60S 90S

A GUIDE TO RECENT FASHION HISTORY

Isabel Mara Quesada Gmez

THE 1960S
In the decade of cold war, man on the moon and Martin Luther King, the 1960s fashion featured a number of diverse trends. It was a decade that broke many fashion traditions and mirrored social movements during the time. In the middle of the decade, culottes, go-go boots, box-shaped PVC dresses and other PVC clothes were popular. The widely popular bikini came into fashion in 1963. Mary Quant invented the mini-skirt, and Jackie Kennedy introduced the pillbox hat. False eyelashes were worn by women throughout the 1960s and their hairstyles were a variety of lengths and styles. The decade ends with flower power style. Accessories were less important than colours during the sixties.

In the early-to-mid-1960s, the London Modernists (the Mods) started a popular fashion for young British men and became leaders of style. The Mods adopted new fads that would be imitated by many young people until the rest of the century: tailored suits, Levi's jeans, short clean haircuts. They rode on scooters, usually vespas or lambrettas. They listened to and played Modern Jazz. They were the exact opposite of their rival group known as the Rockers, who liked 1950s rock-and roll, wore black leather jackets, greased, pompadour hairstyles and rode motorbikes.

British rock bands such as The Who, The Small Faces, and The Kinks emerged from the Mod subculture. The Beatles exerted a major influence on young mens fashion and hairstyles in the 60s without being either mods or rockers. Psychedelic music was leaded by bands like The Beatles, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd. It mainly attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs.

By 1968, the hippie look was in style. Both men and women wore flared / bell-bottomed jeans, tie-dyed shirts, workshirts, and headbands. Flower power look included sandals for both men and women. Women would often go barefoot, and some went braless. The hippie movement, which promoted sexual liberation and favoured a "peace, love and freedom" lifestyle, exerted a strong influence on clothing (the Woodstock style): psychedelic prints, highlighter colors, and mismatched patterns, ponchos, moccasins, love beads, peace signs, medallion necklaces, chain belts, polka dot-printed fabrics, and long, puffed sleeves expand the long list of the hippy trend.

Isabel Mara Quesada Gmez

THE 1970S
1970s fashion began with a continuation of the hippie look from the late 1960s. However, it was soon characterized by several distinct fashion trends such as platform shoes, which appeared in 1971, for men and women, wide-legged, flared jeans and trousers for both men and women throughout most of the decade. This particular style has been immortalised in the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever, which starred John Travolta. The "disco look", consisting on three-piece suits for men and on rayon or jersey dresses for women, lasted until the end of the decade. Also, the leotard became a standard fashion icon of the disco scene and anticipated the aerobics crazy to come. Platform shoes gave way to mules and ankle-strapped shoes, both reminiscent of the 1940s, at the very end of the decade. Larger glasses, like the aviator sunglasses, became popular.

In Britain and the urban United States, from 1972 to 1974, fashions were inspired by extravagantly dressed glam rock stars such as David Bowie. Lets remember Queen as a very influential band in the decade too. However, in the early to mid-1970s the difficult economic realities of Europe and Britain make punk fashion take over as a direct reaction to the economic depression of the period. Punk believed in creation through disorder. Therefore, the look included ripped jeans, torn t-shirts, leather jackets and safety pins as the new nose and ear jewellery. Its best musical representative is the band The Sex Pistols.

Hairstyle is very rich and varied along the decade: starting with the long hair for girls with a centre or side parting, moving to platinum blonde with long fringe. We also see Afro style, Pompadour (or Elvis) style as well as the crazy multi-colored mohawks from punk style. Reggae music and style become extremely popular beyond expectations by the hand of Bob Marley.

Isabel Mara Quesada Gmez

THE 1980S
The 1980s fashion was full of different and opposed styles. There was heavy emphasis on expensive dressing and fashion accessories such as large faux-gold earrings, pearl necklaces, excessive shoulder pads and clothing covered with sequins and shiny costume jewellery. The dancewear craze and love for aerobics was due to the 1983 movie Flashdance. Headbands, leotards, leg warmers and ripped sweatshirts turned extremely popular. Later on, soccer shorts and track suits will be the thing to wear. After the release of her single "Like a Virgin" in late 1984, Madonna became a fashion icon for many young women around the world. Her street urchin look included short skirts worn over leggings, brassieres worn as outer clothing, untidy hair, crucifix jewellery, and fishnet gloves. Another iconic fashion model was Michael Jackson and teenagers would attempt to replicate his thriller style and use fedora, gloves. The 1980s brought an explosion of colorful styles in men's clothing. Miami Vice look, thanks to popular TV series, popularised Hawaiian shirts, sports coats, colourful t-shirts and a few days beard. The mid-1980s offered designer jeans, cowboy boots and leather to be in. Punk fashion began as a reaction against both the hippie movement of the past decades and the materialist values of the current decade. Doc Martens boots were an important feature of the post-punk gothic look which featured long hair, pale skin, dark eyeshadow, eyeliner and lipstick, black nail varnish, spiked bracelets and dog-collars, black clothing, often of leather. Corsets were often worn by girls. British bands which inspired the gothic trend include The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and The Cult. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the New Romantic and Goth music and fashion movement for men and women included the eyeliner, the spiked hair and buccaneer shirts with popping collars.

Most influences on fashion came not only from television but also from music styles: heavy metal style, punk style, rockabilly style. Hip hop culture and Rap music also began influencing fashion trends, such as track suits (worn when not exercising), Kangol hats, acid colours, oversized clothes and gold jewellery for men and women. There were also conservative people like the Preppies or the Yuppies, who developed into their own subculture. Hair in the 1980s was generally big, curly, bouffant and heavily styled with mousse and hairspray. Men grew moustaches due to the influence of television shows. Medium-length hair was common for men. However, very long hair for men became fashionable in the late 1980s due to the influence of Heavy Metal music. Regarding eyewear, either the Ray-Ban Wayfarer or Aviator sunglasses were true must-haves.

Isabel Mara Quesada Gmez

THE 1990S
In the 1990s there is a fashion rejection together with the adoption of tattoos, body piercings other forms of body modification such as branding. This indifferent approach to fashion along the decade, led to the popularisation of the casual chic look, including Tshirts, jeans, hoodies, and trainers which continued into the 2000s. In general, the 1990s saw a minimalist fashion aesthetic in fashion, contrasted to the more elaborate and flashy trends of the 1980s. The 90s can be said to be vintage because fashion trends throughout the decade recycled styles from previous decades (1950s, 1960s and 1970s), a trend which would continue into the 2000s and 2010s. Many find it difficult to draw the line between the 1990s and early 2000s for that reason. In the early nineties, many women wore tight-fitting trousers with elastic boot-straps, drainpipe jeans, coloured tights, and tartan skirts. Popular accessories included court shoes, cowboy boots, headscarves, leggings, and penny loafers. Others were loyal to leggings and exercise clothes. While in the mid 90s we see a revival of the hippie style with floral dresses, turtleneck shirts, lace blouses and Gypsy tops, other women preferred to note their social status by wearing designer clothing. Grunge look: flannel shirts, stonewashed denim clothes, wool sweaters, black leather jackets, sheepskin coats, corduroy and anoraks popularized by the leading grunge band Nirvana. Other accessories included Converse All Stars, trapper hats, tuques, white Adidas trainers, Doc Martens Boots, Aviator sunglasses popularized by rock star Freddie Mercury and neon-colored trainers. Britpop / Indi look: Desirable accessories during the mid-1990s included loafers, desert boots, chelsea boots, gold jewellery, boat shoes, chunky digital watches, Doc Martens, and black/neon colored high-top trainers. Bands like Blur, Stone Roses and Oasis leaded this style and embodied a revival of the 70s fashion. Hip- Hop fashion: oversized baseball jackets, bomber jackets, carpenter jeans, camouflage clothes, and tracksuits went mainstream and popular among young men as casual wear. Hi-top hairdo is the last thing for men and women. Artists like MC Hammer, Tupac, Eazy E, Dr. Dre, N.W.A., Wu Tang Clan, and Public Enemy must be mentioned. Charvas: The late 1990s saw the rise of the British chav subculture, a football fan subculture of the 1980s.Common items of clothing included tracksuits, baseball caps, gold jewellery, diamond earrings, and white Adidas trainers. Hardcore Punk fashion, which began in the 1970s, was very popular in the 1990s, and Goth fashion reached its peak. Must haves in this style were spiky hair, black hoodies, and baggy pants in black or red Royal Stewart tartan.
Bibliography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Western_fashion

Isabel Mara Quesada Gmez