Men’s Fashion
The 1960s was a mix and match fashion bonanza with many different trends and short lived styles that disappeared as soon as they were created. However, there was one group that had an impact on men’s fashion and it was to last and influence clothes to this day. We look at the rise of the Mods.
The decade began with Rockers, who owed their styles very much to the Edwardian inspired Teddy boy era of the 50s. There clothing was black, leather and loose fitting, macho and motor bike orientated. They were good people who, sadly, got a bad press and society saw them and their fashion in a less than favourable light. They were hard, too, masculine men and enjoyed biking and American rock and roll music. Much attention was given to creating a very male-only look. Clothes were utilitarian, functional rather than aesthetic, while hairstyles were long, greasy and often wild.
As a reaction to the Rockers a new group of, very often, middle class boys began to congregate in London. Many of these boys worked in the fashion or finance trades in the city and did not easily fit into the Rocker mould. They choose short, neat hair, neat suits and added colour, style and accessories into their clothing. They also chose the new Italian scooters like the early Lambrettas or Vespas and buzzed like bees in the thick London traffic.
Interestingly, two of the most iconic designs and ones that most people would instantly associate with the 1960s were neither particularly popular nor did they last for the whole of the decade.
Colours and patterns are one of the most important ways to personalise the space in which you live and nowhere was this more important than in the 1960s.