Vintage Black Weddings - 1960

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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!