The popping 1960s

The colour palette of the 50s introduced fashion to colour once again, however it was no comparison to the 60s. The art world experienced the creation of Pop Art during the mid-50s, and it exploded into the 60s. Created by younger artists who felt that what the education system taught them “did not have anything to do with their lives or the things they saw around them”, resulting in them turning to Hollywood stars, movies, advertisements, and comic books for inspiration. [1] The most famous Pop Artist to emerge from the art style remains Andy Warhol, best known for his Marilyn Monroe and Campbell Soup works. As i-D said in a 2015 article titled ‘How Pop Art Influenced Fashion’, “Creative industries typically need each other to survive - art feeds on music, music feeds on art, fashion feeds on both and advertising eats everything it can get its mouth around” [2]. Pop Art exploded in the art world, and spilled over into the fashion world through bright colours and patterns of optical illusions. Another famous artist to emerge from the 60s was Bridget Riley, and her ‘Movement in Squares’ monochrome piece. Adopting the optical illusion trend of the 60s, the patterns of both Bridget Riley’s work, and Pop Art was incorporated into everyday clothes from psychedelic t-shirts, to bright and swirling skirts. A stark contrast to previous fashions, and it remained predominantly teens who indulged in the new art trend. Chanel’s classic two piece suit and costume jewellery thrived into the 60s, followed by Givenchy’s suit (for the more mature fashionista).

As the 60s progressed, fashion fell in love with the ever-shortening hemline that emphasised the leg. Women began concentrating efforts into tights, ranging from fishnets tights to brightly coloured ones that matched the ensemble. The newly emerged model Twiggy began redefining 60s fashion through Mary Quant’s mini skirt, and a-line sleeveless dresses. It has been suggested that Twiggy brought a androgynous appearance to mainstream fashion [3].

[1]: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/pop-art

[2]: https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/59bgdz/how-pop-art-influenced-fashion

[3]: https://www.retrowaste.com/1960s/fashion-in-the-1960s/