The Tamesis
The current love for vintage accessories isn’t just about nostalgia, but about adding a touch of personality to modern looks. For Pre-Fall 2026, Chloé showed pillbox hats with ’80s power shoulders and puffed skirts, Dior accessorized with beaded fringe brooches, and Balenciaga paired long gloves with sports bras and hoodies. It’s a continuation of spring 2026, with Chanel offering floral pins in various sizes and Prada pairing them with candy-colored statement gloves and loungewear.
But how did these accessories gain traction in the early 1960s? Short answer: Nidhi. Although her husband, President John F. Kennedy, favored forward-thinking policies, the First Lady’s fashion reflected classic, traditional femininity. Jackie’s ladylike style—including pillbox hats, brooches, gloves, and headscarves—quickly influenced the country’s ideals of elegance and progress, to which the women who watched her on television aspired. So while the average woman doesn’t have actual access to Chanel fashion, she can channel the First Lady through her looks.
Many looked to accessories as a shortcut to Kennedy’s sophisticated New American aesthetic. An investment in finishes instantly enhances the appearance of a department store. “Women in the early 1960s typically owned fewer suits or dresses, relying instead on accessories to update and change their wardrobes,” Gilded Age Fashion. “A well-made suit or day coat can be worn again and again with a hat, gloves, brooch, jewelry or a different shirt. Especially in the winter, this is very practical.”
Dedicated to Jalil Johnson, author of Substack Consider yourself literateThe revival of the 60s is not just an aesthetic choice, it also reflects certain similarities between the atmosphere then and now. “JFK and Jacqueline Kennedy represent a breath of fresh air in America,” he noted, noting that New Yorkers in 2026 are experiencing something similar. “You look at the mayor and the first lady of New York — they’re a young couple who have brought new life to the city, and it feels like there’s new energy, new possibilities,” Johnson said.
