When visiting antique stores, I have noticed a significant increase in the number of booths that feature vintage clothing. Much of it is from the 1950s or 60s and (I hate to admit it) brings back a lot of fond memories. Lots of neck scarves, similar to what you’d wear with your Garland sweaters. A real fashion fad, and they also had another purpose for some of the “fast girls”, the ones who would dance the dirty bop. These would readily hide a hickey!
I also see some plaid shorts, poodle skirts, the one with the felt puppy dogs, saddle shoes too. You can also find some pill-box hats, the ones that were the signature of Jacqueline Kennedy, our lovely first lady. I have seen a few of her classic suits,and dresses. She’d wear them with a strand of pearls or elegant pin.
I remember the A-line skirts, the ones with four buttons on the front. We called 
them Bandstand Skirts, named after the wonderful Dick Clark TV show. The dancers often wore them, probably with matching Wigwam socks, although we could not say for sure, most of our TVs were in black and white. (You kids will have to check that out with your folks.)
I also recall that we often wore white tennis shoes “tennies” and once they started to get scuffed up, we’d polish them so they were dazzling once again. Flats were popular too, and T-straps (similar to Mary Janes.) We’d wear them to the Sock Hops, at least until we got inside the door and heard the music. Then we’d kick them off and leave them in a pile by the chairs. We often had a tough time getting the right pair at the end of the dance. A mad scramble!
Men’s attire from that time frame can be found, but not as readily. I recall the thin ties, often with glitter, even rhinestones, and geometric patterns. The neat black shoes were called “spades”, but I’ve never seen a true pair of these for sale. Leather jackets were popular too and bomber jackets. Another super trend was the Army field jacket. Years back, my sister bought her husband a white sport coat, and then put a pink carnation in the lapel. We were off to a 50s dance and she wanted him to be like the guy in the song (another one you kids might have to Google.) He was such a hit!
Guys often wore chino pants, similar to khakis but most times with a buckle in the back. Hubby recalls how they would scratch against the school-desk chairs. Those into sports would proudly show off their letter sweater or team jacket with the patches from their school sport. In all the years that I’ve shopped the antique malls, I’ve never come across one of these. Probably because most are still in the recipient’s attic or back of their closet; they’re too precious to give up.
One fashion item that hubby brought to my attention was a pocket protector. Many guys slipped these in their pockets because pens were so leaky back then. We’d think these were ‘nerdy’ today.
Probably the most expensive items are the vintage lingerie. Harder to find, but still out there, are the undergarments. The garter belts, pointy-cupped brassiers (cone bras) and netting slips. Called crinolines, you’d wear layer after layer to enhance the fullness of your circular skirts. When you’d spin around on the dance floor, you would have to be careful so that you didn’t show more than you wanted. Real silk teddies and nightgowns are costly as well. I always watch for them since one of my daughters loves ‘all things retro and sexy’, but don’t have much luck.
Retro clothing can be a lot of fun to collect and oftentimes, it is not too expensive. We go to one antique store where the clerks consistently wear this attire and it adds a little something extra to the shopping experience. Good luck in your search!
