Fashion In The 60s: Not just fabulous outfits but a revolution in women's fashion

The attire of the 1960s has forever been my favourite decade of fashion and the inspiration behind many of my outfits. Mini skirts, space age silhouettes, and skirt suits are all key elements in my personal style — these, all key trends of the 1960s.

With leading fashion icons such as Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy, 60s fashion inherited the elegance of the previous decade while simultaneously rewriting the rules of style, revolutionising fashion and womenswear. The influx of mod youth-culture dressing shifted wardrobes away from the conservative look of the 1950s and brought reimagined design codes that rebelled against social norms.

Rive Guache — designers ready to wear lines — were led by Yves Saint Laurent, Emilio Pucci, Oleg Cassini, and Chez Ninon bringing luxury wear into women's daily wardrobes.

Yves Saint Laurent

Working for The House of Christian Dior in Paris, Yves Saint Laurent’s 60s collections included the iconic Mondrian Dress (1965), Le Smoking Tuxedo (1966), “See-Through” blouses and dresses (1968), and Pop Art & Vinyl Raincoats (1966). Combining art and high fashion, Yves Mondrian Dress became one of the most recognised garments of the decade. 

At the forefront of the menswear-inspired womenswear movement, he created Le Smoking. Through tailored suits paired with ruffle blouses, this revelation changed the way women dress, still holding great influence over fashion in our current day. 

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With a focus on equality and liberation for women, the see through designs were crafted as a means to allow women to reveal their bodies on their own terms. Although the cause of mass shock and outrage, this collection was a catalyst for the sexual revolution, celebrating the female body in a manner that challenged the traditional male gaze. 

Emilio Pucci

With corsets a key design element in previous decades, Emilio Pucci’s lightweight, unstructured garments liberated women from form fitting clothing. Featuring vivid kaleidoscope and psychedelic prints, Emilio’s most iconic designs of the decade include the Signature Silk Jersey Shift Dress, Palazzo Pyjamas, “Skimp” Skirt and Lingerie, and Pucci Scarves. 

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Oleg Cassini and Chez Ninon

Defining America’s high fashion, Oleg Cassini and Chez Ninon created the modern “Jackie Look”. Inspired by Chanel, Cassini designed over 300 outfits for First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy. Both Cassini and Ninon combined French haute couture and European tailoring with the American style of bold colours and clean lines to introduce Parisian garment making to America through imported fabrics, trims, and trends. 

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André Courrèges

Highly credited alongside Mary Quant, André Courrèges’ designs began with the introduction of mini skirts,  a-line shift dresses, high fashion pantsuits, and cut out detail dresses. André was known for his radical, futuristic designs. He created the “Moon Girl” look through his “Space Age Collection" that consisted of geometric shapes, synthetic fabrics, and stark white and citrus colour palettes. Replacing the high heels of the previous era, the Go Go Boot was born. A shoe that allowed women to run, jump, and dance without restriction.

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Mary Quant

The swinging sixties was an era of youth, pop music, a change in societal views, and revolutionary fashion. PVC raincoats, mini skirts, and pinafore dresses were defining designs of the swinging sixties. By raising hemlines, Mary Quant rebelled against social norms, in turn, liberating women and transforming women's fashion.

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The previous decades ideas of traditional, conservative dressing were soon long gone as playful, comfy playsuits, mini skirts, and boxy shift and pinafore dresses littered the streets. 

Hubert de Givenchy

I simply cannot speak of sixties fashion if the Hepburn-Givenchy partnership is not mentioned. Known as history’s most influential designer-muse relationship, Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy met on the set of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, birthing not simply a professional relationship but a life long friendship. 

The fabulous costumes of Paramount Pictures’ iconic Breakfast at Tiffany's were designed by Hubert de Givenchy. The little black dress worn by character Holly Golighty in the opening scene has become one of cinema's most legendary style legacies. This adaptation of Coco Chanel’s LBD of the 1920's initiated the demand of little black dresses in women's wardrobes across the globe. 

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Whether you’re a dressed to the nines everyday kind of girl, or simply throw on the first thing you see without caring about your outfit — the reason jeans, trousers, and loose fitting garments live in your closet is due to the fashion revolution, rebellion, and youth-culture of the 1960s. 

More than simply an aesthetic, the 1960s transformed the female wardrobe bringing equality, sexual revolution, and female empowerment along with it.

Love always,

Innasya