'60s' Fashion for Women
Fashion as we know is cyclic and what is trendy and fashionable today, might not be in fashion in a month or so. Nowadays there is a great focus on the fashion of '60s, brought on by the fashionable '60s' clothes as depicted in the television series Mad Men. If you look at the current runway collection of leading fashion designers and design houses like Louis Vuitton and Prada, you will notice that these designers are greatly influenced by '60s' fashion for women. Full skirts with clinched waist, pleated calf length skirts and paisley and floral prints can all be seen in this collection. These key fashion trends are all relics of the '60s and it goes to show that '60s' fashion trends can still influence fashion of today.
'60s Fashion and Style for Women
When we talk about '60s' fashion, we cannot assume the whole of '60s to have a uniform fashion trend. To understand '60s' fashion, we need to divide it into the early '60s, the mid '60s and the late '60s. Fashion in the early '60s was still heavily influenced by '50s' fashion and this was characterized by women wearing calf length skirts with a clinched waist and a pleasing printed pattern. Hemlines were seldom above the knee and were mostly modest. Gathered and pleated skirts were also fashionable during the '60s. Early '60s' fashion was more about being ladylike and prim, than about showing skin. Skirt suits were made famous by then First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and they were worn with short boxy jackets in soft and pastel hues. Twinsets which were nothing but a matching cardigan and pullover were also worn by women during this period.
By the mid 1960s, women's fashion broke away from the influence of the '50s and began to show a completely new trend. Miniskirts were introduced by Mary Quant and it became an instant rage among women. It changed the fashion scene completely and every young women wanted a mini skirt in her wardrobe. Mini dresses were also one of the key fashion trends of the 1960s and they were generally of A line silhouette with sleeveless designs. Mini dresses in pastel colors and floral motifs were quite popular. Sheath dresses with hemlines that falls just above the knee as well as peg top skirts were also popular during this time. As the decade progresses, hemlines of women's dresses kept rising. Very short mini dresses known as micro minis made an appearance and was much favored by young women. Psychedelic prints, fluorescent colors and trouser suits were also very much in vogue in the mid 60s. Women also started wearing bell bottomed pants and capris for casual wear. Velvet, chiffon, polyester, lace and linen were the preferred fabric materials during this period.
In the late '60s, fashion for women was marked by the hippies influence in clothes. Clothes were more free-flowing, casual and colorful and the "carefully careless" look was in. Women wore batik and tie and dye prints and looser garments like caftans and culottes. Tunic tops, ditsy floral prints, paisley prints, pop art patterns, colorful scarves and loose chiffon blouses were all popular during the late '60s. Short hairstyles like the crop hairstyle and the pompadour were some of the hairstyles that were popular during the '60s.
1960s was one of the most colorful decades in fashion and some of the key trends from the '60s like mini dresses and shift dresses are still worn by women today, although in a modern pattern. '60s' fashion for women was all about fun and color and the use of patterns and designs.
