1960s' Fashion

Styles of clothing have always been influenced by the attitudes of the time and one of the best examples to explain this is the 1960s' fashion. This era supports the vivid styles flaunted by both men and women having their own unique designs of clothes and accessories.
The 1960s' fashion is used till today as this decade was marked as the time when there were major social changes and was dominated by the youth. These were the years after the World War II, when the baby boomers were the youth and demanded to have their own fashion styles and set their trends their way. Because of the huge fashion saga, the designers in the 1960s too responded more liberally and had a daring approach to these styles picking them up in their designing. The 1960s' fashion due to this change, consisted of colorful fabrics and bold designs that eradicated the formal way of dressing. This transformation was a warning to the earlier eras that the youth of the 60s would not be dominated by the traditional obligations of what had to be worn when and by whom. Given below is a short description of these clothes which changed the way people thought and merged the division between 'casual' and 'formal'. More on 60s fashion clothing.

1960s' Fashion Style

As mentioned above, back then there were separations in the dressings of men and women in their styles and a distinction between the casual and formal. But in the 1960s these youths eradicated the divisions and changed the whole perspective of fashion. The concept of unisex clothing emerged for the first time, clothes which could be worn by both men and women i.e., denims and shirts. In the following paragraphs, the 1960s' fashion clothes for both men and women are described, so take a look! More on 1900s' fashion.

1960s' Fashion Trends for Men
With this revolution, there were serious transformations in the designs and patterns of man's clothing. One such pattern in the shirts was the buffalo plaids which were very casual but looked great when worn like formals. The buffalo plaid shirt was popular with hippies as well as regulars along with the lumberjacks. Another form of shirts in this time was the tight fitted shirts as well as jackets. They were made body hugging and straight to be worn with narrow lapels and drainpipe pants. The "hipster" pants that were to be worn below the belly button also came into fashion in the 60's and is modified today.

Other early 1960s' fashion styles for men consisted of a variety of collars. These collars were designed taking global inspiration in those times and were merged with the western outfits. Some very famous collar styles were the turtle necks, which were mainly designed on sweaters and vests. They were even paired with blazers for the formals and vests or tee shirts for the casual. There were colors in every shade that were given to these clothes and thus the 1960s' fashion was accepted worldwide. The Nehru collar also gained popularity which was inspired by the Indian look for politicians and was a favorite with "The Beatles" and other 60's celebrities. They also accessorized their clothing with swanky watches and jewelry worn by men for the first time ever in western cultures.

1960s' Fashion Trends for Women
The 1960s' fashion underwent many changes in clothes for women. Along with color changes to styles, to hair dos, to footwear, everything was different. The gowns made way for mini skirts and close-fitting waist dresses in the closets. In the early 60s the elegance of these clothes was flaunted by the First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy. Women wore suits with short boxy jackets and oversized buttons. Capri pants and tight narrow denims were the latest to hit in the mid 60s. Stilettos also became popular over every kind of dress that had the craziest designs of stripes, plaids, etc.

Colorful frills, leather boots, collarless jackets, comfortable slacks and many more were the designs of the day for these budding youngsters with an attitude to change the world. Women also showed off their sexy toned bodies with A-line mini dresses with sleeveless patterns. They could be worn with knee-length boots, swanky goggles and beaded accessories. Sequins and shiny fabrics came by the middle of this decade and were accompanied with leather hand bags and pump heeled shoes. Cocktail dresses and go - go boots were very popular too. By the end of this decade, the 1960s' hippie fashion was in style. Bell bottomed jeans, work shirts, tie-dyed shirts and headbands were worn regularly. Women were bold enough to wear anything they wanted and sometimes even go with the bra-less look for the evening. Polo neck tops, square-toed boots and berets were gaining momentum. Transparent and netted clothes were flaunted by celebrities and was aped by common people.

With these bold and fascinating 1960s' fashion clothes, today's clothes and designs have evolved. If it wasn't for these young men and women with a difference, the fashion industry would have never flourished as much as it is today!
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Published: 4/8/2010
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