Editor’s note Sixties fashion was when Fifties fashion “grew up” and sort of branched into two groups: simple sophistication and artistic mod. When I think of the 60s, I visualize a group of women wearing baggy, short dresses, swaying to music, doing what they want to do. It was a decade when a whole generation came into their own, and wanted their voices and opinions to be heard, irrespective of gender, religion or race. This gave rise to a new line of rebels, who no longer wanted to follow the society’s standards or rules. The youth wanted freedom at a very personal level. They no longer wanted to be told how to dress or what to do, no longer were okay with being discriminated on the basis of race and gender. This gave rise to the hippies and androgynous styles. The 60’s music movement was cult
and it still continues to be the ultimate inspiration point for music and art junkies, and also influenced fashion in a big way. The very idea of modernity was born in the decade. The 60s were also all about making a statement, be it with colour, psychadelic prints or new designs like the chain mail dress. The mini skirt became the biggest talking point as it gave the illusion of longer legs. The swinging sixties were a time where traditions were broken, and self-expression was encouraged. The introduction of birth control encouraged women to seek a new kind of freedom, with the youth of the time moving away from the prim and proper ‘50s into a rebellious new time. The ‘60s were revolutionary, and the key fashion styles of the decade captured the artful, fun and free spirit of the time.
PAAHINI AGARWAL
1960
International disarmament talks in Geneva.
John F Kennedy wins the 1960 presidential election of the United States.
The Guggenheim museum in New York opens.
The independence of 17 countries marks the end of colonial rule in Africa.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is released.
The government of the German Democratic Republic orders the erection of the Berlin Wall.
John F Kennedy is sworn in as the president of the United States.
Availability of the contraceptive pill.
First manned space flight around the world (USSR).
Breakfast at Tiffany’s releases
1961
The attempted overthrow of Fidel Castro leads to the first Cuban crisis.
Jacqueline Kennedy FIRST LADY OF 60s STYLE
T
he beginning of the sixties’ fashion looked a lot like the clothes worn throughout the 50’s. In 1961, America elected its youngest president to date, John F. Kennedy, and with
him, his young and impeccably stylish wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, a style icon known for her classy dress suits and pretty hats. She became a household name during the early part
of the decade, becoming for many Americans the epitome of grace and class. Her signature hairstyle, a short, bob-like cut that flipped out at the ends, was copied by millions of women.
The flipped bob hairstyle
Queen Elizabeth (L) with Jackie (R)
FASHION ICON
Jackie often sported monochromatic ensembles, paired with a matching hat and low heels. She had a great fondness for Chanel suits. She was also often spotted wearing strings of pearls with various outfits.
Jackie’s signature large shades were both stylish and functional. She was always a trendsetter, and always tried different looks like a leopard print coat or different colours. She also often accented her famously
tiny waist with strategically placed bows. Her fashion sense often extended to her children, who wore outfits that frequently complemented or matched their mother’s.
SIMPLE
Sophistication 1960 was a year that empowered women. “The Pill” was introduced. American culture rapidly adopted the new contraceptive choice. It brought contraception out of the bedroom and into the living room. In 1961 the fashion was very sophisicated, hair was in an updo and long skin tight dresses were the favoured item of clothing for evening wear. It was not a time for individuality through clothes, and most people would wear the clothing that designers recommend. This limited the amount of styles. Straight and wide shoulders were the desired look, and cosmetic use was minimalist or natural. Skirts were long and younger people would wear them at the middle of the knee cap, this was seen as short. The “little nothing” dress was the most popular. It was sleeveless and slim, but there were others that followed a loose chemise shape. Clothes were overall graceful and “lady like”.
GLOVES
Ladies’ evening gloves or opera gloves are a type of formal glove that reaches beyond the elbow.
PILL BOX HAT
A woman’s hat with straight sides, a flat top, and no brim.
THE LITTLE NOTHING DRESS
A staple item in the early 60’s, it was a simple, often sleeveless, dress.
ICONIC MOVIES
La Dolce Vita ITALIAN CHIC This movie was a great culmination of Italian and American fashion of that age. In tailored slim suits and slim ties or fitted tuxedo and bow-tie, crisp shirts with peeking French cuffs, large cuff-links and Persol dark sunglasses Marcello Mastroianni stands apart from the paparazzi dressed in wide-cut tweed suits or sweaters and slacks. Anita Ekberg’s gravitydefying strapless dress, with a sweetheart neckline and a layered overskirt, blonde locks, fuller figure was
mesmerizing. This famous dress from the Fontana di Trevi scene was designed by the Fontana sisters, who specialized in feminine silhouettes. All the costumes in the film were noteworthy, showcasing women from the demi-monde to the respectable to the most glamorous. This movie also reaffirmed the status of the little black dress. The black and white dress was also center-stage, along with unique necklines and net blouses.
Breakfast at tiffany’s AUDREY HEPBURN Holly Golightly gently glides out of a yellow cab, dressed in a slinky black Givenchy dress. Around her neck is a startling stack of pearls with a backward necklace. Thick black sunglasses cover her expressive eyes. She sips coffee and nibbles on a Danish, peering at the display window of Tiffany’s. In this moment, a sartorial icon was born. Upon its release in 1961, the Oscar-winning film Breakfast at Tiffany’s quickly became a classic, praised particularly for the star performance by Audrey Hepburn and her chic, style, guided by the sharp eyes of Hubert de Givenchy and legendary costume designer Edith Head.
ICONIC MOVIES
Throughout the film Audrey Hepburn is significantly overdressed and embellished with the exception of a few scenes when her character appears emotionally vulnerable. Her blue sleeping eye mask became an instant rage. This movie is why the little black dress became a staple of wardrobe, or having a cigarette holder became chic. Audrey bestowed personal touches to all her outfits. The tight wrapping and not fastening of her belts for example. Emphasizing her tiny waist, Audrey knew how to spotlight herself in a film without altering character or narrative, and it worked amazingly for her.
1962 Premiere of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem.
Removal of Russian missiles from Cuba ends the Cuban Missile Crisis.
First James Bond movie.
Algeria gains independence.
Marilyn Monroe dies.
Assassination of US president John F Kennedy.
Development of color polaroid camera.
1963
Reinvented Sophistication In 1962, the earliest direct reference to the miniskirt came from Wyoming newspaper, describing it as a controversial item in production in Mexico City. As baby boomers came into their teenaged years, a more natural look began taking over the fashion world in 1963. Little makeup, low heels, and short hair came into style. Pops of colours had started to appear in fashion.
STIRRUP PANTS
These pants were initially introduced for riders, then in the early 60s they were adopted by many women and girls.
BIKINI
Ursula Andress was unveiled as the first-ever Bond girl in the movie Dr. No in 1962. and made bathing suit history in a belted bikini.
One of the most popular fashion changes for men during this time was the moving away from pleated pants. Guys began wearing flat-fronted pants, often with stripes. Thanks to actress Audrey Hepburn, the high-waisted style became very popular. Styles then were sleek and slender, and Beatnik style gained popularity. It was mostly identified by a love
KITTEN HEELS
The style was considered a training heel for “kittens,” aka young girls, and were adopted by the youth of the early 1960s as their style was young, natural and comfortable.
of black with a Breton top thrown in for good measure. Stretch pants became popular, which were high waisted, and they started coming in a variety of colours. It was in this year, when skirts began to rise, almost to above the knee, showing off slightly more leg than before. Stripes started being used in both mens and womeswear.
LEOPARD FUR COAT
Later in 1963, leopard fur coats started to gain popularity, and it gave more of a ‘fun’ look and twisted the idea of looking formal all the time.
Charade 60s ELEGANCE
C
ICONIC MOVIES
harade was the most fun of Audrey Hepburn’s ‘fashion films. The red and yellow wool coats, leopard print cloche hat... like the movie itself, the clothes are larger than life. From the pillbox hats to the headscarves and oversized Jackie Kennedy inspired sunglasses, her wardrobe perfectly sums up the 1960s woman. Even while on the run, she manages to look completely
polished and put-together, reflecting on how most real women actually dressed during the early years of the decade. A fabulous array of Givenchy clothes – far more than we see in Breakfast at Tiffany’s are seen in the movie. The colours in this movie are also brighter and reflective of the upcoming youth movement, while the styles still carried the elegance of the late 50s.
Cleopatra A QUEEN’S STYLE
T
he movie Cleopatra from 1963 is a fashion perennial. Elizabeth Taylor stars as Cleopatra—a very-well dressed, luxurious Cleopatra. The film’s breathtaking costumes won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design that year. Since Cleopatra has so many costumes – a record-setting sixty-five for a single character in a feature film, of which only thirty-eight are seen in the four-hour cut. Various kinds of Kalasiris and drapes are worn by Cleopatra, and she always wears some jewelry, and it is always of gold. Even in the early scenes of the film, Cleopatra’s eyes are surrounded by black eyeliner, with the upper line extended onto her temples, and her brows heavily drawn in. Sales of eyeliner shot through the roof when the movie released. The youth got inspired to try bolder makeup looks and experiment more.
ICONIC MOVIES
1964
The Beatles burst into the scene.
German artist Joseph Beuys causes a furore with his Fat Chair.
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King is awarded the Nobel Peace prize.
Beginning of the Vietnam war.
Pop art makes its way into advertising.
Bob Dylan and Joan Baez become symbols of the antiwar movement.
1965
The international children’s aid agency UNICEF recieves the Nobel peace prize.
Mid Decade
introductions 1964 was a year of change. This was when women properly started to rebel against the designers views of what they wanted everyone to look like. However, some things stayed the same, like the length of skirts, they did not get any shorter than knee length, but they did start to make the skirts fuller. A lot had also changed for men, their suits had begun to be more colourful. It was veering away from the black, white and grey world of men’s fashion that it had been for the previous three years, and were adding splashes of colour like reds and blues. Along with this, the stripes started to get wider and suit coats started to get shorter, leaving a less formal look. In 1965, pop art had come to America. This heavily influenced the clothing style of that year. It was all about contrasting blocks of colour and stripes, checks and wavy line prints. It made the clothing stand out. By this time, the public were not afraid to stand out, and they expressed themselves through colours. Nancy Sinatra released her number one song “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” which naturally drew attention to the stylish go-go boots. The “poor boy sweater” was quite different to anything people had seen in the previous years and was also very different from the bright blocks of colour, this showed variety in style throughout this year. It was always put with low hipster pants. Dresses had also gone under a change, One bare shoulder was the new look. It looked classy, but also showed off a bit more skin.
FEMININITY COMEBACK
Thanks to fashion icon Coco Chanel, femininity grew in popularity. Women once again began wearing lace, and even hair bows.
POOR BOY LOOK
The “poor boy” look was wearing jeans and an oversized sweater. These sweaters were often home made out of yarn.
GOGO BOOTS
As defined by André Courrèges in 1964, these were white, lowheeled, and mid-calf in height, a specific style which is sometimes called the Courrèges boot.
STEVE MCQUEEN
Often called the King of cool, Steve McQueen wore sweaters and turtlenecks with his suits, and was an inspiration to many.
ONE SHOULDERED GOWN When Jackie Kennedy wore a one-shoulder gown in 1965, women across America wanted one.
Biba STYLE AND RETAIL PHENOMENON In 1963, designer Barbara Hulanicki and her husband launched Biba’s Postal Boutique. The label scored its first major success in 1964, with a pink-gingham sleeveless shift dress and matching headscarf. The first Biba store was then opened in London, selling young, creative styles at budget prices. Women – mostly under the age of 25, flocked to Biba to buy Hulanicki’s ‘Mod’ clothes in the murky tones she soon became known for. Biba’s aesthetic was inspired by decadent, bygone styles in earthy colours like olive, rust and her favourite, ‘bruised purple’. Where female fashions of the previous decades had emphasised the bust and hips, Hulanicki’s short designs focused on the wearer’s legs. The key to Biba’s success lay in its affordability.
FASHION CREATORS
In 1966 Biba opened a new store in Kensington High Street.
FASHION CREATORS
Yves Saint Laurent Yves Saint Laurent revealed his first collection in 1962, which was a success. The mini skirt got a boost when he debuted his famous and very short “Mondrian” dresses. In 1965 his Mondrian- inspired color blocks sweeped through the international fashion world. Saint Laurent maintained this “dialogue with art” all throughout his career, beginning with a series of dresses paying tribute to Piet Mondrian for the AutumnWinter 1965 collection. Wool jersey was inlaid with no visible seams, allowing Saint Laurent to create a textile rendition of the Dutch artist’s paintings and channel Mondrian’s sense of geometry. His passion for painting led him and Pierre Bergé to assemble a truly incredible art collection. The couturier also expressed his admiration for painters through the various garments he designed to honor the artists he loved. He introduced the tuxedo for women in 1966. and his summer collection that year was influenced by artist Andy Warhol. His prefernce for androgynous shapes was groundbreaking at a time when women more than ever were seeking emancipation.
Mary Quant CHANGING FASHION FOREVER If anyone should be credited with pioneering the miniskirt it is British designer Mary Quant. Quant opened what became the iconic boutique Bazaar in 1955 on King’s Road in London’s Chelsea neighborhood. Inspired by the fashions she saw on the streets, Quant raised the hemline of her skirts in 1964 to several inches above the knee, and the iconic miniskirt was born. She named the skirt after her favorite car, the Mini. She also got her hair cut short, inspiring the youth to experiment with their looks. She also introduced shorts for women and peter pan collars in dresses to give them a more young look. Mary didnt distinguish between daywear and evening wear and rejected seasonal fashion production, Instead she introduced new designs throughout the year. Her innovative ideas, such as PVC raincoats, knickerbockers for women and large shoulder bags spread rapidly through Europe. Young fashion designers, including Foale and Tuffin and Mary Quant, go on the British “Youthquake” tours to the US arranged by the Puritan Fashion Corporation and J.C.Penney in New York.
FASHION CREATORS
1966
David Lean makes the movie Doctor Zhivago.
After a coup General Suhatro becomes prime minister of Indonesia.
The novel Belles Images by Simone de Beauvoir is published in France.
Mao Zedong launches the Cultural revolution, mobilizing Chinese youth against the Chinese communist party.
First Issue of Rolling Stone magazine.
First successful heart transplant in CapeTown.
Six day war between Israel and Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon.
1967
Death of socialist revolutionary leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
MOD
Style takeover 1966 was the year that the ‘mod’ style took over. This was when the public really started to rebel against tradition. The women’s ‘mod’ look involved a mini skirt, which is much shorter than anything that was worn before. With the mini skirt, they would wear lacy or fishnet tights to give quite a stand out look to show that times were changing. On the top half, they would wear manlike jackets with ties. This was the start of unisex fashion, when the women decided that they wanted to wear clothes styles similar to the men’s. By early 1966 the waistline disappears, and designers like Norman Norell showcase loose-fitting dresses with loose sleeves.
JERSEY GOWNS
In 1967 American fashion designer Geoffrey Beene presents his sequined football jersey evening gowns, following his ball gowns in gray flannel and wool jersey shown the previous year.
The male ‘mod’ looks were low slung skinny fitted trousers, this was different to the previous years. On the top half, they would wear wide printed ties that contrasted their wallpaper like floral shirts. This was an adventurous look, as it was outside the box and no one had seen anything like it before. Carnaby jackets were worn over the top, and London caps would
MINI DRESSES
In 1967 Goldie Hawn’s “Laugh In” debuted on TV, inspiring girls around the U.S. to don miniskirts and minidresses copying her signature mod style.
finish off the look. Another step that women took towards men’s fashion were pant suits. These were made for females, but had the general idea of a suit, and women were not often seen in trousers in the sixties so this was a major change. In 1967, some of the mod look stayed, but other areas stated to fade away. The short shirts and fishnet/lace tights
UNISEX CLOTHES
stayed in fashion, but most of the rest did not, but it was still worn by the minority. The belt was no longer just for holding up your trousers, but it was also used to create a fit and flare attitude. 1967 was also the first major use of the zip, which has changed the way we design clothes in the modern day.
An either-gender clothing line was created in 1967. It didn't catch on, because most men did not want to wear skirts; however, the wearing of pants suits by women stuck.
Two for the road MODERN FASHION Two for the road is one of the most iconic 60s film, as the youth movement was depicted in a mainstream movie for the first time. Director Stanley Donen insisted that Audrey be dressed in something more modern than Givenchy, and although she was averse to wearing off-the-peg clothes, she accepted to wear off the rack shopped-for creations by the designers of the day: Paco Rabbane, Mary Quant, Ken Scott, Michèle Rosier, Foale and Tuffin, Andre Courrèges. The Paco Rabbane cap-sleeved dress made of acrylic discs, with drop earrings to match, is undoubtedly the most fabulous look in the film. Although it was considered unconventional at that time, on Audrey Hepburn it still had the allure of a classic. Audrey’s “offduty” beach and poolside looks, especially the sequence where she wears the swimming suit in colourful geometric pattern, possibly another Ken Scott, are the memorable from the film.
ICONIC MOVIES
FASHION ICON
TWIGGY
The Face of 66 ‘Twiggy’, real name Lesley Hornby. was named the face of 1966. This name was given to her for her very slender figure. She was only a teenager then. Bob hairstyles were huge in fashion, but this girl cemented an even short hairstyle‘s place in history – the pixie crop. One of the greatest muses of all time, Twiggy quickly rose to supermodel fame, thanks to her paint ’em on thick eyelashes and the boyish style celebrity hairdresser Leonard chopped for her in ’66. This gave her a different look and slightly edgier. Almost overnight she became the face of the decade; instantly recognisable, she’s been immortalised on everything from Andy Warhol screen prints to M&S shopping bags.
The Souper Dress designed by Harry Gordon
Paper 'Dispo' dresses (top to bottom) designed by Diane Meyersohn and Joanne Silverstein
60S FASHION FAD
The Paper Dress In the 1960s, society fell in love with the idea of progress. Young people with disposable incomes embraced the cult of the new, becoming keen consumers of fun, informal and fast-changing trends. The perfect expression of fashion’s own fickleness, these two-dimensional shift dresses were cheap and ‘disposable’ – designed to be worn only once or twice – and proved ideal vehicles for the bold, graphic prints that had become so popular during the decade. The invention of mass-produced paper fashion is attributed to Scott Paper, an American company that made toilet tissues, baby wipes and other sanitary products. In 1966 Scott Paper produced a simple disposable shift dress out of ‘Dura-Weave’, a cellulose material already used to make laundry-reducing garments for hospital workers. The dress, which was printed in two patterns – one monochrome and strikingly Op Art, the other in red paisley – was intended to be a short-lived ‘teaser’ product, a promo for the company’s new throwaway tableware range. The huge potential of the ‘promotional dress’ was soon capitalised on by other companies and concerns, such as the 1967 ‘Souper Dress’. Printed with rows of identical Campbell’s Soup tins, this wearable advertising was a wry take on the iconic Warhol painting which had turned a homely foodstuff in to conceptual art five years before. Some women wanted their dress to last for longer than a single wear. Unsurprisingly, the original paper-fibre dresses were prone to tearing or creasing, so manufacturers capitalised on advances in material technology to make more robust versions from wood pulp mixed with synthetic fibres (rayon, nylon and polyester). These new composite fabrics could be ‘refreshed’ by ironing on a cool setting, or even washed (although not more than once or twice). Towards the end of the decade, hippy culture began to foster distaste for consumerist, throwaway ideas. By the end of 1968, the ‘paper caper’ garments that had been so popular only two years earlier had become yesterday’s news.
1968
“Prague Spring� troops from USSR, Poland, Bulgaria, and the GDR occupy Czechoslovakia and bloodily suppress protests against Soviet control.
Agreement between USA, UK, and USSR to halt proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Worldwide student riots, the most violent occuring in Paris.
Martin Luther King is assasinated.
First performance of the musical Hair.
Peter Fonda’s Easy Rider appears in the movie theatres. “Black is beautiful” movement in the USA.
Neil Armstrong is the first man on the moon.
Willy Brant becomes chancellor of West Germany.
1969
The Woodstock festival takes place.
Rise of the Hippies In a growing effort to be individual, the hippie style really took off. Fashion finds from thrift stores became very popular, and men began wearing turtlenecks. The Woodstock festival took place in New York state in 1969, and was seen as a defining moment of the “hippie era” and the counterculture of the 1960s. The US also landed the first men on the Moon, after space exploration earlier in the decade, which inspired space-age fashion looks. With political tensions high because of the Vietnam War in 1969, the fashion pendulum swung, becoming increasingly nostalgic, and hemlines fell back down to the ankle in a style called the “maxi.” Hemlines hadn’t been so long since 1914. The teenagers of the era were growing up, and fashion followed suit. By the end of the 60’s, pretty much anything could go; whether a woman wanted bold or soft, short or long, loud or quiet, fashion was up to her.
HAIR THE MUSICAL 1968 – The rock musical Hair opened on Broadway and in London’s West End, making Marsha Hunt a star and proclaiming “black is beautiful.”
Sandals, like flip-flops, made their beachside debut in the 1960s. Women wore them with everything casual. Birkenstock sandals became icons of the hippies. Most 60s sandals were made of shiny plastics, bright colors, thin straps with squat flat heels. Colored tights were also
MARSHA HUNT
Marsha Hunt, London-based model, singer and actress who became one of the poster girls for the “Black is Beautiful” movement of the 1960’s, here seen wearing fringes.
popular- white, black, purple, fishnet, herringbone or lace. The new youth with their obsession with fake plastics, vinyl, and bold colors favored jewelry inspired by Pop Art. Geometric shapes made their way onto over-sized dangling earrings. A return to folk arts meant
TIE & DYE
Hippies, who were protesting the Vietnam War and promoting peace and love, began wearing clothing with vibrant colors and psychedelic designs with tie and dye.
beading was on clothes, not just jewelry. Ethnic details covered anything and everything. There were no rules to hippie fashion. Mix and match and develop your own beat was the 1960s hippie fashion mantra.
PSYCHEDELIC JEWELLERY With the mod and hippie movement came a lot of psychedlic prints and shapes. This was incorporated in jewellery as well.
Paco Rabbane BARBARELLA AND SPACE Paco Rabanne designed the costumes for Barbarella, a sci-fi film starring Jane Fonda, who plays a member of the “United Earth government” sent to space in the “41st century” to find an evil scientist plotting to end humanity. As NASA sent the first men on the moon in 1969, space inspired people from all fields. In the ‘60s, Space Age style revolved around the idea of exploration— of pushing boundaries further than ever before, whether that meant with materials or silhouettes. It truly felt new and exciting because the “future” everyone imagined of flying cars and men on the moon was still far off. Anything was possible. Rabanne’s dresses made of metal disks and chain mail became an instant hit and was the new cool.
FASHION CREATORS
FASHION CREATORS
Pierre Cardin
ONE STEP AHEAD Pierre Cardin was excited by new materials including vinyl, silver fabrics and large zips, creating radical forms. He added moulded plastic visors to helmet-like hats to make them resemble astronauts’ headgear. Cardin had been expelled by the Paris’s Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture for launching a ready-to-wear line. He had fully embraced a futuristic aesthetic, developing a synthetic fabric called Cardine. He once said, ‘The clothes that I prefer are those I invent for a life that doesn’t exist yet - the world of tomorrow.’
Evolution of Women’s Hairstyles in the
60’s
Made popular by the musical group The Ronettes, the beehive gained popularity in the early sixties.
Hairstyles of mid 60’s were a mixed bag of short and curly hair and long and straight hair.
Most people were now preferring shorter styles, curls or a bob.
Social taboos were being challenged & sexuality became increasingly embraced, reflected with bigger, sexier hair.
In 1968, either people were growing their hair long, or getting a pixie cut popularized by model Twiggy.
In 1969, people became more rebellious, and started to keep long unkept hair, which came to be known as Hippie hair.
AUDREY HEPBURN
The breakfast at tiffany’s updo, which had a small fringe and a voluminous, messy bun with a small beehive in the front became one of her iconic looks.
BRIGITTE BARDOT
Completing her sex symbol look, her backcombed half-up gorgeous hairstyle featured soft messy waves, long parted bangs, and a small bouffant.
JEAN SHRIMPTON
Her glamorous hair featured a teased crown, flipped ends, and an eyelash-grazing fringe, was an early champion of the blowout.
JANE FONDA
Her soft curls and side-swept bangs are quintessentially ’60s.
TWIGGY
Her side-parted pixie cut is iconic 60s.Worn straight, smooth and neatly combed to one side.
JANE BIRKIN
Her signature long locks with wispy bangs.
GET THE LOOK
Icons ANITA PALLENBERG
She had a gorgeous hippie style that was completed with a shaggy, long bob with blunt bangs.
of the
60s
Evolution of Men’s Hairstyles in the
60’s
CREW CUT
1
The crew cut style, a hold-over from the 1950s, has been considered the haircut of choice for the clean-cut, conservative boy or man.
2
POMPADOUR
Music legends like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash wore a stylized haircut known as a “Rockabilly” or “pompadour.” This style is swept-up, waved and locked in place look.
3
MOP-TOP The mop-top was a haircut that sported a fringe of long bangs that grazed the eyebrows in front and hung down to hit the shirt collar in back, popularized by the band The Beatles in 1964.
4
Facial hair became more popular in the form of sideburns. David Bowie started sporting the androgynous look.
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SIDEBURNS AFRO
Guitar god and hippie icon Jimi Hendrix was a huge inpiration for the youth.
LONG HAIR
The late 1960s saw the rise of Black Power and Women’s Rights movements, which led to the Afro being popularized with both men and women. It was far more than a hairstyle, it became a political statement.
6
Long hair also symbolized the rebellion towards the end of 1960s. It was a symbol of freedom and modernism among both genders. The androgynous look began to emerge and men began to let their hair grow long, sideburns morphed into full beards and headbands replaced hats.
Top makeup trends from the
60’s
The elegant eyes, pale pink hues and loads of powder sums up 60s makeup. Yardley of London – tapped into the new youth look and their firm experienced a whole new lease of life with iconic 1960s models Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton modelling their makeup products under the banner of The London Look. There were three distinct looks in the 1960s, the classic, the mod and the hippy. The mod look is the cosmetic look most remembered from this beauty era. The youth had a big influence on fashion. Since the 1950s, the young had disposable income to hand and it was spent on looking stylish.
EYES
BLUSHER
False eyelashes were the fashion accessory of the ’60s. Mascara could now be bought in a tube with a wand applicator. Powder eye shadows were matte. Eye crayons and liquid eye makeup in a tube was also sold. The mod eye makeup look was the distinctive black eye shadow line in the crease with a pale eye lid. White was the most popular colour, then blues and greens.
As makeup in the 60s became all about the eyes, the rest of the face was kept more soft and natural, or pale and understated. Pastel colours like corals, pinks and peach were fashionable.The trend of applying blusher to more than just the cheeks started in about 1963, A swoosh of colour was added to temples, the hairline and under the jaw to add warmth and subtle definition.
Twiggy’s iconic heavily mascaraed lashes, ultra-high arches, and of course that epic graphic liner adorning the crease of her eye are iconic symbols of the 60s look.
LIPS
GUYLINER
Corals, pinks and peach were the fashionable lip colours, as well as beigepink nudes. Reds, pinks and browns were still available, being fashionable at the start of the decade and then towards the late ’60s. Traditional lipsticks were mainly matte. Lip Slickers added a hint of sheen and could be worn over or under lipstick, or just on its own.
It was 1969 when Jagger and his bandmates started wearing eyeliner when they performed, proving that men in makeup oozed sex appeal. As the youth takeover was going on and the popularity of the androgynous look increased, more men started experimenting with different kinds of makeup.
A decade of colours: Indian fashion in the
MUMTAZ SAREES
1
60’s
2
Mumtaz’s dewy glow and the way she draped the sari around her in the 1965 movie Ram Aur Shyam is iconic. The bright orange colour and the beehive hairdo gained immense popularity.
BEEHIVE AND SADHANA CUT
Sadhana’s famous fringe the ‘Sadhana Cut’ became a fashion cult in India. The actress who was spotted with fringes in her debut film Love in Shimla in the ‘60s become a style icon overnight. She inspired a lot of young girls around that era. Actress Saira Banu got the trend of big poofy hair and winged eyeliner popular in India. She first carried it in the film “Junglee” in 1961. This look was inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s looks in her hollywood films.
3
BOBBY PRINT
Hema Malini wore funky Polka blouses in bright colours like orange and yellow. Dimple Kapadia also wore polka dots in the film Bobby, which gave it the name of “Bobby print”. It was a fun print and could be seen in the wardrobe of the youth of that time.
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FIGURE HUGGING SUIT
Yesteryear actress Sadhana once again came into the limelight for her trendy style of figure hugging sleeveless churidar kurta in Yash Chopra’s film “Waqt” in 1965. It was so popular that even superstars like Vyjanthimala and Asha Parekh donned the same style in films like Jewel Thief and Love in Tokyo. The style got popular among young women all across India.
Bibliography BOOKS: A history of fashion in 20th Century by Gertrud Lehnhert Costume since 1945 by Deirdre Clancy Fashion in the western world by Doreen Yarwood Glamour: Women, History, Feminism by Carol Dyhouse Costume 1066-1990s by John Peacock Fashion since 1900 by Valerei Mendes & Amy de la Haye Fashion Sourcebooks: The 1960s by John Peacock A cultural history of fashion in the 20th & 21st centuries by Bonnie English Costume& fashion: A concise history by James Laver WEBSITES: metmuseum.org theatreoffashion.com vintagedancer.com cosmopolitan.com whowhatwear.com instylemag.com.au pbs.org content.time.com/time/magazine fashionlady.in reference.com softschools.com fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu vam.ac.uk harpersbazaar.com fashionista.com blue17.co.uk bfi.org.uk fashionfilmstudies.blogspot.com victorxenialondon.com marieclaire.co.uk thetrendspotter.net classiq.me bbc.com dailymail.co.uk sixties-style.weebly.com alisonkerr.wordpress.com indianexpress.com
The fashionable woman wears clothes. The clothes dont wear her. -MARY QUANT