Today is officially the first day of Summer. I can’t believe it is here already. Our weather, here in the North East, has also made for a rather long and wet Spring. I for one have rather enjoyed it, as it has been lovely to have cooler weather a bit longer. We often don’t get much Spring here on the Cape, as we find winter ending and Summer beginning almost overnight. Not this year, as the rain and cool temps have made for a wet Spring.
Now, however, Sumer is icumen in. I have always loved this song and it has always been humming about my head this time of year, so why not enjoy it before we peruse some lovely Summer fashions for 1957:
These fun looks by Emilio Pucci are beginning to show the move towards more Pop and Graphic prints in fashion. Pucci will, as many of you know, be a forerunner in fabric style in the 1960’s.
His graphic looks for 1957 and what lies ahead
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We can see here that the silhouette is still very 1950’s, yet we are beginning to see the skirt rise. The bottom right boxy look and more 20’s inspired hats are leading into the trend of the 1960’s. I really do love the looks from 1955-1964. This is the time period in which I believe I will continue to dress, as the variety is there as well as many classic looks. The ultra femininity of the 50’s and then the fun bolder and cleaner use of that same shape in the early 60’s. Once we hit the mini, the maxi dress and hot pants, I’m out. A nice A-line dress just above the knee can be very lovely, but a mini dress, with blousy sleeves and boots looks great if you are 16 and on everyone else, to me, it seems too young.
Pedal pushers were the cool day craze in 1957. Here we see an everyday young lady enjoying them. They were a bit higher than a Capri, which were available and in the vernacular of the fashion of the time. There were also clam diggers which were a longer short, longer than a Bermuda. 
In this pattern I would say the pair on the top right, though obviously meant to be pedal pushers as she is next to a bike, I would consider a clam digger, while a pedal pusher would be a bit longer and of course the Bermuda shorts on the bottom right. Perhaps clam diggers are just an East coast term. The bottom left would actually be considered a Capri at the time, as they were slim fit pant, but not as tight as a cigarette pant. Obviously the Bermuda and the Capri were both named for the vacation locale where they gained popularity and were meant to signify a ‘holiday’ spirit.
This summer, 1957, the Pedal Pusher would even inspire Karl Perkins in his hit “Pink Pedal Pushers”:
And we cannot talk of summer fashion without mentioning bathing costumes. 
This lovely little number is showing the graphic prints we are seeing more and more of as the decade ends. I love this models figure and wonder if they did a certain type of exercise to get the nipped in waist and full hips while still being quite skinny. Today’s thin models are just straight rails that look more like 10 year old boys.
I adore this suit and it would be so flattering on many figures. And you could easily tie a nice full wrap skirt around this, head to the store or afternoon party and look very put together. 
Here are some lovely ‘real’ ladies in 1957 enjoying the beach. Shorts, dresses, swimsuits and head scarves, all appropriate beach attire.
I haven’t spoken much lately about sewing. It is still happening, only I have been so busy with preparing the house for sale and all that entails, it has slowed somewhat. However, with Summer here and the inspiration of the graphic looks, I found some lovely fabric the other day.
Here it is. I am not sure why it will not photograph properly, but it is dark navy background (it is not black) with lovely pink and green graphics. You can see how the fabric has a border pattern, so I am going to make a dress with this fabric as the skirt and that pattern along the bottom. Then I bought some plain navy cotton to match and the top will be solid navy to match the background of this. I think it will feel fresh and cool and I shall share it with you when it is done.
I hope all of you are excited about the coming Summer, and my ‘down under’ followers, I suppose you are coming into Winter.
I realized today that I listed yesterday’s news with the wrong date. It was June 20 yesterday and today is the 21st. So, there is a new News day today and you simply click the large icon on the right to go to that page.
Happy Homemaking!
