Part 1 Introduction
Part 2 Tie-Dye
Part 3 The Military Look
It’s often the accessories, not the clothes, that make the style and last week we looked at Britain and the Military Look. But that’s only half the story; at the same time Britain, like most other countries, was influenced by the hippie movement taking place in the USA.
This movement was based on a disaffection with the values and direction of society and wanted to see a return to traditional and older, seemingly more secure, values. Thus, the three overriding considerations for the hippie look were:
1. Make it yourself. Anything that could be home produced, like bead necklaces, simple metal finger rings, tie-dyed scarves or body painted artwork was extensively used and innovated. It was all the better if these were revived ancient or medieval art forms.
2. There was great respect for ethnic art forms that were hand produced rather than mass produced and these were sourced from wherever they could be found. In America, the art of the native Americans was valued while in Britain we looked towards the middle East and North Africa choosing leather work for belts and fastening and handmade bracelets along with all manner of jewellery as well as looking into our own past.
3. There was respect, too, for quality second-hand items. People spent time searching for used clothing that was both unusual and of good quality and virtually anything could be worn with anything else. I remember a girlfriend who had a very old but genuine fur coat which she wore throughout the year with anything, no matter how hot it was!
Most people rate the maxi skirt as a 70s phenomenon but, for a change, I’m going to disagree.
Fur has been the clothing of choice since prehistoric times in order to keep warm, look smart and show off wealth. And, of course, the 1960s fashion scene was no exception.
The 1960s was a time of experimentation for faces, the early years simply using variations on post-war makeup themes but the late 50s and particularly the mid-60s saw a breaking away from tradition and what amounted to a revolution in the art of makeup.
This was very much a return to the 18th century sandwiched in between the neat and stylish hairstyles of the 1950s and the bitty, anything-will-do hippy styles later in the decade. 