Fashion Synopsis

The 60’s were a time of great diversity and contradiction, not only in politics, but in fashion. The beginning of the decade saw the ultra-short miniskirt, done in bold black and white geometric prints, while the end of the decade witnessed a return to nature and the glory of yesteryear with pioneer-style, floor-sweeping maxi skirts.

Maxi skirts revolted against the blatant sexuality of the mini, putting the legs back under wraps. The hippies scoured thrift stores and returned to the nostalgic Victorian times with long skirts. The maxi skirt had gone out of fashion at the turn of the century, but it now returned as part of the hippie’s anti-fashion.

Long skirts were reminiscent of peasant wear, and the affection for sweeping skirts also influenced the ethnic look of handicrafts, headscarves, and granny style dresses. The psychedelic mod fashions were replaced with pioneer styles, much to parents' confusion.

Addled adults just couldn't understand the polar opposites of fashion: you either looked like a tart with a skirt high above your knees, or you looked like you were wearing a nightgown to school. If clothes express what you are, what you believe, then how could you reject a fashion statement in the course of a year or two? Most parents just chalked it up to the fickleness of teenagers.

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