Summer Stripes and 60’s Style

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with 60’s style. I suspect my obsession grew from playing with my mom’s Barbies, with their mini dresses and painted-on smokey eyes. Buried somewhere in a Rubbermaid container in my parents’ basement is Fashion Queen Barbie, shown at left, with her fabulous gold striped swimsuit and creepy wigs. The most interesting Barbie accessory from my mom’s much-played-with collection is a mini diet book with politically incorrect advice on “How to Lose Weight”:

Okay, so maybe the real 60’s weren’t as altogether fabulous as the style-savvy sixties of my imagination. Still, my fondness for the fashion of that decade persists. I even had a Mad Men themed birthday party last year, complete with martinis and pigs in a blanket.

I’m happy to see, then, that there are a lot of 60’s-style stripes on the racks this summer. Style icons Twiggy and Brigitte Bardot sported them back in the 60’s, and these classic looks would still look great today. Stripes remind me of beaches, boat rides, and a carefree mind. And that’s what summer is all about, is it not?