Swinging 60s

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog. I hope you are all doing well and looking forward to the weekend ahead. Today I have another era of fashion for you and it's definitely one of my favourites. Todays post is all about the swinging 60s. It was such a fun and colourful era and definitely sparked a new way of dressing for women. I hope you enjoy this post and get to learn all about what women wore in the 1960s...

Going into the 1960s everything seemed more relaxed and people started to have fun and this defiantly showed in the clothing they wore. It was all about the big bold patterns and exaggerated hair and makeup. The dresses worn by women went from modest to super short and sexy and Twiggy was a huge icon in the era...

Teenage fashion...

Within the younger community it was all about the oversized collars and bows on shapeless shift dresses. The hourglass figure of the 50s was soon transformed and forgotten about. The most popular shoes choices were a kitten heel pump, Mary Jane strap sandals or flat sneakers. Girls also loved to create the 'baby doll' look with their dresses, hair and makeup. This is one of the most iconic looks of the 60s.

Dresses...

The 50s dresses were carried across to the 60s; with the full skirts and tight bodices. These dresses were either knee-length or finished slightly above. However, by 1963 the tight pencil dresses (popular in the 50s) were soon ditched for the shapeless shift dress. Shift dresses were seen as a casual piece and were worn at home, when running errands or when heading down to the beach. However, they were seen as too casual and short for a day in the office. In the 1960s anything above the knee was known as a mini skirt but they were not acceptable for work.

The jumper dress was a new design by Mary Quant that was loved by many women. It instantly made them look younger and more playful with it's large bows, large rounded collars, pastel colours and polka dot patterns. The design details helped give them the 'baby doll' look many women desired.

The bright colours and crazy patterns on the 1960s dresses were inspired by the Pop Art movement at the time. You would find pretty much anything printed on a dress in the 60s including: checks, stripes, polka dots, colour blocks and even soup cans! It was all about the crazy patterns and being over the top was key. However, as the years went on, the crazy patterns and pop art inspired clothing died down and women preferred a more girly look. Pastels, gingham and pique fabrics (knitted or woven fabric) started to become popular. Throughout the era the 'Hippie' look started to become popular as well and this was when more earthy tones were seen. It was all about the: moss greens, brown, mustard and burnt orange colours throughout this time.

Tops...

In the 1960s womens started to wear more casual clothing than in previous years. Tops, shirts, blouses and sweater were all considered a casual piece in the 60s. Shirts and sweaters had no shape to them and skimmed over the body. Unlike the 50s where they would enhance the bust and waistline. This was also the first era that women wore their tops untucked; changing the whole dynamic of the look. They would be worn over trousers and skirts and actually got longer as the decade when on. The necklines on the tops also started to get higher and more modest which balanced out the short skirts. They would have large roll collars, peter pan collars (often in white to contrast the bright colour of the shirt), big bows and pointed shirt collars. Shirts were always bright and many had big bold prints. Knitted tops and sweaters were a popular choice in the colder weather and the most common knit was a thick cable knit or ribbed jumper.

Skirts...

The 1960s was all about the knee length skirts and dresses. Popular skirt styles were: box pleated, pencil, A-line and circle skirts.  It was also all about the bright bold colours and patterns. One of the most popular skirt choice was the mini skirt. These skirts would finish just above the knee whereas today we wear them thigh-length. These skirts were popular in plaids, pleated, corduroy and heavy knitted fabrics.

Trousers...

In the 60s the Jax pants were the new capri pant. They were very similar however the Jax pants were lined and had no waist band. These were often worn with a crop top as blouses would often bunch up and fall out due to there being no belt or waist band on the trousers. The stretchy stirrup pants were also a popular trouser choice in the 60s. These were made from a new knitted fabric and had a foot loop that went over the heel to help kept the trouser straight and smooth. At the start people didn't mind that you could see the stirrup part of the trousers but as soon as ankle boots came into fashion people didn't want the stirrup part showing so they wore ankle boots to cover it. All the trousers worn in the 60s would have come just above the ankle and they were zipped up at the back or the side. Only men zipped their trousers up the front. 

Denim jeans were also popular in the 60s and they had the same shape as the trousers. They were fitted, high-waisted, had a tapered leg and cropped at the ankle but they came in a range of colours. The bell bottom pant was also popular as part of the hippie movement. They were worn with a crop top and were more flared than other trousers.

Suits...

Trouser suits were as new and crazy as the mini skirts. They were inspired by the suits men wore but were given a more tailored feminine look. Some offices and establishments forbid women from wearing a trouser suit as they believed it was an insult to femininity and the empowerment of women and they also believed it disrespected men. However, many women disagreed and the trouser suits started to become popular.

Coats...

In the winter having a good woollen coat was an essential in any womens wardrobe. Instead of enhancing the hour glass figure (like in the 50s) coats were much more chilled and relax. They would hang loosely down the body with a straight style and were a lot shorter, often knee-length. The most popular design details were: round collars, big buttons down the front, flap pockets, geometric prints and sometimes a belt was added.

The Hippie Look...

The Hippie look started to become popular in the late 60s. The look started off with faded denim jeans becoming popular with certain women. However, by many it was seen as basic and boring and anti-fashion. Women would often wear a white strapless undershirt to go with the jeans but earthy tones soon become popular to stop them looking like underwear. From dying the undershirts earthy colours  tie dye soon become popular. This gave women a chance to experiment and wear many colours mixed into one shirt. The most signature hippie looks of the 60s is forest green worn with brown suede and sunshine yellow worn with denim blue. The hippie look wasn't just about the colours though; it was also about the large proportions. Women would wear oversized floppy hats, knee-length vests and floor-length coats. Beading was also a popular decorative technique on the clothes.

Shoes...

Know that women were wearing shorter skirts and dresses and wanted to get the 'baby doll' look, they started to ditch the high-heels and started wearing flat pumps instead. Women also started to buy their shoes in cheaper stores instead of high street. Colourful PVC shoes were popular as they were cheap and could be easily mass produced in many different bright colours to match the dresses worn. Wearing shoes with a lower heel made it more comfortable to walk in and wear while doing everyday activities. The popular shoe designs in the 60s were: loafers, Mary Jane's, t-straps, monk straps, saddle shoes and Oxfords.

1960s boots also had a flat heel and were made from PVC which gave them a very futuristic look. They were often tall boots in either white or silver which were much preferred over black boots. However, the more modest women would wear a brown boot instead. Sandals were a popular choice in the summer especially when heading to the beach. Birkenstock sandals also became popular within the hippie community. School children swapped saddle shoes for plain white sneaker and wore them with socks or stockings that were a shade or two darker than their natural skin.

Tights...

Tights were a popular accessory in the 60s, especially coloured ones. You would see many women wearing: white, black, purple, fishnet, herringbone or lace tights under their dresses or skirts. Women used them as a way to cover up ugly knees, hair, bumps and bruises and to kept their legs warm as the skirts and dresses were getting shorter and shorter throughout the decade. Even the skin coloured tights worn were thick and dark to help cover up. It was too immodest to wear bare legs in the 60s which is why tights were very popular. 

Jewellery...

It was all about the bright colourful jewellery in the 60s. At the beginning of the decade gold, white, pastel and coloured pearls were a popular choice. However, women soon became obsessed with plastic, vinyl and bold jewellery inspired by Pop Art instead. Earrings often had a geometric shape to them and were very oversized. Large chunky bangles or stacks of thin bracelets were a popular wrist accessory too. Novelty shapes and flowers were popular on necklaces, earrings and bracelets and were made from a brightly coloured plastic material.

Hair...

As hats were not very popular in the 60s women needed a new hairstyle instead. The bouffant look was the most popular with it 's teased, slick, high style. Guiche curls were also a popular hairstyle in the 60s. They would sit on the womens cheeks and were coated in nail vanish to keep them in place. This gave the women the appearance or a smaller doll-like face. As the decade went on women started to cut their hair shorter. It started off as shoulder length but rose to the chin which helped the hair curl around the ears more.

Makeup...

At the beginning of the decade the 'graveyard' look was popular. It was all about the pale skin, white lips, bold black eyeliner and smoky eye shadow. However, by the mid 60s a more girly approach was used. Extra long eyelashes, shimmer eyeshadow, arched brows, light blusher and baby pink lips were the new look.

So there you have it, the swinging 60s. This is one of my most favourite eras of fashion by fair as it's so fun and colourful and women started to have fun and be creative with their clothing. I hope you enjoyed this post and are looking forward to my upcoming eras of fashion. Let me know in the comment section below which era of fashion is your favourite. If you want to see more posts from me then make sure you head back every Friday to learn about different fashion topics and don't forget to head back every Wednesday as well for more outfit inspiration posts. I hope you enjoyed and I will see you back here again soon...

Emma Victoria