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Fashion of the 1960s featured a number of diverse trends, as part of a decade that broke many fashion traditions, adopted new cultures, and launched a new age of social movements. Around the middle of the decade, fashions arising from small pockets of young people in a few urban centers received large amounts of media publicity and began to heavily influence both thehaute couture of elite designers and the mass-market manufacturers. Examples include theminiskirt,culottes,go-go boots, and more experimental fashions, less often seen on the street, such as curvedPVC dresses and otherPVC clothes.
Mary Quant popularized the miniskirt, andJackie Kennedy introduced thepillbox hat;[1] both became extremely popular. False eyelashes were worn by women throughout the 1960s. Hairstyles were a variety of lengths and styles.[2] Psychedelic prints, neon colors, and mismatched patterns were in style.[3]
In the early to mid-1960s, London "Modernists" known asmods influenced male fashion in Britain.[4] Designers were producing clothing more suitable for young adults, leading to an increase in interest and sales.[5] In the late 1960s, thehippie movement also exerted a strong influence on women's clothing styles, includingbell-bottom jeans,tie-dye andbatik fabrics, as well aspaisley prints.
Fashions in the early years of the decade reflected the elegance of the First Lady,Jacqueline Kennedy. In addition to tailored skirts, women worestiletto heel shoes and suits with short boxy jackets, and oversized buttons. Simple, geometric dresses, known as shifts, were also in style. For evening wear, full-skirted evening dresses were worn; these often had low necklines or boat-necklines and close-fitting waists. Along with evening wear, women would wear evening gloves mainly white or black, also following the fashion ofJacqueline Kennedy.
The 1960s were an age of fashion innovation for women. The early 1960s gave birth todrainpipe jeans andcapri pants, a style popularized byAudrey Hepburn.[6] Casual dress became more unisex and often consisted of plaid button down shirts worn with slim blue jeans, comfortable slacks, or skirts. Traditionally, trousers had been viewed by western society as masculine, but by the early 1960s, it had become acceptable for women to wear them every day. These includedLevi Strauss jeans, previously considered blue collar wear, and "stretch"drainpipe jeans withelastane.[7] Women's trousers came in a variety of styles: narrow, wide, below the knee, above the ankle, and eventually mid-thigh. Mid-thigh cut trousers, also known as shorts, evolved around 1969. By adapting men's style and wearing trousers, women voiced their equality to men.[8]
The modernbikini, named after the nuclear test site onBikini Atoll, was invented in France byLouis Réard in 1946 but struggled to gain acceptance in the mass-market during the 1950s, especially in America. In 1963, rather large versions of bikinis featured in the surprise hit teen filmBeach Party, which led a wave of films that made the bikini a pop-culture symbol.
The firstSports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue (1964) featuredBabette March in a white bikini on the cover.[9] This has been credited with making the bikini a legitimate piece of clothing.[10]
Themonokini, also known as a "toplessbikini" or "unikini",[11][12] was designed byRudi Gernreich in 1964, consisting of only a brief, close-fitting bottom and two thin straps;[13] it was the first women'stopless swimsuit.[14][15] Gernreich's revolutionary and controversial design included a bottom that "extended from the midriff to the upper thigh"[16] and was "held up by shoestring laces that make a halter around the neck."[17] Some credit Gernreich's design with initiating,[15] or describe it as a symbol of, thesexual revolution.[18]
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The space age is commonly dated from 1957 to 1972, corresponding to theSpace Race during theCold War.[19][20][21][22] Throughout this period, elements of mass culture—includingscience fiction literature, films, and television series such asStar Trek: The Original Series,Dan Dare, orLost In Space—were heavily influenced by space exploration themes.[20][23][24] Fashion also reflected this influence by emphasizing energy and technological advancements of the period in its material, silhouettes, and styles.[25]Pierre Cardin andAndré Courrèges are credited as major figures in the development of space age fashion.[19] Cardin had been inspired to move in a futuristic direction after seeingcosmonauts during his first visit to theSoviet Union in 1963.[26][deprecated source?]
Synthetic material was popular among space age fashion designers. After the Second World War, fabrics like nylon, corfam, orlon, terylene, lurex and spandex were promoted as cheap, easy to dry, and wrinkle-free. The synthetic fabrics of the 1960s allowed space age fashion designers such as Pierre Cardin to design garments with bold shapes and a plastic texture.[27]Paco Rabanne was known for his 1966 "12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials" collection,[25] made of chain mail, aluminum, and plastic.[28][29] Rabanne would even design the iconic green dress, as well as the other costumes,Jane Fonda wore in the 1968 science fiction filmBarbarella.[30][31] People Magazine journalist Hedy Philips described Rabanne's Space Age fashion as "turning the fashion world upside down."[32] Non-cloth material, such aspolyester,lucite, andPVC,[33][34] became popular in clothing and accessories as well.[35]
The space age look featured boxy shapes, thigh-length hemlines and bold accessories. For daytime outerwear, vinyl raincoats,[19] colorfulswing coats,bubble dresses, helmet-like hats, and dyed fake-furs were popular for young women.[36] In 1966, theNehru jacket arrived on the fashion scene, and was worn by both sexes. Waistlines for women were left unmarked and hemlines were getting shorter and shorter.
Metallic silver was a prominent color in space age fashions, especially in 1965 and '66,[37][38][39] as well as the stark white ofAndré Courrèges.[40][41][19] The futuristic-looking geometry of theOp Art of such artists asBridget Riley andVictor Vasarely influenced prints,[42][43] as did geometric art from earlier in the century[44] like that ofPiet Mondrian, inspiration forYves Saint Laurent's popularMondrian shift dresses of 1965.[45] Fluorescent colors (also known as day-glo or neon), phosphorescent effects,[46][47] and even light-up dresses like those shown byDiana Dew in 1967 were also seen.[48][49]
Footwear for women included low-heeled sandals and kitten-heeled pumps, as well as shoes of transparent plastic andgo-go boots.[50] André Courrèges is credited as the pioneer designer of go-go boots, which were widely imitated and adapted.[19] Courrèges' original designs featured flat heels and unconventional closures made from Velcro—a material also used by NASA within spacecrafts.[19][51] Go-go boots, appearing in a variety of fluorescent colors and shiny materials like sequins, became a staple of go-go girl fashion in the 1960s.[52][53] Shoes and boots were often made ofpatent leather orvinyl.[34]
Other influential space age designers includedRudi Gernreich,[54]Emanuel Ungaro, Jean-Marie Armand,[55]Michèle Rosier, andDiana Dew, though even designers likeYves Saint Laurent[56][57][58][59] showed the look during its peak of influence from 1963 to 1967.[60][61] Italian-bornPierre Cardin[62] was best known for his helmets, short tunics, and goggles.[62]
The definition of aminiskirt is a skirt with a hemline around 6-7 inches above the knees. During the 1950s, the miniskirt began appearing inscience fiction films likeFlight to Mars andForbidden Planet.[63]
The miniskirt has not been unanimously attributed to a single designer. Rather, it is commonly acknowledged among historians that fashion designers likeMary Quant,André Courrèges, andJohn Bates all contributed to the popularity of the miniskirt in the 1960s.[64][19]
Quant, a London-born British designer, is frequently cited as one of the earliest proponents of the abbreviated silhouette.[65] In 1955, Quant opened her boutique Bazaar on the fashionableKing's Road inChelsea district of London.[65] By 1961, Bazaar had transitioned from selling imported Italian and Austrian designs to offering Quant's very own label, which featured unconventional ready-to-wear styles like the miniskirt.[65] The so-called "Chelsea Look"—or "Chelsea Girl"—aesthetic became closely associated with Quant's miniskirts and her other bold, youthful silhouettes displayed and sold at Bazaar.[65][66] The termminiskirt likely derives from a reference to theMorris Mini-Minor automobile, or Mini Cooper, introduced in 1959.[65] The prefixmini began appearing in print in reference to skirts and dresses by 1965.[65] However, as late as 1966, Quant herself continued to describe her designs simply as "short, short skirts," rather than using the termminiskirt.[64]
Courrèges was a French fashion designer who also began experimenting with hemlines in the early 1960s. He started to show space-age dresses that hit above the knee in late 1964. His clothes represented a couture version of the "Youthquake" street style and heralded the arrival of the "moon girl" look.[67]
As teen culture became stronger, the term "Youthquake" came to mean the power of young people. This was unprecedented before the 1960s. BeforeWorld War II, teenagers dressed and acted like their parents. Many settled down and began raising families when they were young, normally right after high school. They were often expected to work and assist their families financially. Therefore, youth culture began to develop only after World War II, when the advancement of many technologies and stricter child labor laws became mainstream. Teenagers during this period had more time to enjoy their youth, and the freedom to create their own culture separate from their parents. Teens soon began establishing their own identities and communities, with their own views and ideas, breaking away from the traditions of their parents.[68] The fabulous "little girl" look was introduced to USA—styling with Bobbie Brooks, bows, patterned knee socks and mini skirts. The miniskirt and the "little girl" look that accompanied it reflect a revolutionary shift in the way people dress. Instead of younger generations dressing like adults, they became inspired by childlike dress.[69]
Second-wave feminism made the miniskirt popular. Women had entered the professional workforce in larger numbers during World War II, and many women soon found they craved a career and life outside the home.[70] They wanted the same choices, freedoms, and opportunities that were offered to men.[71]
During the mid-1960s, mod girls wore very shortminiskirts, tall, brightly coloredgo-go boots, monochromatic geometric print patterns such ashoundstooth, and tight fitted, sleeveless tunics. Flared trousers and bell bottoms appeared in 1964 as an alternative tocapri pants, and led the way to the hippie period introduced in the 1960s. Bell bottoms were usually worn with chiffon blouses, polo-necked ribbed sweaters or tops that bared the midriff. These were made in a variety of materials including heavy denims, silks, and even elasticated fabrics.[72] Variations ofpolyester were worn along with acrylics.[4] A popular look for women was the suede mini-skirt worn with a French polo-neck top, square-toed boots, andNewsboy cap orberet. This style was also popular in the early 2000s.
Women were inspired by the top models of those days, such asTwiggy,Jean Shrimpton,Colleen Corby,Penelope Tree,Edie Sedgwick andVeruschka. Velvet mini dresses with lace-collars and matching cuffs, wide tent dresses andculottes pushed aside the geometric shift. False eyelashes were in vogue, as was pale lipstick. Hemlines kept rising, and by 1968 they had reached well above mid-thigh. These were known as "micro-minis". This was when the "angel dress" first made its appearance on the fashion scene. A micro-mini dress with a flared skirt and long, wide trumpet sleeves, it was usually worn with patterned tights, and was often made of crocheted lace, velvet, chiffon or sometimes cotton with apsychedelic print. The cowled-neck "monk dress" was another religion-inspired alternative; the cowl could be pulled up to be worn over the head. For evening wear, skimpy chiffon baby-doll dresses with spaghetti-straps were popular, as well as the "cocktail dress", which was a close-fitting sheath, usually covered in lace with matching long sleeves.[73]Feather boas were occasionally worn. Famous celebrities associated with marketing the miniskirt included:Twiggy; modelJean Shrimpton, who attended an event in the Melbourne Cup Carnival in Australia wearing a miniskirt in 1965;Goldie Hawn, who appeared onRowan and Martin's Laugh-In with her mini skirt in 1967; andJackie Kennedy, who wore a short white pleated Valentino dress when she married Aristotle Onassis in 1968.
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WriterHelen Gurley Brown wroteSex and the Single Girl in 1962. This book acted as a guide for women of any marital status to take control of their own lives financially as well as emotionally.[74] This book was revolutionary since it encouraged sex before marriage; something that was historically looked down upon. With the high success of this book, a pathway was set for media to also encourage this behavior.Betty Friedan also wroteThe Feminine Mystique the following year, giving insight into the suburban female experience, further igniting women's push for a more independent lifestyle.[75] Thesecond-wave of feminism was getting its start during this period: pushing for a new feminine ideal to be capitalized on.
Fashion photography in the 1960s represented a new feminine ideal for women and young girls: the Single Girl. 1960s photography was in sharp contrast to the models of the 1920s, who were carefully posed for the camera and portrayed as immobile. The Single Girl represented 'movement'. She was young, single, active, and economically self-sufficient. To represent this new Single Girl feminine ideal, many 1960s photographers photographed models outside—often having them walk or run in fashion shoots. Models in the 1960s also promoted sports wear, which reflected the modern fascination with speed and the quickening pace of the 1960s urban life. Although the Single Girl was economically, socially and emotionally self-sufficient, the ideal body form was difficult for many to achieve. Therefore, women were constrained by diet restrictions that seemed to contradict the image of the empowered 1960s Single Girl.[76]
Fashion photographers also photographed the Single Girl wearing business wear, calling her the Working Girl. The Working Girl motif represented another shift for the modern, fashionable woman. Unlike earlier periods, characterized by formal evening gowns and the European look, the 1960s Working Girl popularized day wear and "working clothing". New ready-to-wear lines replaced individualized formal couture fashion. The Working Girl created an image of a new, independent woman who has control over her body.[76]
There was a new emphasis onready-to-wear and personal style. As the 1960s was an era of exponential innovation, there was appreciation for something new rather than that of quality.[27] Spending a lot of money on an expensive, designer wardrobe was no longer the ideal and women from various statuses would be found shopping in the same stores.
The Single Girl was the true depiction of the societal and commercial obsession with the adolescent look.[27] Particular to the mid-sixties, icons such asTwiggy popularized the shapeless shift dresses emphasizing an image of innocence as they did not fit to any contours of the human body. The female body has forever been a sign of culturally constructed ideals.[77] The long-limbed and pre-pubescent style of the time depicts how women were able to be more independent, yet paradoxically, also were put into a box of conceived ideals.
The "Dolly Girl" was another archetype for young females in the 1960s. She emerged in the mid-1960s, and her defining characteristic is the iconic miniskirt. "Dolly Girls" also sported long hair, slightly teased, and childish-looking clothing. Clothes were worn tight fitting, sometimes even purchased from a children's section. Dresses were often embellished with lace, ribbons, and other frills; the look was topped off with light colored tights. Crocheted clothing also took off within this specific style.[78]
Corsets, seamed tights, and skirts covering the knees were no longer fashionable. The idea of buying urbanized clothing that could be worn with separate pieces was intriguing to women of this era. In the past, one would only buy specific outfits for certain occasions.[79]
Starting in 1967, youth culture began to change musically and mod culture shifted to a more laid backhippie orBohemian style. Hosiery manufacturers of the time like Mary Quant (who founded Pamela Mann Legwear) combined the "Flower Power" style of dress and thePop Art school of design to create fashion tights that would appeal to a female audience that enjoyedpsychedelia.[80]Ponchos,moccasins, love beads, peace signs, medallion necklaces, chain belts, polka dot-printed fabrics, and long, puffed "bubble" sleeves were popular fashions in the late 1960s. Both men and women wore frayed bell-bottomed jeans, tie-dyed shirts, work shirts, Jesus sandals, and headbands. Women would often go barefoot and some went braless. The idea of multiculturalism also became very popular; a lot of style inspiration was drawn from traditional clothing in Nepal, India, Bali, Morocco, and African countries. Because inspiration was being drawn from all over the world, there was increasing separation of style; clothing pieces often had similar elements and created similar silhouettes, but there was no real "uniform".[81]
Fringed buck-skin vests, flowing caftans, the "lounging" or "hostess" pajamas were also popular. "Hostess" pajamas consisted of a tunic top over floor-length culottes, usually made of polyester or chiffon. Long maxi coats, often belted and lined in sheepskin, appeared at the close of the decade.Animal prints were popular for women in the autumn and winter of 1969.
In general, urban Indian men imitated Western fashions such as thebusiness suit. This was adapted to India's hot tropical climate as theNehru suit, a garment often made fromkhadi that typically had amandarin collar and patch pockets. From the early 1950s until the mid-1960s, most Indian women maintained traditional dress such as thegagra choli,sari, andchuridar. At the same time as the hippies of the late 1960s were imitating Indian fashions, however, some fashion conscious Indian andCeylonese women began to incorporate modernist Western trends.[82] One particularly infamous fad combined theminiskirt with the traditionalsari, prompting amoral panic where conservatives denounced the so-called "hipster sari"[83] as indecent.
During the late 1960s, there was abacklash by radical feminists in America against accouterments of what they perceived to be enforcedfemininity within the fashion industry. Instead, these activists wore androgynous and masculine clothing such as jeans, work boots orberets. Black feminists often woreafros in reaction to thehair straighteners associated with middle class white women. At the 1968 feministMiss America protest, protestors symbolically threw a number of feminine fashion-related products into a "Freedom Trash Can," including false eyelashes, high-heeled shoes, curlers, hairspray, makeup,girdles,corsets, and bras[84] which they termed "instruments of female torture".[85]
During the early 1960s, slim fitting single breasted continental style suits and skinny ties were fashionable in the UK and America. These suits, as worn bySean Connery asJames Bond, theRat Pack'sFrank Sinatra,[86] and the cast ofMad Men, were often made from grey flannel,mohair orsharkskin.[87]Tuxedos were cut in a similar form fitting style, withshawl collars and a single button, and were available either in the traditional black, or in bright colors such as red or sky blue popularized byFrankie Valli ofThe Four Seasons. Men's hats, including thepork pie hat andIrish hat, had narrower brims than thehomburgs andfedoras worn in the 1950s and earlier. During the mid-1960s, hats began to decline[88] after presidentsJohn F. Kennedy andLyndon B. Johnson appeared in public without one.[89]
Ivy League fashion, the precursor to the modernpreppy look, was desirable casual wear for middle class adults in America during the early to mid-1960s. Typical outfits includedpolo shirts,harrington jackets, khakichino pants, striped T-shirts,Argyle socks,seersucker orhoundstoothsportcoats,sweater vests,cardigan sweaters,Nantucket Reds, basketweave loafers, Madras plaid shirts, and narrow brimmedTrilbys sometimes made from straw.[90][91] The style remained fashionable for men until it was supplanted by more casual everyday clothing influenced by the hippiecounterculture during the late 1960s andearly 1970s.[92]
In America and Australia,surf rock went mainstream from 1962 to 1966, resulting in many teenagebaby boomers imitating the outfits of groups likeThe Beach Boys.Pendleton jackets were common due to their cheapness, warmth and durability. Design wise, the surf jacket suited popularly with nonchalance, warmth for coastal Californian climate, and utility pockets for surf wax and VW car keys, two surf essentials (Pendleton Woolen Mills).[93]
The Pendleton Surf Jacket expanded upon fifties pop-cultural fashions, however new in its relaxed, intangibly cool vibe. The surf jacket split itself from the tough guy rock 'n' roll teen, and mellowing leather's rock attitudes to woolen plaids. FollowingRock n Roll's decline were rebels without causes, "Greasers" and "Beats"; dressed down in inappropriate daywear to denounce conformity, Sixties youth, inventors of Surf Fashion, expressed more nomadic and hedonically in this "dress down" style. Surf styles mainstreamed into fashion whenSoul Surfers wanted to make livings in surfing-associated careers. They opened businesses that expanded selling surf products into selling surf clothing. These surfer entrepreneurs proliferate surf fashion by mixing their lifestyles into casual wear.[94] As Rock n Roll Beats, and Greaser car clubs used jackets to identify, and as 1950 varsity sports wore lettered cardigans, 1960sSurfies wore surf jackets to identify with surf clubs and as surfers (Retro 1960s Swimwear).[95] Jackets worn as group status identifiers continued in the Sixties, but with focus around beach music and lifestyle. Cartoon characterJohnny Bravo is based in surfers fashion of 1960s.
As surfers banded overlocalism, plaid and striped surf jackets gained relevancy. Teens wore them to proclaim surf clubs; what beach they were from, and where they surfed. For a surfer though, it is curious why a woolen plaid jacket paired withUGG boots, and not theboard-short oraloha shirt identified the surfer. The Pendletonplaid, originally worn byloggers, hunters and fishermen, was a common item ofcasual wear for American men of all classes before theBritish invasion. For the youth of the 1960s, however, the plaid Pendleton signifiedcounterculture, and tribal seamen style translated from Welsh folklore, rebellious ScotsHighlanders, and rugged American frontiersmen (Bowe).[96]
The Sixties invented the Californian Cool style, by relaxing style to escapeCold War meltdowns withPolynesian fascinations, bridging the macho 1950s teen towards 1960s hippie style. The Cold War's tense political context conceived Surf Fashion as a way to relax and escape established violence. California, the birthplace of American Surfing, also produced much of the technology experimentations used in the nuclear space race.Caltech designers in Pasadena were designing nuclear arms for day jobs and were surfing at night. The modern surfboard design itself originates from the military-industrial complex's product development, where the Manhattan Project'sHugh Bradner also designed the modern neoprenewetsuit (Inside the Curl).[97]
Californian engineers for the Cold War were also surfing and equally engineering that fashion. Just as theBikini's name comes from a nuclear test site, Surf fashion in this era consistently references the Cold War context. Surfing became an attractive fashion identity in this era because it perpetuates adolescence, and the pursuit of pleasure in times of anxiety and paranoia. In a teenage-driven culture, which aimed to ignore establishment conflicts, surfers musedHawaii and its associatedtiki culture as a place of escape with tropical paradises as the antithesis to modern society. This sustained Hawaiian flora and fauna patterns' in fashion its attraction. The Sixties Surfer was not the first to escape violence or revolutionize the pursuit of happiness through Polynesian fascination. Accounts ofThomas Jefferson theorize that his exposure to the surfer image in South Pacific travel journals influenced his imaginedPursuit of Happiness (Martin D. Henry).[98] Similarly, Hawaii's surfer image and Californian translation responds to the decade's violence and further inspired full-on nonviolent revolutionary hippie fashions.
Additionally, as Californian water inspired lifestyles influenced fashion, many guys improvised their ownfaded jeans usingchlorine from backyard swimming pools.[99] Sneakers such asConverse All Stars made the transition fromsportswear to streetwear, and guys in California and Hawaii began togrow out their hair.[100]
The leaders of mid-1960s style were the British. The mods (short for Modernists) adopted new fads that would be imitated by many young people. Mods formed their own way of life creating television shows and magazines that focused directly on the lifestyles of mods.[1] British rock bands such asthe Who,the Small Faces,the Beatles, andthe Kinks emerged from the mod subculture. It was not until 1964, when the Modernists were truly recognized by the public, that women really were accepted in the group. Women had short, clean haircuts and often dressed in similar styles to the male mods.[4]
The mods' lifestyle and musical tastes were the exact opposite of their rival group, known as theRockers. The rockers liked 1950s rock-and roll, wore black leather jackets, greased,pompadour hairstyles, and rode motorbikes. The look of the mods was classy. They mimicked the clothing and hairstyles of high fashion designers in France and Italy, opting for tailored suits that were topped by parkas. They rode on scooters, usuallyVespas orLambrettas. Mod fashion was often described as the City Gent look. The young men[101] incorporated striped boating blazers and bold prints into their wardrobe.[102] Shirts were slim, with a necessary button down collar accompanied by slim fitted trousers.[4]Levi's were the only type of jeans worn by Modernists.
In the USSR during the mid- to late 1960s, mods and hippies were nicknamed Hairies for theirmop top hair.[103] As with the earlierStilyagi in the 1950s, young Russian men who dressed this way were ridiculed in the media, and sometimes forced to get their hair cut in police stations.[104]
The late 1960s to early 1970s witnessed the emergence of thehippie counterculture andfreak scene in Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Middle class youths of both sexes favored a unisex look with long hair,tie dye andflower power motifs,Bob Dylan caps,kurtas, hemp waistcoats,baja jackets,bell bottoms,sheepskin vests,western shirts andponchos inspired byacid Westerns, sandals,digger hats, and patches featuring flowers orpeace symbols.[105]Jimi Hendrix popularized the wearing of old militarydress uniforms as a statement that war was obsolete.[106] Early hippies, derisively referred to as freaks by the older generation, also used elements of roleplay such as headbands, cloaks,frock coats,kaftans,corduroy pants,cowboy boots, andvintage clothing fromcharity shops, suggesting a romantic historical era, a distant region, or a gathering of characters from afantasy orscience fiction novel.[107]
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From the late 1960s until the early 1970sWestern clothing was popular in America due to the success of thespaghetti western and the emergence of a new generation ofcountry musicians likeGram Parsons of theFlying Burrito Brothers,Commander Cody,New Riders of the Purple Sage, andJohn Denver.[108] Thenudie suits and elaborately embroideredRockmount shirts of the 1940s were updated withpsychedelic hippie inspired motifs including naked women,cannabis leaves,sugar skulls, flames,Native American patterns, andbrightly colored flowers like the rose oropium poppy.[109] Typical apparel includedLevi 501 orLee jeans as worn byCharles Bronson, orange labeljean jackets,[110]duster coats,cowboy boots, all black outfits inspired byRoy Orbison andJohnny Cash, plaid shirts withpearl snaps,[111]sheepskin vests, andponchos inspired byClint Eastwood.
By 1968, the space age mod fashions had been gradually replaced byVictorian,Edwardian andBelle Époque influenced style, with men wearing double-breasted suits ofcrushed velvet or striped patterns, brocade waistcoats and shirts with frilled collars. Their hair worn below the collar bone. Rolling Stones guitaristBrian Jones epitomised this "dandified" look. Due to the colorful nature of menswear, the time period was described as thePeacock Revolution, and maletrendsetters in Britain and America were called "Dandies," "Dudes," or "Peacocks."[112] From the late 1960s until the mid-1970s,Carnaby Street andChelsea'sKings Road were virtual fashion parades, as mainstream menswear took onpsychedelic influences. Business suits were replaced by BohemianCarnaby Street creations that includedcorduroy, velvet or brocade double breasted suits,frilly shirts, cravats, wide ties and trouser straps, leather boots, and even collarlessNehru jackets. The slimneckties of the early 1960s were replaced withKipper ties exceeding five inches in width, and featuring crazy prints, stripes and patterns.[113]
Women's hair styles ranged frombeehive hairdos in the early part of the decade to the very short styles popularized byTwiggy andMia Farrow just five years later to a very long straight style as popularized by the hippies in the late 1960s. Between these extremes, the chin-length contour cut and thepageboy were also popular. Thepillbox hat was fashionable, due almost entirely to the influence ofJacqueline Kennedy, who was a style-setter throughout the decade. Her bouffant hairstyle, described as a "grown-up exaggeration of little girls' hair", was created byKenneth.[114][115]
During the mid- and late 1960s, women's hair styles becamevery big and used a large quantity of hair spray, as worn in real life byRonnie Spector and parodied in the musicalHairspray. Wigs became fashionable and were often worn to add style and height. The most important change in hairstyles at this time was that men and women woreandrogynous styles that resembled each other. In the UK, it was the new fashion for mod women to cut their hair short and close to their heads.[116] Meanwhile, hippie girls favored long, straight natural hair, kept in place with abandana.
For professional men born before 1940, the side partedshort back and sides was the norm in the UK, Europe and America from the early '60s until the end of the decade. Black men usually buzzed their hair short or wore styles like theconk, artificially straightened with chemicals. Blue collar white men, especially former military personnel, often worebuzzcuts andflat tops.
Themod haircut began as a short version around 1963 through 1964, developed into a longer style worn during 1965–66, and eventually evolved into an unkempt hippie version worn during the 1967–1969 period and into the early 1970s. Facial hair, evolving in its extremity from simply having longer sideburns, tomustaches and goatees, to full-grown beards became popular with young British, European and American men from 1966 onwards.[117]
Head coverings changed dramatically towards the end of the decade as men's hats went out of style, replaced by thebandanna,digger hat,Stetson, orBob Dylan cap if anything at all. As men let their hair grow long, theAfro became the hairstyle of choice forAfrican Americans. This afro was not just a fashion statement but also an emblem of racial pride. They started to believe that by allowing their hair to grow in its nature state without chemical treatments, they would be accepting their racial identities.[118]
A selection of images representing the fashion trends of the 1960s:
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In 1958, the 'revolutionary' silhouette was a long, unbroken oval, obviously inspired by a space rocket's shape...
The chemise...began in Paris in 1957,...variously called the sack, the shift, or the space silhouette...
The effect of abstract painting and abstract sculpture, and the amazing strides of science, far overshadowed period influences on current fashion. Like a space suit, the dress and coat followed the body line but seemed to touch it only at the shoulders and barely skimmed the hipline. Large bulbous sleeves, reminiscent of the space suit, were shown on coats, suits, and cocktail dresses.
The chemise...began in Paris in 1957,...variously called the sack, the shift, or the space silhouette...
The effect of abstract painting and abstract sculpture, and the amazing strides of science, far overshadowed period influences on current fashion. Like a space suit, the dress and coat followed the body line but seemed to touch it only at the shoulders and barely skimmed the hipline. Large bulbous sleeves, reminiscent of the space suit, were shown on coats, suits, and cocktail dresses.
His first trip was in...1963, as part of a delegation of cultural workers....He openly admitted that his revolutionary female outfits resembling spacesuits were conceived in his mind from photographs of Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. His Space collection, inspired by Yuri Gagarin's flight, became emblematic of his work and the development of 1960s fashion as a whole.
Quant's PVC Collection: black, vinyl-covered cotton raincoat with corduroy collar and turn-back cuffs.
Women...fancied high boots as a means of covering their new length of leg. High-rise stretch vinyl or patent leather provided glovelike sleekness...Boots stretched to the knees, to the thighs, or even to cover the entire leg like [a] fisherman's hip boots....Autumn gave new luster to shoes and handbags of patent leather...
...[A]n American milliner has been inspired to design a tinted plastic visor....Halston used colored plastic to design welder's shields...attached to headbands which tie with ribbon under the hair.
...she chose...a silver-mesh sweater to pour over silver bell-bottoms. And she would have no trouble finding silver-flecked stockings and silver-kid sandals.
...everything silver, from visor to stockings and shoes...[Y]ou wear silver leather and plastic chain mail...chrome jewellery,...silver stockings, silver shoes laced up the leg, bangles of clear plastic and chrome. Silver leather or shirred silver nylon make the new jackets...
Pailletted skivvy dress,...stripes of silver and chalk white,...white plastic head scarf...[Yves Saint Laurent]
...Courrèges...[c]olors were surgical white...
White was the new basic, all but replacing black.
Op art was a natural for fabric design, and many a 1965 shift was opped-up.
Op Art, the newest in the art world, was quickly incorporated into clothes and makeup....James Galanos fashioned two Op-inspired fabrics...into this dazzling dress, which seems to be part of its background, Op artist Victor Vasarely's kaleidoscopic collage.
One could collect a cache of prints copied from art: from Fauvism, Art Nouveau, thirties' moderne, pop and op.
Designs were also based on the work of the famed Dutch painter Mondrian. Dresses were divided geometrically by intersecting bands and brightened by contrasting blocks of color.
Paco[ Rabanne]'s show...had dresses...with the bodice and midriff skirt in transparent phosphorescent rhodoid plastics.
...Jane [Holzer] slipped a...white vinyl...coat over her black turtleneck, black wool Courrèges pants...[H]er coat is coated with a phosphorescent, glows like moonlight in the dark. Deanna Littell design....Paraphernalia.
Diana Dew...has been able to produce minidresses with throbbing hearts and pulsating belly stars, as well as pants with flashing vertical side seams and horizontal bands that march up and down the legs in luminous sequence.
Pierre Cardin...creations[:]...electrically lighted discotheque dresses that shone brilliantly in the dark, leather outfits in phosphorescent silver, metal collars...
Roger Vivier, who provides most of the new shoes for the haute couture, has made everything in clear plastic this year...
His designs were very modern and architectural, much like those of Courreges and Cardin.
Saint Laurent's black and white geometric shifts...Saint Laurent: Black ciré smock[, helmet,] and thigh-high alligator boots.
Yves Saint Laurent's fall...1963...visored caps, black leather jerkins, and Roger Vivier's...thigh-high...boots in crocodile gave what [theDaily Mail's Iris] Ashley called 'a real space girl effect...'
Saint Laurent makes his shifts...transparent except where they are striped or chevroned with silver sequins.
Space projections...plastic, chrome, Dynel...[Y]ou wear...skirts that show the whole length of your legs, mops of artificial hair coloured pink, green and purple...and visor sunglasses....huge plastic disc earrings,...and eye make-up is designed to be seen from 100 yards, in streamlined eyeliners, black and white used alternately...
1967-68...mark[ed] the change in direction from futurist to romantic fashion....[i]n reaction to the uniformity of geometric haircuts and 'functional' fashion, stiff carved tweed shifts and creaking plastic...
