60's Fashion and its Icons
The 1960’s as a decade was quite a
phenomenon. It was a decade in which fashion, music, photography and the cult
of personality united as one. It was known as the rule-breaking decade, and
more popularly known as the ‘Swinging Sixties’.
Fashion in the 1960’s consisted of: Doc
Martens boots, Teddy Boy suits, Wigs, Mop top hair, The Twiggy look, Paisley and Mini
skirts to name a few. The 1960’s was an iconic era for style as
it was when the young became the leaders of the fashion. Young people led the way for
new, hip and innovative designs and fashion pieces that we would still wear to
this very day. One of the most iconic fashion figures of the 1960’s was that of
the model Lesley Lawson, more famously known as ‘Twiggy’, she paved the way for
the all new British, androgynous look with almost baby doll like features.
Skirts were a big trend during the 1960’s
with Mary Quant generating short waist skimming mini dresses and skirts that
were set 6/7 inches above the knee, they were known to be one of the
defining fashion moments in the 60’s. Mary Quant is known to have made the mini
skirt what is was, she was very daring in her approach and liked to take risks in her designs.
The trend was very controversial but took off as it was so different from what
the women of that time were wearing, especially compared to the 50’s. The Quant style soon
became known as the Chelsea Look. In the late 1960’s Mary Quant also
popularised hot pants, which are still worn today by the younger generations.
She wanted to make garments that were practical yet liberating and free.
Biba was an iconic London fashion
store of the 60’s and 70’s it was founded by Barbara Hulanicki and her husband
Stephen Fitz-Simon. The Biba fashion store was hugely popular amongst society,
selling fashion items at affordable prices, particularly the Quant mini-skirt. Even
though Mary Quant was the first British designer to show the mini-skirt, Biba
was responsible for putting it out there on the high-street at affordable prices. The Biba feel was
based around the Art Deco style, and the logo incorporates this approach. Every
product had the Biba logo on it; it was the first to set a standard
for brand marketing and the first high street store to create a look for
itself. The description ‘Hordes of half-crazed teenage girls’ was only used to
describe two things, a Beatles concert or a typical Saturday at the Biba store
when it was popular. It just shows how much of a phenomenon Biba had created and
how it has helped shape fashion and merchandising to this very day.
I went to the BIBA and BEYOND exhibition at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery and took pictures of the collection, here are a few:
Ossie Clark has been compared to the 1960’s
fashion great Biba; he was also a major figure in the swinging 60’s. Clark was heavily influenced at
the time by Pop Art and Hollywood Glamour, which can be seen throughout many of his designs. He was first recognised at the age
of 23, when he was singled out by British vogue in their 1965 issue. Ossie and
his wife Celia Birtwell produced some of the most memorable garments of the
1960’s. They collaborated with flattering silhouettes and romantic textiles to
create iconic and eye-catching fashion designs. Clark designed for major
celebrities, including The Beatles and Mick Jagger. He pronounced himself as a
master cutter; he meticulously fitted coats, jackets and suits in wool, crepe, tweed
and suede. His deigns were extremely precise and he loved to explore, create
and discover new shapes and designs with different fabrics. He was a perfectionist to say the least.
