TIME TRAVELING BRIDE: Bouffant to Mod in the 1960s

I dare you to pick a more diverse decade for fashion than the 1960s. The words radical, mod, and carefree come to mind when we zero in on this era — but so does sophistication. Started with the elegance of La Dolce Vita and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and ending with a 180‑degree turn to youth‑driven, mini‑skirted style, the ’60s truly had it all.

If Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn influenced early‑decade style with polished silhouettes by Oleg Cassini and Givenchy, by the mid‑sixties the times were indeed a‑changin’. Designers like André Courrèges and Mary Quant helped usher in the mod look — and once the miniskirt hit the mainstream, that vibe quickly made its way into bridal fashion.

Bridal Style Evolution

Early in the decade, brides favored full skirts and classic shapes — think bouffant silhouettes, pillbox hats, and poised elegance. By the late ’60s, silhouettes changed dramatically: shorter hemlines, sleek lines, and bold accessories like floral crowns or go‑go boots made weddings feel more youthful and playful.

Header Photo and Directly Above: My TIFFANY dress and pillbox hat--an early 1960s rendition of a bouffant style ballgown in duchesse matte satin.  Sporting a pillbox hat that Jackie Kennedy reinvented to popularity, this wedding dress, accompanied by outside-the-box head chic for a standard church wedding, would have probably meant an elegant but informal ceremony. Below: The classic sheath Audrey Hepburn made famous--that snug-fitting, long columnar silhouette in a heavier fabric like Duchesse satin or peau.

Above: 1965-66-inspired look ideal for a civil or courthouse style wedding. The sheath is still popular, but the length has been hiked to right above the knee. Notice the pillbox hat is still an important bridal touch.  Below: This is my rendition of late-sixties bridalwear in a stretch fabric with knit lace as many were by 1969.

Above: Capturing the mood of updo bouffants as they were called in the 1960s. These inventions are redolent of early sixties on the left and later 60s on the right by California stylist Kathie Rothkop. Below: It is very 60s to carry or wear daisies in long hair.  The daisy is a flower symbolizing youth and whimsy, which is what the era was all about.

TIPS FOR CREATING A REAL 1960s LOOK

Decide whether you're going early to mid-1960s or late 1960s.  Check out earlier seasons of the television series, Mad Men, if you want to create a post-50s look of fitted sheaths and bouffant skirts. Later looks from 1965 through 1969 drew inspiration from models like Twiggy and designers like Mary Quant, embracing a rebellious fashion philosophy.

  EARLY TO MID  SIXTIES

Coiffure and bouffant were common fashion terms bringing big hair and skirts to the fashion forefront. Full skirts were bell or bouffant shaped. 

Really study out the hairdressing. When I was a kid, "the flip" was very in. If my mother or aunt returned from the hairdresser, this is usually the style that came home. It used to take a full head of larger rollers and sitting under the dryer, reading Ladies Home Journal front to cover; now it can be done via curling iron and a good stylist. 

LATE SIXTIES

 

Dress your legs if you're going to wear a mini.  Tights and pantyhose were a new and welcome invention.  White lace or opaque, overnight tights eclipsed stockings that had to be held up with garter belts--which would never have worked with the mini skirt.

Find a pair of white Courrèges boots if you can.  A.k.a. Go-go boots, brides sometimes paired the white lace mini dress with these new, groovy space-age calf boots that swept the fashion scene around 1966.  

Floral halos became popular, mostly a circlet of daisies. Wearing hair florals was synonymous with the "waif look" popularized by thin models with large eyes, such as Twiggy and Edie Segewick. 

 Brides sometimes wore mini skirts with very long tulle veils, again, breaking the tradition of the long veil needing to correspond with a long white dress.

All dresses by Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal Couture