The 1960s was a tumultuous time. All the bottled up political and cultural tensions of the fifties exploded, making the sixties one of the most culturally revolutionary decades to experience. There was the second wave of feminism which completely changed how women dress, the assassination of major world leaders and political hullabaloo, a complete shift of focus in fashion consumerism, and more. For the first time in history, London, not Paris was the fashion capital, and the Beatles weren’t the only ones making it to the news.
It was also the time where sophistication happily coexisted with bold and radical style, neutrals found space as much as colours, daring hemlines, and mini skirts were loved equally with turtle-necks, truly a decade of paradox, quite similar to ours actually.
Fashion in the 60’s mainly transformed when major clothing companies started targeting the youth as their main consumers. While the sophistication of the fifties lingered through Jacqueline Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn, the single girl look with the mod or mini skirts or bikinis were also raging and thriving with new fashion icons like Twiggy or the Supremes.
While there are just so much of the sixties that we absolutely adore, here are six trends that we can’t get enough of.
Fit and Flare
Fit and flare dress is still as much of a rage as it was in the sixties. The iconic sleek and chic dress which fit perfectly yet sway enough to make it fun would never go out of style.
Little Black Dress
Speaking of trendy, Audrey’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s Little black dress will always be considered one of the most iconic fashion moments for the early sixties. The sophistication and elegance of fashion in the ’50s carried through the early ’60s and resulted in this LBD. One can never go wrong with it; hence, a must-have from the sixties closet.
Pant-suit
With the second wave of feminism, came the single girl in a pant suit look which was initially frowned upon from many offices. Women found empowerment wearing what only “men” wore and embodied it with pastel hues and more.
Shirt-skirt
The sophistication of the shirt skirt carried forward from the late fifties, but Jacqueline Kennedy had made the attire an essential symbol of elegance and grace. The pink shirt-skirt which she wore on the fateful day of Kennedy’s assassination and refused to change before appearing in front of the public remains one of the most immortalized moments in the history of fashion. The pink suit symbolizes not only the vulnerability but also the resilience.
Black turtle-neck
If there’s one image of the sixties that would be forever ingrained in our memory, it would be the abundance of black turtle-necks which never went obsolete. From the Beatles to Katherine Cleaver, the turtle-neck turned synonymous with activism and resistance.
Mini Skirt
60’s gave us mini skirts and revolutionized women’s fashion once and for all. Mary Quant’s invention of mini skirts lives as a staple in every woman’s wardrobe, which speaks volumes of the impact.
From mod to fringes, the ’60s was a true playground for fashion to thrive on. With so many iconic women coming and heading on the challenge of defining what means to be modern women, more skin, bold patterns, daring hemlines, and bikinis, we owe so much to the ’60s for advancing the Coup d’ état of women’s fashion.
