Readers, WHAT were they thinking? (Emilio Pucci in particular)
This late-Sixties/early-Seventies look -- presumably a hostess outfit for glamorous dinner parties -- defies easy categorization.
They're not really palazzo pants, even though the hems are wide enough for an elephant to pass through, because they're not just pants -- this is a one-piece ensemble.
They're not culottes, which I think of as pants disguised as short(ish) skirts.
And when I think of a jumpsuit, I think of something skinny and catsuit-like, don't you?
It's definitely not be confused with a trapeze hostess gown like Simplicity 6794 below, though, hello! -- somebody's blatantly ripping off that Vogue Couturier Pucci pattern up top.
.
What's amazing is how many of these groovy pantdress patterns there were from around 1968 to 1973 -- they're everywhere!
The best of these look like they're made with slinky silk jersey and have an A-line shape -- no belts or visible waistline, just an unbroken line from armpit to hem (and a bias roll collar, of course). It's more likely that most were polyester double-knits that are still off-gassing in landfills today.
If you're wondering what happened to this one-piece pantdress hostess outfit, it's not entirely clear. Some possibilities:
1) The one-piece was so obviously inconvenient for those with small bladders, that it was broken up into separates.
2) Designers -- even Pucci himself -- started gathering the hems, turning them into something akin to a harem pants and/or clown outfits.
Separated at birth?
3) They lost their original purity of line with additions like elastic empire waistlines, Renaissance-inspired sleeves, and velveteen I Dream of Jeannie vests. It was the beginning of the end.
Readers, perhaps you're thinking that I actually like the mod-Sixties pantdress. Perhaps you even think I may long to make a pair myself. Well...anything's possible.
In closing, is this swishy/culottey/palazzo-panty/jumpsuit-thing a look whose return you long for?
Did you ever wear something like this the first time around (which I believe was also the last time around) - or did someone you know?
Can you imagine wearing something like these pantdress outfits today and would you style it with large circular braids and/or sausage-curl wiglets?
Jump in!
PS -- You can see most of these patterns -- and many, many more -- in my "Worst Women's Patterns Ever" board on Pinterest.
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