Essay On The 1960s

In the duration of one year, 1968, the American national mood shifted from general confidence and optimism to chaotic confusion. Certainly the most turbulent twelve months of the post-WWII period and arguably one of the most disturbing episodes the country has endured since the Civil War, 1968 offers the world a glimpse into the tumultuous workings of a revolution. Although the entire epoch of the 1960's remains significant in US history, 1968 stands alone as the pivotal year of the decade; it was the moment when all of the nation's urges toward violence, sublimity, diversity, and disorder peaked to produce a transformation great enough to blanket an entire society. While some may superficially disagree, the evidence found in the Tet

In this essay I want to examine how the corset evolved from a staple of the British feminine wardrobe of the Nineteenth Century into a symbol of an outmoded tradition – only to later return as a statement of female liberation. I am going to look at different aspects of this development including technological advances, economic facts, external events, particularly the First World War and changes in social, political and aesthetic attitudes. I will also look briefly at the role of Chanel on the silhouette and how this impacted on the corset: focusing on the trend to towards ‘opulent androgyny’ in the 1920’s. Finally I will examine the resurgence of the corset

This essay will explore the effects social and political changes had on fashion in the 1980’s. This period was chosen because the new romantic fashions were so different to the punk fashions that had been before, this essay will therefore identify the changes that had taken place to influence this change. Primary evidence used to support findings will include interviews and photographs which will show a firsthand account of the period.

The Sixties, by Terry H. Anderson, takes the reader on a journey through one of the most turbulent decades in American life. Beginning with the crew-cut conformity of 1950s Cold War culture and ending with the transition into the uneasy '70s, Anderson notes the rise of an idealistic generation of baby boomers, widespread social activism, and revolutionary counterculture. Anderson explores the rapidly shifting mood of the country with the optimism during the Kennedy years, the liberal advances of Johnson's "Great Society," and the growing conflict over Vietnam that nearly tore America apart. The book also navigates through different themes regarding the decade's different currents of social change; including the anti-war movement, the civil

Technology has had a major impact on the progress of fashion between the 1945’s and 1960’s and beyond. People used to have busy lifestyles before the growth of technology to help them. During WW2, there was a shortage of fabrics and people needed to preserve them. However, once the world got into a stable post-war time which were the 50s, there were more intricate outfits which used large amounts of fabric. Technology also allowed more different varieties of dyes and fibers to be made which added more of a personal touch to fashion and gave a feeling of wellbeing and comfort.

The 1960’s impacted the United States in profound ways. With the seventy million baby boomers growing into their teens, they brought with them change that is still evolving in our society today. The sixties was a time where American culture moved from being conservative to new and insightful ways of thinking. With these changes, it brought a new counter culture that would be known as the hippie culture. The hippies led way into a new sexual revolution that would break the old fashioned boundaries. The hippies also ushered in a new era where drugs became popular to a large public as well as within their own culture. Drugs were becoming a part of American culture, as well as new scientific research, into the benefits

The 1960’s was a decade that forever changed the culture and society of America. The

The fashion industry is rapidly growing and constantly generating new fashion trends almost weekly. Fashion for some may seem ridiculous and unnecessary; but fashion is not just a meaningless usage of article of clothing or farcical materials sew together for coverage. There is more to fashion than meets the eyes, fashion is precious and significant. It is a reflection of self-image, it speak the ream about who we are and how we review ourselves. Not only is fashion the reflection of self-image but also the reflection of our history as Coco Channel have said, “Fashion is not something that exist in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Fashion

To some people the 1960s were the best of times, to others it was a

UK designers Mary Quant and John Bates as well as Parisian designer André Courréges have all proclaimed to be the inventor of the miniskirt and whilst there is debate surrounding who can claim that title, there is no doubt that it has become the defining symbol for the swinging sixties (Stevenson, 2011). London designer Mary Quant was a particularly successful driving force of the miniskirt trend, creating youthful styles with simple shapes that embodied the energy and freedom of time. She used easy jersey t-shirt shapes with vibrant colour blocked patterns and stripes; a refreshing use of colour that moved away from the pastels of the 1950’s (Stevenson, 2011). Miniskirts are famously linked with 1960’s Mods: a youth subculture which dominated the London fashion scene. Characterised by short cropped hair, quirky styles and shift dresses, Mod girls’ fashion encompassed the modernist style that the movement was named after (Young, 2016).

Subcultures are responsible for the high rising trends in fashion, throughout this essay I will be discussing punk fashion and the mod subculture. The mother of punk Vivienne Westwood and the inventor of the mini skirt Mary Quant are both my reference throughout this piece. I will be sharing my personal opinions and views throughout this essay and conclude it by discussing how the designers are huge influences on the subcultures. Vivienne Westwood, born on the 8 April 1941 is a British fashion designer that has worked in the fashion industry for over 34 years. Westwood is regarded as one of the most influential designers of all time.

It seems impossible that I have lived through so many decades! I have lived through decades from the thirties to the sixties, and there are many similarities between the two decades. In both decades democrats gained control in the political arena. Both decades were a time of rapid change, socially, economically, politically, and culturally. The population in the United States greatly increased by about fifty-four million people between the thirties and the sixties. Both decades were affected by a war; the 1930’s was greatly affected by WWII, and the sixties was greatly affected by the Viet Nam war. It seems like just yesterday that we began the roller coaster ride of the 1930’s.

Elsa Schiaparelli was another star in the 30’s along with Chanel, but the contrast between them was nothing more but interesting. Their designs were different, looked upon as day and night, but still representing the extremes of couture, but they catered to the same clients.

Paul Poiret was born on April 20th, 1879 in Paris, France. His contributions to twentieth-century fashion has earned him the title in many people’s eyes as the “King of Fashion”, because he established the principle of modern dress and created the blueprint of the modern fashion industry. Poiret’s designs and ideas led the direction of modern design history. He was born into a working class family and his natural charisma eventually gained him entry into some of the most exclusive ateliers of the Belle Époque. Jacques Doucet, one of the capital’s most prominent couturiers, hired him after seeing promising sketches he had sold to other dressmakers. Furthermore, he was hired by the House of Worth and was put to work to create less

Photography can tell us a story of periods in history; "fashion photography constitutes a historical document that offers us evidence of the practices and ideals of a given period" (H.Radner (2000) in S.Bruzzi & P.Church Gibson Fashion Cultures: Theories, Explorations & Analysis, London: Routledge, pp. 128-134). In the 1940's photos were very staged, prim and proper and the models were the children of the rich of that time, by the 50's there were some social changes such as more disposable wealth, to which the fashion industry responded by having studio lit photographs and beginning to move away from static, manikin style shots. By the 60's subject and style went under transformation as a result of changes during the post Second World War era and the revolution of the ‘single girl' began. Fashion photography started to be shot outside with the model often walking or running to show that she is ‘active'.