1960’s in fashion

1960’s in fashion for women. Who did women really wear in the swinging 60’s ? Trends, dresses, miniskirts, mod hairstyles and makeup. Where to buy them.

1960’s in Fashion | The Youth Explosion

The 1960’s saw Paris pushed out of supremacy by the rise of street fashion. Mary Quant’s miniskirt and Vidal Sassoon’s pixie haircut as worn by Twiggy, just two of the highlights of the London look. The decade saw a revolution in youth culture led by The Beatles, which culminated in the hippy fashion of the late 60’s and early 70’s. The 1960’s psychedelic movement reignited the Belle Epoch Art Nouveau era. The decade coined the term “retro” and the A-line shift dress echoed the simple flapper dresses of the 1920’s.

Leading this retro fashion movement was Biba, which brought fashionable but affordable clothing via a mail order catalogs. Makeup, concentrated more on the eyes than on the lips. Go Go boots and pilgrim shoes were a must have accessory to go with the shorter skirt lengths. Stockings were out, and tights were most definitely in.
Fashion accessories like sunglasses and hobo bags all helped cement the look of women on the march towards freedom of expression.

Though Paris Haute Couture was on a temporary slide, it’s Left Bank art film movement La Nouvelle Vague still showed that the French were cool. The classic Nouvelle Vague look, exemplified by Anna Karina were woolly jumpers and cardigans paired with pencil skirts.

Key Trends of the 1960’s in Fashion and Style

• Miniskirts
• A-line 60’s shift dress
• Pinafore mini dress
• Beehive hairstyles, the mop top and pixie haircut
• Hush Puppies and Pilgrim shoes

These are only the highlights of the fashion trends in the 1960’s. Enjoy our archive of posts on 1960’s fashion history.