1960s Fashion – Hippie Clothes

Hats were an important part of the look

Enjoy my memories of 1960s Fashion – Hippie Clothes.

By the time I went to college in the Fall of 1968, my entire clothing style changed. Out of my mother’s clutches, I went hippie. Or more accurately, pseudo-hippie. I did not head for San Francisco nor did I live on the streets. But I was dressed appropriately for protest marches, and that’s what matters for this discussion.

We were so sure we were counter-culture individualists. Radicals! Looking back I realize that you cannot be a non-conformist while conforming to a style all your peers have adopted. But it is fair to say, as a group we had left the mainstream.

None of this made parents very happy. I recall the first time I came home on vacation and wasn’t wearing a bra. Scandalous! My mother and I compromised. I could do as I wanted at school (like she had a choice) and I wouldn’t embarrass her in front of her friends. Think of it as “do your own thing when THERE but not HERE.”

The new hippie clothes style wasn’t great for retailers either. Shopping at the Army Surplus tends to undercut major department stores.

Handmade and natural were sacred words. We crafted by doing macrame, beading, all sorts of homespun things that kids today wouldn’t be caught dead doing. I have no idea how many candles I made but once, I used an empty Mrs. Butterworth syrup bottle. Never mind. It was the Sixties, whaddaya want?

This back to nature bent spilled over into clothes. We wore peasant blouses, granny dresses and carried hemp bags.

There were some serious issues. A nasty little war in Vietnam threatened every male in my age group. Racial inequities needed remedy. But this is the fashion section and we’re going to have some fun with the hippie look. I’m entitled.

Peace, baby.

Much of what you wore  depended on using what you had or could buy second hand

How to Dress Like a Hippie

1. Do have a flower. I know the song says “in your hair” but the truth is that it’s hard to get the things to stay put.

2. No flower? Go for the Pocahontas headband.

3. Hair is long and “unkempt looking.” (My mother’s words) But it is clean. Yes, we washed our hair. Hey, deep down we were Baby Boomers from suburbia.

4. Women could wear a mini or even micro skirt provided she had decent legs. A chain belt was groovy. Boots or go-go boots were okay too.

5. Men – Jeans, the grungier the better. Leather vests were big too.

6. Fringe – for all. Vest, jackets, pants, shirts. Anything could be fringed.

7. Peace symbol. Every last one of us had at least one peace symbol.

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Janis Joplin sang the blues and also typified the hippie look

Layering included beads, bangles and vests or scarves

Twiggy proved that the “hippie look” went mainstream

More mainstream hippie fashion
Patty Boyd first wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton

Hippie fashions even influenced more expensive designer clothing

Bell bottoms just kept getting bigger  and bigger

Guys had their own hippie look. This one was running during a peace march

Notice the jeans. We didn’t buy them this way, we wore them until they were old and tattered

Some of these fashions were bought at the mall but most came from secondhand stores and flea markets.

Bet she got a ride!

No, most guys didn’t dress like Jimi Hendricks, but jeez he made it cool.

Anything you could tie around your head was popular.

This skirt would have been way too short for my high school but this girl seems to be getting away with it.

Hippie shoes? Yes, it was considered counter culture cool.