I think most men who worked at papers back then were not concerned with being stylish. So, I don't think they would have been caught dead in bell bottoms or wide lapels. I thought most of the men's clothes in the movie were purposefully bland and there were nods to the times with the eye glasses and haircuts.

I was also disappointed with the decor but I think the she was part of the "don't flaunt your money" circle so trendy decorating may have been considered distasteful with her peers.

McNamara appeared to be the most stylish and I don't think it was meant to be a compliment.

I remember my brothers and husband having bell bottom jeans and casual slacks in the early 70s. Sure can't remember suit pants having bell bottoms.

And I sure don't remember every sewing an outfit for a man. (May have made my husband a velour robe?)

I just looked at the stills ...and I don't agree. That decor was common for the conservative upper middle and upper class of the 1970s, as is the wardrobe.

These were not trendy people. These were not people who had been in college in the mid to late 60s, and their roots in the 40s and 50s shows.

The whole purpose of the mod and hippy decor and clothing was to distinguish ourselves from 'the man". The Post WAS THE MAN!

I dunno...the colors and styles of the time were like an infection that spread everywhere.

Decor is dead on for a wealthy fam with classic taste. Even common for many homes then.. Trends weren’t as big a deal then either.

I didn't like one single outfit of Meryl Streep LOL. And I am 69 and so was obviously around in those days and working and so I guess I was wearing similar clothes, ugh. I sure did enjoy the final scene :)

I've only seen stills and the trailer...

I think the interiors reflect the Washington culture. And really this is what my parents' house looked like in the 1970s, and so did a number of their friends. Not quite as formal or big, but more influenced by mid-century interpretation of "Colonial Williamsburg" than anything else.

And I think Katherine Graham's clothes at least are pretty accurate. She was 55 and at that point 55 year old WASPy women --or 45 year old women like my mother at least, wore bunchy shirtwaist dresses and maybe the pattern was wilder than typical at most. My mother's stuff from that period was belted dresses and court shoes and the same hairstyle Graham had. Over 40 back then was "mature".

My parents and grandparents' houses were decorated with Queen Anne, Georgian, Sheridan sofas and tables and antique furniture and Persian rugs during that time as was the White House. The set of Madame secretary always reminds me of my grandmother's large Georgian house in my memories of the 70s. I am happy to have a few of her pieces now and would happily take my parents pieces from our 70s house if they choose to down size. Maybe this is why I never understand the disdain for all seventy's decor, because not all of us grew up with styles that different.

pal, I'm glad you chimed in as I was reminded specifically of a room you posted several years back that was very traditional, well done, but dated because of the color scheme and accessories. IIRC, you posted the pic first in B&W. It was clearly a vintage room...I guess I felt that's what was lacking in the houses in the movie.

Here is my mother in 1972. She turned 44 that year

That Simplicty pattern showing the bellbottoms with the dress clothes/suits ....who on earth ever wore that combo? Bellbottoms were more for young guys or casual wear. Businessmen wore classic suits, ties and usually didn't indulge in wild patterns or esp wide ties. And it stayed that way for many years. One thing that was pretty 60- 70's in the movie was a short sleeve shirt with suits.

I think it was also accurate in depicting the interior of a wealthy east coast couple. I started work with a Boston designer in 1972 right out of college and The Post interiors are exactly what almost every house I went into looked like. Very few wealthy people were into trends. They could afford the best and that meant antiques and exp repros. Their art and accessories were of the same ilk...and you saw a lot of books. :) Damasks, grasscloth, subtle stripes were the wallpapers used. Even with the upper and middle classes this look was pretty common, or at least a less expensive version of it...more Early American perhaps. I grew up with lots of antiques, traditional furn, persian rugs...my folks bought good stuff and kept it for many years. That's what people normally did then. Furniture/rugs were handed down in families then and treasured. Not so much now. I can't think of a friends house back then that was "trendy".

I suspect some 70 trends were adopted more in other parts of the country vs the east coast but trends didn't have the exposure then nor the impact they do now due to HGTV etc.

In 1972, men's dress pants did have a very slight flare at the bottom, as opposed to being tapered or stovepipe, but it was barely noticeable, although it did help cover the shoes (and socks) a bit more than in the 1960s. Ties did become wider for dress suits as well, but that would not stop people from wearing older ties that were not as wide. Casual suits were different from dress suits. I also noticed in the 1970s that pants were different in Canada (at least in Vancouver) than in the U.S., but I did not pay much attention to what was trendy on the East Coast. Italian suits were different from American as well, and wealthy men could buy Italian suits and have them tailored or altered to their preferences.

Saw The Post and also loved it, so pleasant experiencing a movie directed by a master and acted by masters!

As for the decor and costumes, joining the chorus to say they nailed it. I was in high school then and we had actually moved to a suburb of DC slightly before the events in the story (Pentagon Papers) so yep, the house, the furniture and the way people dressed all looked exactly like what I remember.

OK, I guess I'm in the minority then...I too was in high school at the time.

Here is her bedroom...it feels more vintage to me, but I have no idea when it was photographed...perhaps at the same time chijim's photo was?

That reminds me of my grandparents front room so much. I do think this represents the 70's to many of us. I was quite young then and my memory of colors is not that clear more a feel than vivid memories so I could be way off.

One of my first memories is being very disappointed when my mother took me to vote for Ford because, as a five year old, I thought she said we were going to boat that day. At least I got to pull the lever to open and close the curtain. Although not as fun as a boat the voting machine's back than were a lot more fun to operate as a tot than they are today.

I have not seen the film; looked at the stills as well. The interiors are very much in line with what my family and friends' homes looked like at the time (I was born in '68.) I think you would notice some "dating" in an accessory here and there. My mother liked yellow accents in the kitchen. The yellow canisters she had from the 70s (she like Smiley yellow) would not be quite the same yellow as a similar kitchen accessory from the 80s and so on. But the furniture and fabrics would be pretty consistent from decade to decade though.

I was in fourth grade, my experience is just from how my mom dressed and our house and their friends' houses. Nobody they knew had anything too 1970s mod.

To give this some other perspective, check out what Sally Field wore to the 1978 Academy Awards. The elaborate gown thing did not take off until the 1980s.

And when my sister got married in 1978, my mother had a dress much like this one of Graham's and she had a long silk version made to wear to the wedding. No one would be caught dead in something so utilitarian looking as these at the Oscars or as Mother of the Bride these days

I hate to break it to all you trendy folks, but many, many people are still decorating their houses exactly the same way today. Yes, it is still the preferred style for "old money", especially in the East or cities where the taste level of the old wealthy is eastern. To me, they are lovely and timeless.

I was in my 20's in the 70's - having babies. I know many women of my age (74) today who still wear their hair that way - it always suited them and their hair. Remember, this was the heyday of the Diane Von Furstenburg wrap jersey dress, often done in various prints. We also wore lots of dresses with matching jackets and we still wore suits. At least, that's how my fellow Junior League members and I dressed in those days.

Bell bottoms were for the mass market. Men in executive positions wore Brooks Brothers - many still do today. Label width and tie width may change a bit, but all in all, it all looks the same. Men in the newsrooms were typically utter slobs and smoked like a chimney and drank like fish. Fashionistas, they were NOT! The managing editor was entirely different.

Well there is one big difference from the actual ben bradlee above and the movie still below...anyone want to guess what it is? My DH never left home without one when he was working...it was de rigueur.

Tie clip? My Dad wore one all the time. And galoshes (rubbers!) on wet days :)

Anglophilia

I
hate to break it to all you trendy folks, but many, many people are
still decorating their houses exactly the same way today. Yes, it is
still the preferred style for "old money", especially in the East or
cities where the taste level of the old wealthy is eastern. To me, they
are lovely and timeless.

**********************************************************

Yep!

This pic is from the 60's

McMillen Inc ID

McMillen was/is know for that old $ look

We have a winner! Tie clip it is, d-gw!!!

Lars, I love that room but it is more stylish than the rooms I remember from the movie. The rooms in the Graham house were pretty bland, almost sepia toned. The Bradlee house had more personality.

chijim, that's exactly my point...that fabric on the sofa and chair sets it to a particular vintage that we'd not see today, and I didn't see in the movie.

It's sort of like movies that are filmed today that are supposed to be vintage and all the "antique" cars on the street are of the period, but they are all so pristene from the collectors who keep them, they lack an authenticity.

One of the pleasures in that movie was the room sets, especially those in the Secy of State's house. Dreamy! And, the scene where the young female reporter was listening to the supreme court's verdict over the phone and calling it out to the roomful of people was a real treat as I got to examine the gorgeous Chanel-like yellow outfit she was wearing.

Katherine Graham's dining room, with furniture she inherited from her mother.

and the living room, decorated by Billy Baldwin

If the antique cars are of the period, then they should look new, as they were new at the time the movie was set.

What bothers me more is sets (most westerns) that show the towns looking old and decrepit whereas in the era they are depicting, they would have been new. But then I really don't know what they looked like when they were new, but I hope they looked better than what I've seen in movies.

My own house in Venice was used as a set at one time, and I think that producers sometimes use their own houses as sets.

Is it the tie clip? or the tie tack? I would say 1970s was the era of the round tie tack that often had matching cufflinks. My dad wore them until he decided the hole ruined his tie, then he work it through the label in the back to keep the tie in place because he was obsessive.

Lars, I don't know about the West but the town I was born in was founded in the 1840s and most of the "modern" houses, were built post Civil War (pre war were log). And the early photos of the town make the town look very shabby even though the houses were only a few decades old. Houses that were never painted, lots of soot from the local industry. things like that. And early photos of Philadelphia make it look pretty shabby in a lot of photos too. Some of this could be artifacts of the photos themselves though.

Tie clip...I remember they used to be very narrow like the ties. Then in the 70s, the ties got wider and it took awhile for the tie clips to catch up...thus that Ben Bradlee look above with the narrow tie clip with the wider tie.

Oh yes, Pal! My dad wore a tie tack and then slowly moved to a tie clip.

I remember tie tacks and clips in the 50's - maybe early 60's. But it was the gold collar pin that was worn by men in the early 70's. Bought my husband one from Tiffany's - 14K gold and it cost about $30 at the time! Wonder if he still has it or sold it when gold was high? Wonder about the Tiffany gold cufflinks he was supposed to give to our son. Wonder about the Tiffany wedding band... Divorced for 43 years, children afraid to ask. Cowards...

My dad evolved from all white shirts and a tie clasp or tie bar in the 1960s and a few pairs of discreet cufflinks: hematite barbells, gold knots, onyx and diamond; to a lot of striped French cuff shirts, wide ties (and two different patterns worn together) and sets of gaudy cufflinks with matching tie tacks in the seventies like pictured; to a plain collar bar in the 1980s (which passed quickly out of his wardrobe)

I worked in the men's department in a nice department store in high school and college (78-83?) You brought back memories of all the "swank" items in the glass case under the cash register. IIRC, we didn't sell many items.

Variations of this made up probably half of my mother's relatively extensive wardrobe between 1968 and 1975. And then again in the 80s and 90s.

I haven't seen the movie yet but have read a few articles and I recall seeing that the movie's costume designer, Ann Roth, has been working with Meryl Streep since "Silkwood" in the early eighties. And Ms. Roth is 86, if you can believe it. This article was quite interesting,

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/post-costume-designer-talks-power-dressing-meryl-streep-1067573

Just a reminder for anyone interested that Ben Bradlee and his wife, writer Sally Quinn, bought Grey Gardens from Jackie Kennedy's cousin Little Edie in the late 70s and fixed it up. Their DC residence was (I believe she still lives there) the 18th century Laird-Dunlop house in Georgetown. She is quite the style maven, and was the one who got Bradlee wearing those fancy striped Turnbull & Asser shirts, though that was well after Watergate : ) . One of the highlights of my early twenties in the early eighties was a tour of The Post's newsroom and meeting Bradlee.

I love The Devoted Classicist blog, thanks, chijim. I don't think I remembered that John Tackett had done architectural work for Kay Graham.

Annie, if I read correctly, all of the photos in that blog post are from a 1994 Architectural Digest story on Graham's house. But her green bedroom was decorated in the mid-eighties by Albert Hadley, while the red living room was decorated by Billy Baldwin in a style favored by Graham's mother, the journalist, activist, and arts patron Agnes Meyer.

I don't know what's happened to the house. This article a few years ago is one of the last things I read about it.

There seemed to be an effort to bring the tie clip back last year, but it didn't catch on. Do guys like their ties getting in the way? Or, I guess they just don't wear ties much anymore.

bp, my 18-year-old son was admiring a handcrafted copper tie pin at a craft show just before Christmas. I took the hint and he was very happy : ) .

Well a tie clip is neater than scotch tape....

I have a good-sized collection of cufflinks - many that were my grandfather's, and I have also bought some recently on eBay. French cuff shirts are rather expensive, however, and I only have four of them. I have way more pairs of cufflinks than that. I bought a set of Anson synthetic Alexandrite cufflinks in their original box from 1954 with the 1954 price, and I got them for slightly less than that price. They are sterling silver and appear never to have been worn before. They came with a matching tie tack. In the 1960s I mostly wore tie tack and not tie clips, but I did wear tie clips in the 1970s. I always preferred the tie tacks, and they did not damage my ties any more than a decorative pin or brooch would damage a blouse. I have always worn bow ties more than long ties, however, and I also have a collection of bow ties that were my grandfather's.

In the 1980s when skinny ties were in, I would sometimes wear two ties at the same time. My brother and I also hand-painted ties at that time.