Times of Change Clothing in the 1960s mirrored the prevailing attitudes of the times; the decade was marked by sweeping change. Designers responded with a much more liberal, daring approach to fashion, boasting colourful fabrics and bold designs. Fashion rejected the conventions and niceties of previous eras. Clothing broke with social traditions that dictated what could be worn when and by whom. At the beginning of the decade, the market was dominated by Parisian designers of expensive haute couture garments. Womens clothing underwent a structural change resulting in looser lines and shorter skirts.

The shape of womens clothes were soon transformed by new ideas emerging from the London pop scene. In Britain, musical taste and styles of dress were closely linked and it was the mod look which first popularised the simple geometric shapes typical of the 1960s. By the mid-sixties, the flared A-line was in style for dresses, skirts and coats. Slim fitting, brightly coloured garments were sold cheaply in boutiques all over 'Swinging London' and had tremendous influence throughout Europe and the US. Womens clothing

Mens Fashion Mens suits became sleeker and drifted away from pale, toned shades, menswear was now bright and colourful. It included bold shirts, frills and cravats, wide ties and trouser straps and even collarless jackets. Ties were worn even five inches wide, with crazy prints, stripes and patterns. Casual dress consisted of plaid button down shirts with comfortable slacks. The flamboyant look was in, signalled by wider trousers and lapels, like those belonging to the blue checked Tommy Nutter suit. The Beatles wore elastic-sided leather boots similar to Winkle-pickers with pointed toes and Cuban heels. These were known as "Beatle boots" and were widely copied by young men in Britain.

Influences Towards the end of the decade, the androgynous hippie style emerged, influenced by the Vietnam War. This was a time when designers of dress and textiles experimented with colours, patterns Both men and women wore frayed bell- bottomed jeans, tie-dyed shirts, work shirts, and headbands and sandals. At times, women would go barefoot, and some went braless. Some other hippie-styles were fringed buckskin vests, flowing caftans, Mexican peasant blouses, gypsy-style skirts, scarves, bangles, and Indian prints. For the conservative hippie style, there were the lounging or hostess pajamas, which consisted of a tunic top over floor-length culottes, and were usually made of polyester or chiffon.

Fashion Icons Throughout the 1960s, a number of famous people sported distinct fashion styles that were copied all over the world. British teenage supermodel Leslie Hornby, also known as Twiggy due to her stick- thin figure, was a fashion idol to young girls everywhere. Her short, boyish haircut and leggy, waif-like frame graced the covers of every major fashion magazine.

Older Icons While 1960s fashion was largely youth- driven, fashion icons also dictated the style of older women. Throughout her career, movie star Audrey Hepburn wore simple, flat shoes, three-quarter length pants, and plain black shift dresses. Her clothing style and her beehive hairdo, would be copied by millions of women worldwide. Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of US President John F. Kennedy, became widely known for her beauty, grace and elegant style of dress. Her many public appearances popularised pearl necklaces, the pillbox hat (a small hat with a flat top and straight sides) and simple, pastel, big- buttoned suits.

The Designers Designers experimented with shiny new waterproof materials with a modern look like PVC and perspex. Paco Rabanne pioneered dresses made from plastic discs and metal links which looked more like sculpture than clothing. The advent of Mary Quants mini-shirt changed everything in the world of 1960s fashion. This mid-decade mini was a must-have, especially amongst young adults. Following the mini-skirt is the mini-dress with an A-line shape, or sleeveless shift. Another iconic style to emerge during this decade came in 1964, when French designer Andre Courreges introduced the space look, with trouser suits, white boots, goggles, and box-shaped dresses whose skirts soared three inches above the knee. Many of the influences seen in the mid-1960s have its origins in Britain as they were the trendsetters of these iconic fashions.

Andre Courreges Mary Quants Paco Rabanne space look mini-shirt chain dress

The Mods The young group branded themselves as the Mods, which was short for modernists, and catered to the younger generation. The styles seen on the Mods represented the popular culture overtaking this young generation, and marked a divergence from the refinement seen earlier in the decade. For men, some of these mod styles were double-breasted suits of crushed velvet or striped patterns, brocade waistcoats, shirts with frilled collars, and their hair worn below the collarbone and a dandified look. For women, velvet mini dresses with lace-collars and matching cuffs, wide tent dresses and false eyelashes were in vogue, as was pale lipstick. These trends were donned by legendary icons Twiggy and Rolling Stones guitarist, Brian Jones, and could be seen in areas such Carnaby Street and Chelseas Kings Road.