What Would Mary Wear? The Clothes of MTM and Rhoda

Thanks to Miss Dandy, I have been watching episodes of the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda on Hulu all weekend instead of doing something constructive (or crafty!). I've missed Mary and Rhoda! I was just a wee thing when the shows were on the air in the seventies. My parents watched both shows, so I know I watched it with them during the original runs. Of course, I don't remember anything from way back then, but the opening credits and theme music of both shows always sound very familiar to me and remind me of being at home.

Mary's sleek bouffant is still fashionable and is being worn today. And I just love Rhoda's artistic, bohemian look. Her style expressed exactly who she was. I spent a couple of months one summer long ago obsessively watching Rhoda reruns because her personality and style resonated with me.

I find it really cool that I have a lot of vintage patterns that can recreate the styles that Mary and Rhoda wore. For instance, take a look at the gray dress with leather trim on Mary in this shot:

I've got a pattern that could make a similar dress:

I think that a lot of the late 60s and early 70s mod mini-dress patterns, 70s pantsuits, and free-flowing 70s dresses, caftans, vests, and tunic patterns exemplify the styles that Mary and Rhoda wore:

I love some of these patterns so much, it's hard to part with them. As I'm not an expert sewist (yet), it's beyond my reach to grade some of these patterns from the original sizing. It's probably better this way. I desperately need to regain some closet space!

MTM and Rhoda photos courtesy of Flixster and IMDB.