Vintage Spotlight: 1960s Vintage Clothing
1960s vintage clothing is currently as popular as ever, with many of the current high street styles taking inspiration from the swinging sixties. If you step into any fashion retailer you will see shift dresses, mini skirts, tunic tops and peter pan collars – all taken from original 1960's vintage fashion.
In the early sixties, the Mods were shaping and defining popular fashion for young men and women, with more and more designers coming on board to produce more sought after pieces that lead to an increase in fashion interest and sales. There was much less emphasis on accessories, as 1960's clothing was such a statement and clean lines and strong colours were key.
In 1964, the infamous Mary Quant introduced the mini-skirt, one of the most groundbreaking moments in fashion history. Starting as a risque piece of 1960's clothing, the mini skirt was eventually to be worn by almost every stylish female in the Western world. Then of course came the mini dress. In the 1960's, this was almost always either a sleevless shift or an a-line shape. There was also a tendancy to use materials such as PVC and sequins. Bold floral patterns, contrasting colours and fluroscent tones were also often used in 1960's clothing.
For outerwear in 1960's clothing, young women chose brighly coloured swing coats, dyed fake furs and short plastic or PVC raincoats, with a high shine or wet look. One of the iconic looks of 1960's clothing is a shiny white plastic mac with knee high white go-go boots. Black and white monochrome looks were huge in 1960's clothing – made famous of course by Mary Quant, and worn by the most popular models of the era such as Twiggy.
1960's clothing in the latter part of the decade leant more towards the hippy/boho look. Both men and women wore bell bottom trousers, sandals, blouses and headscarves. Head coverings changed a lot in this period, as hats became less popular and more people began to wear the bandanna style pieces.
There are certain elements of 1960's clothing that are most popular in modern day fashion. Swing coats and tunic tops are now common place in a current wardrobe, as well as shift dresses, a-line skirts, longline fitted tops and gypsy style maxi skirts. The monochrome mod look, beehive hairstyle, dark heavy eye make up and pale lips is certainly commonplace now, and is all taken from 1960's clothing and 1960's style.
There are of course, lots of novelty versions of 1960's clothing, usually the fancy dress shops, but the best way to try any style of 1960's clothing is with original vintage pieces. You can buy vintage 1960's clothing from vintage shops, auctions and online vintage boutiques, with items to suit any budget. If you are new to vintage, then maybe start with a few accessories or a statement piece like a coat or a pair of shoes. More seasoned purveyers of vintage clothing will have a certain look or cut they go for, and will trawl through rails upon rails of 1960's clothing until they find just the right thing – that's dedication!
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