Hippie Fashion
Hippie
Fashion.
Report was made by Zolotova Alexandra 10th 'B"
Today, the fashion world has once
again discovered the wonderful styles from the '60s. We've come full circle and
clothes are not the only part of hippiedom to resurface for the new millennium.
It's a symbol of the resurgence of hippie values in their culture.
In the '60s,
without warning, hippies turned fashion upside down and inside out. They
brought a tsunami of new styles and colors into fashion like never before. From
the Haight-Ashbury to London to Katmandu, the hippies took fashion on an
eye-popping psychedelic journey.
The fashion rule
in the '60s was that there were no rules. Anything went as long as it wasn't
based on the drab, conservative styles of the early '60s. I doubt if fashion
designers were able to keep up unless they dropped acid. The only thing they
seemed to be able to influence was the miniskirt. This is because many of the
hippie fashions were based on traditional designs from India, Nepal, Central
America, Bali and Morocco.
Many new fashions
emanated from San Francisco and London to some extent. The fashion leaders were
the icons of our day. Rock 'n roll stars like Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles
appeared in public and on record albums in all sorts of colorful costumes.
Of course your
average hippie couldn't afford to shop like a rock star. Our stores were less
like Harrod's and more like the Salvation Army. Nevertheless they were able to piece together
something from bits of cloth. It was easy to take an old pair of blue jeans,
holes and all, and just put some bright patches over the holes. If they didn't
fit, you could open the seams and insert a triangle of something else, thus
giving you flared bellbottoms. A cheap bandanna, an old vest, some beads and
you were the height of fashion.
The elements that
went into the hippy wardrobe were only limited by their psychedelic imaginations. Bellbottoms
ruled the day, from striped, to blue jeans to patchwork, to hip huggers, even
leather pants were popular. Tops ran the gamut from Nehru shirts, to brightly
colored African dashikis and Middle Eastern caftans, to halter tops, tie dyes,
and frilly, silky shirts for men! Women wore saris from India and sarongs from
Bali and Java. Velvet, leather, batik, denim, Indian cotton and silk were all popular
fabrics. Op art, paisleys and psychedelic designs appeared on clothes,
occasionally making themdizzy! Footwear ranged from
the basic sandal and Birkenstocks to zippered boots, platforms and bright
patent leather shoes. Peasant dresses, long skirts and layering were also very
popular.
Then there's that
symbol of women's sexual freedom (or slavery), the mini-skirt! It was designed
by Mary Quant in 1965, and was responsible for the huge surge in pantyhose
sales. Along with see-through blouses and braless breasts, it's no wonder there
was a sexual revolution.
Accessories
included love beads, bandannas, leather vests, jackets with frills, and granny
glasses. Jewelry, especially if made of silver from Mexico, India or Morocco
was essential. Bangles, rings, earrings, nose rings, and ankle bracelets were
worn, especially for parties or concerts. Necklaces were adorned with peace
symbols, raised fists, yin-yang symbols, and other eastern esoterica. Hats ran
the gamut from tall Jamiroquai numbers (John Phillips liked them) to small head
hugging Islamic numbers (Richie Havens). Fedora type hats were usually
decorated with feathers, beads or other colorful objects (Hendrix & Dylan
liked these).
It's amazing how
many of these things have come back into fashion over the years. At the moment
we are witnessing a complete resurgence thanks to so many movies like 'Austin
Powers' and 'The '60s'.
Let's not forget
how they let their Free Flag fly! Men's long hair was
symbolic of their disdain for convention. Most
hippies just let it grow, perhaps trimming it once in a great while. Blacks,
both male and female wore Afros, using Afro piks (combs) to tease their hair
out to the max. Men grew long side burns, mustaches and beards. Women stopped
shaving their legs and underarms.
It must be added
that no self-respecting hippie ever wore a logo of some corporation. This was
heretical to the hippy movement. It's no wonder so many kids today, sick of
having to conform to corporate ideals of fashion have instead sought out the
Hippy Brand® of non-conformist, anti-establishment, revolutionary, laid back
sportswear! No logos, no commercials with sports figures, no multi-million
dollar endorsements, no hype. Just cheap, comfortable, easily repaired,
second-hand clothes to give you the look.
There was fashion
for the nose as well. Scents filled the air wherever hippies gathered, and it
wasn't just marijuana. Incense and perfume were standard accouterments of the
day. The flower children had to smell like flowers, with lavender, rose,
gardenia, and other floral scents. Patchouli was perhaps the most popular since
it helped mask the smell of pot. Sandalwood and musk were popular scents for
men.
At home, on
college campuses, in crash pads, and on communes hippies decorated their living
space with every sort of poster imaginable. These were large cheap and colorful
and would cover much of the wall space. Concert posters from the Fillmore,
publicity posters or album covers were the most popular. But some posters also
made a statement about the residents' political views. These included peace and
love posters, antiwar, black power, feminism, and posters that protested just
about everything. A lot of the posters were just art from other periods,
Beardsley and Maxfield Parrish were two very popular artists. Tibetan mandalas
and yantras were used for decoration as well as meditation.
Most furnishings
were imported and hippies fueled the huge boom in imported goods. These
included beaded curtains, large floor pillows, bean bag chairs, wicker tables
and chairs, brass from India, statues of Indian gods like Shiva, Ganesha, or
Buddha, Moroccan carpets and kilims. Headshops and import stores like Pier One
succeeded thanks to hippies.
Prior to the
hippies, most homes had maybe one dusty plant in a corner. With the back to
nature movement, hippies filled their homes with life. Sometimes there were
more plants inside than outside, creating a sort of jungle, often with ferns,
vines, and other lush foliage dominating rooms. Hippies loved to paint their
rooms in bright colors and often added rainbows, stars, even murals on the
walls.
An essential part
of any hippy household was the stereo. Hippies bought the best sound systems
they could afford. That is because the music of the era was so important to them. They got stoned to it, they danced, they partied, they meditated.
The typical hippy
vehicle was a VW bus or van or bug. Small campers and even schoolbuses were
converted into living space for one to a dozen people. These were often painted
(they usually needed a paint job badly) in bright colors and psychedelic
patterns, which sometimes included flowers, peace signs, mystical symbols, even
landscape paintings.
Food is an
important part of every culture. Hippies developed their own cuisine, a
mishmash of Indian, American, middle Eastern, Mexican, Italian and Asian with
an emphasis on vegetarian. Cheap meals are the rule with soups, fresh salads, a
hearty main course (with lots of vegetables) and a dessert. Organic produce,
especially from one's own garden is always preferred. Fresh fruit juices and
smoothies (usually with yogurt and fresh fruit - similar to Indian Lassies, but
improved upon by hippies) are great tasting, healthy treats.
Hippies helped
popularize Indian food, especially curries and chapatis, dahl and basmati rice.
Asian foods like tofu, soybeans, tamari, rice crackers, miso and tempeh are now
part of many healthy American diets. They buy bulk foods like flour,
grains, beans and nuts, sold by the pound, not prepackaged and left on
supermarket shelves for years. Whole grain bakeries all over the country now
offer a variety of multigrain breads which are far tastier and healthier than
the traditional American white bread. Yogurt, kefir, goat milk, soy milk are
all non-traditional dairy products popularized by hippies.
Health food
stores and cooperatives exist now in almost every decent sized town and city in
the U.S. This is directly a result of the Hippy fondness for health, quality
and freshness. Hippies helped promulgate the laws that regulate organic produce
found in many states (California and Oregon are good examples).
Organic farming is now accepted as a regular practice across the country.
Ironic isn't it, since we've had to educate the brainwashed farmers of America
about the dangers of herbicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers and teach
them how to grow organically, the way it was done by their grandfathers. People
think hippies are unhealthy, yet we were responsible for the health craze that
swept the country in the '70s and '80s.
Holistic
medicine, with origins in Asia, Africa, India, and native cultures around the
world are studied, taught and practiced by hippies. Some of these include
herbalogy, homeopathy, acupuncture, massage, reflexology, shiatsu, and
ayurvedic medicine. Other things hippies do to stay healthy on their own
include hiking, Tai Chi, Yoga, meditation, fasting, sweat lodges, hot springs
and Sufi dancing.
Just the act of
going barefoot is revolutionary for most people. Shoes confine more than just
our feet. Walking barefoot puts you in direct touch with the world around you.
You're more sensitive and aware. Your more vulnerable, but more open.
Hippies, ever
concerned about ecology, were the first to promote biodegradable products, and
the use of natural ingredients in everything from fabrics to shampoo. They made sure that every product
ingested by Americans has a label indicating all its ingredients. They boycotted those companies: whose
products polluted the environment; used animals for testing; were prowar or
very reactionary; or manufactured dangerous chemicals or weapons.
It must be said
that in general most hippies were anti-fashion. That is they rejected the
corporate nature of the fashion industry as well as the power of individuals to
dictate the way others should dress or conform to a set standard. The fashion
industry was seen as part of the Capitalist propaganda machine that kept us
slaving to consume the latest fashions. This is more true today than ever.
If it's not
clothes, it's cars, toys, even our lifestyles that are marketed to us by
demographics. And with Internet shopping they can track our every move. Many
hail this as a great innovation, and the ultimate direct marketing tool. But
isn't it just a more efficient way to keep us imprisoned in a consumer
nightmare? Like a glutton, they are fed more and more tasty
morsels until we are so fat with consumption that our lives serve no other
purpose.
The hippies'
rejection of prevailing fashion led them to explore other cultures
and in doing so they learned and adopted many
concepts and practices alien to Western society. Much of what they pioneered is now an important part
of popular culture and thinking. Hippies influenced not only clothes but a wide
range of ideas and attitudes thus changing society in the process.
Information
was taken from web-site http:/www.hippy.com