In psychedelic era of drugs and raves, the 60s culture changed the fashion industry immensely. The decade was very important for fashion because it was the first time in history that clothing was tailored towards the youth market and featured a wide number of diverse trends. It was a decade that broke many fashion traditions, mirroring social movements during the period. 

Previously, fashion houses designed for those in society that were mature and elite, however during the enormous social and political revolution that happened in the mid-Sixties, the power of the teenage and young adult market was too great to be ignored. They led with new and radically innovative fashion styles, with the first ever partly male and partly female designs for women that swept away the sophisticated looks of girls in the early sixties. 

All focus was on the colours and tones of clothing and accessories were less of an importance during the sixties. People were inspired by the top models of the day which included Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton, so were dressing in psychedelic prints, highlighter colours, and mismatched patterns. The hippie movement later in the decade also exerted a strong influence on women clothing styles, including bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye, and batik fabrics, as well as paisley prints. 

Dresses and skirts became rebelliously shorter and shorter and by 1968 they had reached well above mid-thigh. Those were known as ‘micro-minis’. This was also when the ‘angel dress made its appearance on the fashion scene. A micro-mini dress with a flared skirt and long, wide trumpet sleeves, it was usually worn with patterned tights, and was often made of velvet or sometimes cotton with a psychedelic print such as those designed by Emilio Pucci.

The 60s also gave birth to the skinny jeans worn by Audrey Hepburn, which again became popular with young men and women in the first decade of the 2000s. The late 1960s produced a style categorised of people who promoted sexual liberation and favoured a type of politics reflecting ‘peace, love and freedom’. Ponchos, moccasins, love beads, peace signs, medallion necklaces, chain belts, polka dot-printed fabrics, and long puffed sleeves were additional trends in the late 1960s.

The message that came across though the trends of the 60s was that people of both genders could rebel against the norms set by the older generation. The creations of this decade are still popular today and so it is obvious that this fashion revolution has made a massive impact on fashion as we know it.