought it was fun, romantic, optimistic and kind. I loved watching movies made in the 60s. I loved the fashion and the type of women's beauty that was popular back then. Mama and Papa weren't mama and papa yet. They were young, fell madly in love, got married, moved to live in a very cool new town, where soon Andrei was born, and they became who they always will be - our Mama and Papa, though I did not became a reality till the 70s.
Life in the 1960s seemed simpler, happier and more genuine to me, when I was a teen. I would often have asked my parents whether they felt that way too.
I think they gently tried to let me know that some things were simpler, and some weren't. Later, I learned more about the Soviet history of that period, and I also learned that some things that they say in our school text books looked very different in real life. That even though in culture, literature, and cinema, there was a brief mini Renaissance, known as Khrushchev Thaw (оттепель) in the former USSR, it soon was stopped by the government, and new punishments and the heavy Iron Curtain followed that brief sip of fresh air.
Maybe that's why my feelings about the 1960s are bittersweet now. There was so much hope in that period, a hope for a real change, for more political, creative freedom, for freedom of thoughts and ideas. It seemed that it could never go back to where it was before, to the fear of government and the lack of freedom. Maybe that's why I subconsciously picked this outfit when I had an appointment with the government the other day. It is a nod to the dream period of my youth, to its hopefulness, cheeriness and a sip of freedom at first, and fear, imposed by the government, later.
All the pieces I'm wearing are modern and can be styled in a contemporary way. Both the funky print dress and the elegantly cool sleeveless coat were love at first sight. The dress is from Chico's, as probably half of my wardrobe is. And the coat is from a fantastic collaboration for Lane Bryant (another half of my wardrobe), only this time not by a recognized designer, but rather by future stars of the fashion design world - the students of the Otis College of Art and Design. I loved that whole collaboration, but this piece made it to my personal collection. Can you see these humongous pockets that go from front to back and are extra deep too?
These days, I do not dream about living in the 1960s, or any other time in the past, for that matter. But I still love certain aspects of the past, and fashion is one of them. The 60s with its looser (compared to the 50s) silhouettes and brighter (compared to the 40s) colors, the 60s with its happy music and new wave in the cinematography, the 60s with its hopeful and brave words in literature - yes, I love these aspects of the 60s. The 60s when Mama and Papa were young (I could be their parent now when I am in my 40s!), and madly in love, poor, but full of hope, with their whole life in front of them - yes, I love those sweet sixties.
Sleeveless coat - the collaboration between Otis College students and Lane Bryant
Dress - Chico's
Shoes - Vanelli
Purse - B Makowsky (old)
Earrings - old, from Russia
Sunglasses - Lane Bryant
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Good Morning Natalia, wow this dress is amazing. The colours are beautyfull. You look fantastic. The 60s and the 50s are wonderfull in fashion. I'm born in 1966, I don't remember this times, but I love the fashion and the movies.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about life in USSR in this time, I was born in the town, I always live. I'm boring, you see ;)
Wish you a nice weekend, xxxxx
That's why it's so much fun to get to know you, Tina, as many other women, through blogging - I also don't know much about life in your town, and I like to learn. :)
DeleteWhat a great dress! yes, the 60s were really a breakout decade...some things for the better, some maybe not so much. with freedom comes...some things we may not want. but it's still better than the alternative!
ReplyDeleteBettye
Thank you, Bettye! I agree, responsibility is what many people don't want, and it is always another side of freedom.
DeleteHow very different the 1960s were in Russia to the UK. I know, I'm obsessed with the claustrophobic Cold War era although I'd hate to have lived in there. What your parents must have experienced.
ReplyDeleteThat dress is gorgeous, just my kind of thing, a bold, flashy print and a great shape. xxx
Thank you, Vix! Our times are not perfect either, but honestly - what times are? There is always something to love and something not to be so mad about. And that's how we learn, from the contrast. Fashion and style was definitely lots of fun in the 60s. :)
Deleteand i love your trip down memory lane!!
ReplyDeletei can see your young and hopeful parents - arriving in the modern flat in a new build block in a shiny modern town that looks like the illustration of a early 50´s futuristic novel :-)
i was a foetus when the sowjet tanks drove thru our town on their way to prague in summer 1968 - but the effects of this determined my life until 1989.....
your outfit is just fabulous!! love the bright dress and especially this cute shoes! and the design students did a very good job with that coat!! 60´s suits you very well!
groove on babe!!! xxxxxx
Thank you, Beate! Actually they lived in a lovely old fashioned building with high ceilings, built by architects from St Petersburg, our most classy city. The little town where I was born was very classy as well.
Delete1968 was already another era. That sip of fresh air, very noticeable in the arts and literature of that period, was brief. Many movies produced then we did not see until 1990s...
oh yes, sixties were also a hope era here in spain, when a freedom breeze came into the country, due to a (restrained) opening to foreign ideas through tourism. But it took fifteen years more to have a real democracy! So it's also a bittersweet vision for me. I love british and french 60's, they were way more brilliant and joyful!
ReplyDeleteAnd love your dress, such a colorful amazing piece, and such a beautiful shape, you look gorgeous!. Also love your sleeveless coat, really love all your summer coats and long cardigans, you rock them!!
besos
Thank you, Monica! See, that's something I didn't know about Spain. How interesting that there is a parallel with my home country.
DeleteAnd yes, long cardies and summer coats are fantastic! I can't have enough of them. :)
I love your nod to the swinging 60's here! I was born in 65, so can't really remember much about the decade myself. But it was the golden era of design, for sure, and I have a few pieces from that time (glassware mostly).
ReplyDeleteAnd politics... Well, now that we're sort of headed towards another cold war, maybe there are a few lessons to learn from that era. Personally, I'm somewhat concerned about the way things are going in Russia... I often have Russian students in my classes (in open university), and the older ones have nothing good to say about the Soviet Union (or Putin, for that matter). But the really young ones who were not even born then, some of them are nostalgic for some imaginary past (and those who are not nostalgic are very critical). I remember seeing Soviet tourists (later, in the 70s and 80s), how they always had minders with them (Finland was one of the few western countries they could visit) and they always stocked up on jeans in shops and financed their shopping by selling alcohol (always a great business venture in Finland, and it still goes on today...). As fascinating as the past is, let's hope those times are gone for ever.
Amen to that, Tiina! If there is one thing I loathe, it's politics. And no, I am not crazy about Russian government myself. I look back in time to only remember people and their lives, their dreams - that fascinates me, not politics. The 60s had some wonderful dreams and beautiful art, including fashion!
DeleteThose clothes form the 60's were gorgeous! I would love to transport that closet to mine. I look back at old pictures of my mom dressed up form the late 50's and 60's in between her many pregnancies, and despite there not being any excess money, there was a style there that is sill fabulous today.
ReplyDeleteI hope you still have a few things from your Mom, Sam! My Mom gave everything away to her sisters, and I don't think they saved anything. They were looking forward to new things (which were in deficit), not back to save the old stuff. My parents are wondering why I have this obsession with old things. That is why - I am creating my own heritage so to speak. :) Sadly, I don't have anything from my grandparents, not one button left. Somehow, they did not treasure old stuff.
DeleteOh Natalia!!! I was a little girl in the 1960's and you have completely captured the fashion spirit of the time. My young mother used to wear the most adorable mini dresses and big bright jewelry. I was pretty young but it really did seem like an optimistic time here in the US. I was sooooo intrigued by the Soviet Union when I was younger. It all seemed so mysterious. I loved the way the language sounded and the Olympic athletes were so superb. I had a book about young Russian ballerinas that I read over and over again. The little girls had beautiful braids and bows in their hair and they seemed strong and sad and elegant.
ReplyDeleteIt warms my heart to know it, Connie. I like what you said about those little ballerinas - you captured the spirit of it! I also wore braids with bows, as all of us Soviet girls. :)
DeleteLove the dress! Even though I was born in the late 90's, I love wearing clothes from different eras. The 60's and 80's are two of my favorites!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Edye | Http://gracefulcoffee.wordpress.com
Thank you, Edye! I'd love to find a genuine 1960s dress some day - so far, I'm happy that the modern fashion produces something like this happy little number. :)
DeleteYou look great! I like 60's too. Especially movies put me into a totally different dimension. I think these deep pockets are awesome!
ReplyDeleteYou made me wonder about something. Each period has some typical stuff that represent it and I'm just thinking what is there now? I mean, I can't realy see anything special. Maybe it will become visible contrasted with the future trends etc.?
Have a wonderful week dear Natalia!:) Big hugs!:))
xxx
Oh my, you can put a whole turkey into these pockets!
DeleteTo me, modern fashion has one very distinct feature that differentiates it from all the previous eras. This feature is... freedom. Freedom to mix styles! In previous eras, fashion rules were very strict. You could wear either casual, or dressy. These days, they love a mix of both. Besides, it is the time when you can wear styles from other eras, and at least in big cities, nobody will point a finger at you. We are free to do whatever we want with our own looks. There is no one dominant style.
Hello Natalia!
ReplyDeleteI love the sleevless coat and that stunning dress that looks like the 60s 70s, and 90s to me. Gorgeous. Bittersweet is the perfect word, I am glad your parents were diplomatic and gentle with their explanations. In the US, t was a funny time, "women's liberation" a powerful movement, that ended up not doing to much to change things for women, except their expectations... and that is bittersweet, too.
Love the collaboration work!
xx, Elle
http://www.theellediaries.com/
Thank you, Elle! You know, despite what did not happen the way people hoped at the moment, it all was there for a reason. Some seeds need more time to grow. Some ideas, take centuries if not thousands of years to really sink in with most of people.
DeleteAnd I agree with you about the dress, it could easily be any of those eras!
I love how you connected fashion with politics and history in this post. Really one can learn a lot about the world just by studying fashion. In fact, an interest for fashion is often not as superficial as it may seem.
ReplyDeleteI feel very bittersweet about the sixties as well. Some of my favourite writers wrote in that period. Life seemed to full of hope than...but there is also hope now. We just have to take it one day at the time.
I love this outfit! The colours, the dress...absolutely fabulous.
As much as we sometimes do not want the contrast in life, we really learn a lot from it. Thank you, Ivana!
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