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Fashion
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The age of the overstatement Love at Lancaster: Alumni couples
Heidi Nagaitis
Fashion Editor
The 60s is an era which unites generations in Britain. It fills the more mature
with nostalgia, whilst today’s youngsters
spend their pennies on vinyl and kohl
eyeliner in the desire to rekindle the
decade of cultural revolution.There’s
a certain pride about this period, arguably due to the large influence many artists and designers had across the globe.
As time has passed, love for the 60s has
never waned with new bands referencing
Cream and Hendrix as inspiration and
catwalks dressing models in outfits Edie
Sedgwick would be proud to wear. Even
though half a century has passed, the
cultural styles of the 60s are as strong as
ever, still most evident through the lens
of fashion. It’s hard to find a designer
who hasn’t taken inspiration from the
styles seen in London that decade, even
if they’d rather not admit it. Whether
it’s bright colour blocking, bold graphicprinted fabrics or statement shoes, the
60s can make a claim on them all.
So what other 60s
secrets does the high
street hold?
In late 2012, early 2013 the Peter Pan
Collar stormed both the catwalks and
the high street. PPQ, one of the first designers to flaunt a return to the style,
added theirs to velvet smock dresses and
the high street soon followed suit. The
trend referenced Sandy Shaw’s innocent
schoolgirl 60s style. A very flattering
look for any shape, the Peter Pan collar
elongates the neck, helping to keep your
look delicate and feminine. Keep your
eyes peeled as this look will be back for
Autumn/Winter 2014, so stock up on
collared pieces in the summer sales.
Love them or loathe them, ladies the
mini skirt ushered in a more liberal attitude to dressing whilst eradicating the
acceptability of leg hair (you win some...).
The shorter-than-short skirt was a style
sensation, freeing thighs from the more
traditional midi skirts. Don’t get me
wrong,
there’s nothing
nicer than an
elegant midi,
but the mini
skirt transformed female fashion. Keep
the 60s in
mind when
shopping for
new styles,
I know the
asymmetric
skort
skirts
are still top
of the fashion wish list,
but broaden
your
horizons and try a
suede, leather,
or
printed mini
as
homage
to
the decade.
Believe it or not, before the 60s, the
humble heel worn by the young and
fashionable resembled a pair of your
grandma’s inch-high favourites. I don’t
don heels too regularly, especially in
Lancaster, but when I do I love my freedom to choose how high I dare to wear.
Thank the 60s for the birth of the Stiletto, a revolution in footwear design.
Without the 60s no woman would rock
a pair of Jimmy Choo’s or be seen with
Louboutin’s famous red soles.
It’s not just women’s fashion which has
benefitted from the endless 60s revivals,
the mods and rockers have defined modern men’s fashion, introducing blokes to
rebellious dressing and making fashion
an acceptable interest for men. Long
gone are the days that women would
purchase clothes on behalf of their husbands and brothers, now men take pride
in their appearance, relishing shopping
in the same way as women. So boys, take
a minute to appreciate what the 60s did
f