Tuesday, September 15, 2009

1960s Fashion History


1960s Fashion History can be traced very accurately by looking at old sewing patterns. These illustrations were some I had torn from an old sewing pattern book, decades ago and kept as reference. 1962 was scribbled on the original pages and they are so typical of early 1960s clothes. All the images below will expand to fit an A4 sheet when printed out. Click the thumbnails for those enlargements.

These images are ideal for colouring in. Or use them as inspiration for fashion designing and pattern cutting with an early 1960s feel. Those unschooled in 1960s fashion history often wrongly assume that all 1960s fashion was extremely short. The mini skirt length was not really a mass fashion until the mid 1960s. Skirt lengths had gradually become shorter at the end of the 1950s. By the early sixties skirt lengths were as you can see just on, or just skimming the knee. Many people think that this is the perfect length for a dress as any style that ends on a body joint has a natural look that helps the body seems well balanced.

Slim line sheath or tubular dresses gave way to flared skirts. Here you can see the tentative beginning of the A line skirt, that, in its many varying lengths, from maxi to mini, would remain popular for about 15 years until 1979. The image of the clothes the two girls wear are quite innovative for the time frame. They marry two eras. The little girl wearing the full dress looks like her dress could have sat happily in the 1950s, whilst the coat has an early Jackie Kennedy feel to it. That coat style looks much like styles of coats worn by adults after 1964.

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