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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. 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, big-buttoned suits. |
Clothing styles have always mirrored the prevailing attitudes of the times and this is certainly true of fashion in the 1960s. The decade was marked by sweeping social change and the domination of youth culture - baby boomers were growing up and demanded their own fashion style.
Designers responded with a much more liberal, daring approach to fashion, boasting colourful fabrics and bold designs. The 1960s saw fashion reject the conventions and niceties of previous eras. Clothing broke with social traditions that dictated what could be worn when and by whom. In the past, attire had been divided in to 'formal' and 'casual' wear, and distinct separations were made between the styles of clothing worn by men and women. The 1960s, however, saw the emergence of unisex clothing such as denim jeans, which could be worn by both sexes. "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." - |