Sophie Weinstein ’13 Life & Style Editor

With the familiarity of fall approaching it can be all too easy to retreat to cold weather wardrobes of years past and pull out that old chunky knit and those same fluffy boots that should’ve been given away seasons ago. But resist the temptation of last year’s favorite look, and dive decades deeper into the past to draw autumn inspirations from the sixties!

The sixties made a triumphant return recently in all aspects of pop culture. There was the creation of ‘Super Heavy’, a new band headed by Mick Jagger, the debut of a new television series, Pan Am, which depicts the lives of stewardesses during the 1960’s, but the most recent reference to the time was on the runways.

Some subtle and others unabashedly blatant the sixties mood ran rampant down the runways at the shows of multiple well-known designers. Brands like Fendi, Prada, Alberta Ferretti, and Jean Paul Gaultier couldn’t resist sending classic pieces like drop waist dresses, bell bottoms, peter-pan collars, shifts, and Mary Jane heels down the catwalks.

One of the most praised shows of the season was Prada which featured all different patterns of coat dresses, drop-waist shifts, and knee high boots. The ensemble’s modest appeal evoked an innocence and school girl charm that could easily be recreated with a few key pieces. However the collection managed to avoid resembling a uniform through entwining unexpected and exotic materials into classic pieces like python trenches with dyed faux fur collars and shift dresses made out of transparent paillettes that resembled fish scales.

In the runway shows of Alberta Ferretti and Fendi the same transport to the sixties took place and the models might as well have been Andy Warhol’s famous superstars such as Edie Sedgwick, Jane Forth, or Susan Bottomly who were the definition of mod.

The return to mod squad style may seem impossible to pull off in the year 2011, but the key to making the look work for you without it resembling a costume is to pick and choose retro pieces to pair with your typical wardrobe. For instance a checkered shift dress is the perfect retro look but leave the knee high boots and heavy eye makeup at home to make your look every day acceptable.

To quote Andy Warhol, “fashion…wasn’t what you wore someplace. It was the whole reason for going”. So, let your trip to the sixties take you were it may.

Photos courtesy of Vogue.com and Google Images