History of Fashion

History of Fashion

1960s fashions marked a dramatic change in clothing styles for women.

Today’s designers are raiding the 60s for inspiration, and authentic items by well-known names are in great demand.

Clothes from the 1960s represented either Dawn of the age of antiquities are a hippy trip to Marrakesh.

The first look was minimal and futuristic.

The second was flamboyant with ethnic overtones.

Clothing in these styles and other key looks of decade, include the A line dress and the denim jacket have become very sought after collectable items in recent years.

Have a  rummage through the wardrobes of a willing 60s child for items of value.

A wet jacket by Courreges can fetch around $300 £250, while an Ossie Clark blouse might be worth up to $750 £600, it might be more economic or to choose clothing inspired by the top designers are to look for items from the original 1960s boutiques.

America’s mission to send a man to the moon propelled fashion into the space age.

In the mid-1960s the Parisian couturier Andre Courreges created a look for Sci-fi heroines trousers suits, tunic dresses, miniskirts, and white go-go boots.

His designs were stark and angular, often in white accented with Day-Glo colours.

He embraced new synthetic materials, such as wet look vinyl.

Pierre Cardin another Parisian designer, made helmet hats, jump suits and tunic dresses.

He experimented with stiff, synthetic knits and used bold, contrasting colours, substituting, black for courage’s  white ,cardin also introduced geometric cut -outs and circular sip fasteners.

British fashion designer Mary Quant opened her first boutique, Bazaar on the Kings Road, London, in 1955, she is credited with popularising the miniskirt, and her inexpensive range, cutting edge fashions was bright, simple, and well-coordinated.

In the early 1960s she designed the first range of British coordinates, with sleeves and pinafore dresses in unique colour combinations.       

History of Fashion  

Emilio Puccis widely copied clothing, combing  futuristic and hippy styles.

This Italian designer was known for his psychedelic prints, inspired by stained glass and Aztec art.

Puccis tunics, caftans, and harem pants regularly featured in classic 1960s Vogue photo shoots.

 He made his originals with silk in natural colours, but also used new fabrics and dyes.

Ossie Clark, in his heyday created floral gypsy dresses and peasant blouses with a sophisticated twist.

He rejuvenated the elegant bias-cut of the 1930s and was a master of draping difficult fabrics such as crepe and chiffon.

 His signature touch was a secret pocket for a key.

Look out for printed fabric designs created by his wife Celia Birtwell a textile designer.

In London in the swinging 60s boutiques showcasing marvellously individualistic clothes were fashionable.

Barbara Hulanickis Biba store was influential, selling her floaty fashions, feather boas and handbags.

Today, anything linked to Biba is very collectible.

Quorum was another popular boutique, and Ossie Clark designed for them.

Today’s vintage boutiques are seeing a great demand for 60s fashion and as such original items are now fetching premium prices from both collectors and fashion gurus.

Collectors top tips.

Buy clothing that sums up the age , consider the quality of the garment, the fabric cut and stitching and buy the best you can if investment is the aim, if a piece is by a designer who led style, rather than followed it, the garment is sure to raise in value.

I hope you have found this article on History of Fashion helpful.