Mad Men‘s coming back and I’m excited! It’s fun to suspend time and live in another era for an hour a week. Especially because I’m just crazy about retro fashion.

I’m specifically a fan of fashion circa 1950s. Let’s take a look, shall we?
1950s prom dress… sweet confection of a dress with much more personality than the too grown-up fashion statements high school girls wear at proms today. Really, do I want to see another 15-year-old in a black strapless cocktail dress? When she’s not even old enough to legally drink a cocktail? No. I want to see her in this beautiful, feminine, girly design of net and froth. It’s eye-catching.
Anorexia existed among models in 1956, when this was photographed. She looks like a hanger. I thought it was a pretty shocking photo when I saw it online the other day.
Screams la dolce vita and just love the bag. My favorite.

This is a silk day dress. Do we even have “day dresses” any more? Note the hourglass silhouette.

Two stylish examples of the era’s evening wear.
Did you have one of these? Not really a fan but they evoke the age… just before my time.

Yummy mint green and I love the skirt.The bow’s very 1950s; lose it and this would be gorgeous today.

I’m not sure what to make of this one. It looks like something that would be done by Kenley in a 1950s version of Project Runway, doesn’t it?

This vintage couture party dress by Rosalie Macrini is a showstopper and would still show perfectly today.

The elegance of steel blue silk shantung. Love this suit. Perfection.

I’m thinking “patio barbecue.” Doesn’t this also look like something that could’ve been designed by Kenley? Love it.
Like any good fashion show, let’s end with a wedding dress. The woman who bought this striking vintage wedding dress certainly was lucky. I hope she bought it for a Leap Day proposal. Yes, today is Leap Day, February 29, and traditionally, it’s the day when women can propose to men. {Of course, here in the 21st century, every day is a day when women can propose to men.}

So do you have a favorite fashion era? Or a favorite outfit from the 1950s? And have you ever proposed? (Just askin’…)