The Cat’s Meow

When I look at this photo of my mother, Phyllis, taken in 1963 in Brooklyn, New York, for her high school yearbook portrait, the first thing I notice (besides the beehive hairdo) is how mature she looked for a teenager. In fact, all high school seniors looked pretty sophisticated back then. Maybe it was the solemn expressions they were encouraged to make right before the 35-millimeter camera flashed, or perhaps it was the pearls, sweater sets and bowties that were de rigueur back in the day for formal portraits. I like to imagine my mother, sitting in front of her etched mirror in her mid-century bedroom, teasing her locks into a glorious pouf, then meticulously drawing cat eyes with liquid liner, to prepare for the event. It was my fascination with photos like these of my stylish young mom that inspired my own taste for 1960s fashion—minus the Aqua Net hairspray—and probably one of the reasons I’m a fan of Madmen culture. Betty Draper, eat your heart out.

Do you know a remarkable woman who made a style impact back in her day? Send us her photo, and she could be next to star in Red Typewriter!