2. Overview of the 1960s
Clothing styles have always mirrored the prevailing attitudes of the
times and this is certainly true of fashion in the 1960s. The decade was
marked by sweeping social change and the domination of youth culture
- baby boomers were growing up and demanded their own fashion
style.
Designers responded with a much more liberal, daring approach to
fashion, boasting colourful fabrics and bold designs.
The 1960s saw fashion reject the conventions and niceties of previous
eras. Clothing broke with social traditions that dictated what could be
worn when and by whom. In the past, attire had been divided in to
'formal' and 'casual' wear, and distinct separations were made between
the styles of clothing worn by men and women. The 1960s, however,
saw the emergence of unisex clothing such as denim jeans, which could
be worn by both sexes.
3. Women: The Miniskirt
The 1960s saw the appearance of the mini-skirt. Up until that time, skirts
and dresses in Australia finished sensibly at the knee. New soaring
hemlines created huge controversy when they first appeared, exposing
centimetres of thigh never before seen in public.
At the Melbourne Cup in 1965, English model Jean Shrimpton created
controversy by wearing a synthetic white shift dress with a hem high
above her knees. She did not wear stockings, gloves or a hat. Shrimpton's
outfit was considered scandalous, and made headlines around the world.
By the end of the decade, however, shift dresses and mini-skirts had
become widely accepted.
Mini-skirts represent more than just a fashion landmark of the decade -
they have become an icon of the general culture of rebellion that
characterised the 1960s. Young people were rejecting the social standards
of the past and so too was their fashion. Many devotees of the feminist
movement of the 1960s also saw the mini-skirt as a claim to the right of
women to proudly display their bodies as they wished.
6. Hippies
Towards the end of the 1960s, the hippie movement had
arrived in Australia. Many young people had become
dissatisfied with the prevailing mainstream social values,
considering them to be shallow and materialistic. Others
strongly opposed Australian involvement in the Vietnam
War. Whatever their motivation, many young people began
embracing the values of peace, love and freedom and
sought an alternative way of life.
Many people embraced communal living and a nomadic
lifestyle, explored Eastern religions, experimented with
drugs and adopted a rebellious style of dress.
7. Hippies
Clothing styles and fabrics were inspired by
non-Western cultures, such as Indian and African.
Natural fabrics and tie-dyed and paisley prints were
also popular. Many people handcrafted their own
clothes and accessories and personal items were often decorated
with beads and fringes. Bare feet or leather sandals were typical
hippie fashion and flowers and peace signs became symbols of the
movement. Both men and women let their hair grow long and men
commonly grew facial hair.
The hippie movement also influenced other clothing styles. Denim
jeans, which had remained a staple wardrobe item for many young
people throughout the decade, were inspired by hippie fashion.
New styles of denim jeans emerged, such as the bell-bottomed, tie-
dyed, marbled and painted jeans.
8. Men: mods vs rockers
If you lived the 60s, you were probably a Mod at one stage,
and if you weren’t, you were a Rocker. The two were
notorious rivals. The Rockers were heavily into 50s rock-and
roll, big bikes like the Harley Davidson, leather jackets and
‘Elvis’ greased back hairstyles. The Mods were classier,
listening to British bands such as The Beatles. They preferred
Vespers over Harleys and took their trends from respectable
French and Italian clothes designers. Most commonly they
wore tailored suits with slim shirts, pants and skinny ties
slimmed down to just an inch.
9.
10. Mods & Rockers
Whilst Mods were part of the 60s fashion revolution, Rockers were
left out of it. Their liking for the purity of 50s style Rock music and a
rebellious look from a decade ago meant they were outcasts. Mods
and Rockers did not get on. Rockers thought Mods were effeminate,
stuck-up or snobbish. It was a common jibe that they "couldn't tell
the birds from the blokes". Mods thought Rockers were old-
fashioned, dirty, greasy and uncouth. However, there was not an all
out war between the two tribes.
Mods and Rockers rarely met, except for Bank Holiday weekends in
Margate, Brighton, Hastings and Southend from 1964 onwards.
Their violent clashes were constantly and sensationally reported in
newspapers such as the Daily Mail.
11.
12. Men: Edwardian
A bit further down the line, specifically the year of 1966,
men embraced the Edwardian movement. Double-
breasted suits in velvet were worn by men following
icons such as Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. These
suits were accompanied with brocade waistcoats, shirts
with frilled collars and longer hair as opposed to the
previous shorter styles. All variations of colors, stripes
and patterns were evident in this so-called ‘dandified’
look. The Nehru jacket also came about in this time and
was popular with both men and women.
13. Men: Flamboyance
Towards the end of the decade, fashion became even
crazier, people were not afraid to customize their
clothing. Hippies were born and men became more in
touch with their feminine side with long hair, polka dot
neckties, paisley patterned shirts and florescent colours.
Skinny became wide; for example, bell-bottomed
trousers and ties returning to the 5″ width. Nearly every
item of clothing was tie-dyed or produced with floral
prints, pop art and paisley patterns. Neckwear was
commonly sold with the shirt together and designers
continued to play with bold colours.
14. Men: Turtlenecks
A staple in the men’s wardrobe
revitalization of the 1960s;
turtlenecks were paired with
everything from a blazer, to a
sweater, to a vest. Every colour and
construction of turtleneck was
worn by men in the 60s, beatniks
preferred black of course.
15. Men: Nehru Collar
Used in both jacket and shirt collars, this Indian inspired look
has a mandarin type stand up collar and is tight fitting with
small buttons from neck to waist. Famous nehru wearers
include The Beatles, The Monkees, and Dr. Evil.
17. Hair
Head coverings changed dramatically towards the end of the decade as
men's hats went out of style, replaced by the bandana, if anything at all.
As men let their hair grow long, the Afro became the hairstyle of choice
for African Americans. Mop-top hairstyles were most popular for white
and Hispanic men, beginning as a short version around 1963 through
1964, developing into a longer style worn during 1965-66, eventually
evolving into an unkempt hippie version worn during the 1967-69
period which continued in the early 1970s. Facial hair, evolving in its
extremity from simply having longer sideburns, to moustaches and
goatees, to full-grown beards became popular with young men from
1966 onwards.
Women's hair styles ranged from beehive hairdos in the early part of
the decade to the very short styles popularized by Twiggy 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
the pageboy were also popular.
23. Fashion Icons
Throughout the 1960s, a number of famous people sported distinct fashion
styles that were copied all over the world.
British teenage supermodel Leslie Hornby, also known as Twiggy due to her
stick-thin figure, was a fashion idol to young girls everywhere. Her short,
boyish haircut and leggy, waif-like frame graced the covers of every major
fashion magazine.
While 1960s fashion was largely youth-driven, fashion icons also dictated
the style of older women. Throughout her career, movie star Audrey
Hepburn wore simple, flat shoes, three-quarter length pants, and plain
black shift dresses. Her clothing style and her beehive hairdo, would be
copied by millions of women worldwide.
Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of US President John F. Kennedy, became widely
known for her beauty, grace and elegant style of dress. Her many public
appearances popularised pearl necklaces, the pillbox hat (a small hat with a
flat top and straight sides) and simple, big-buttoned suits.
