The 1960s was a decade of cultural upheaval, marked by the explosion of pop culture, significant social movements, and a powerful wave of self-expression. In this dynamic era, men’s fashion underwent a dramatic transformation as individuals increasingly embraced personal style. Let’s journey back in time to explore what men truly wore during the swinging sixties.
The Swinging 60s: A Decade of Change
The 1960s was a period of immense change and groundbreaking events. Humanity reached for the stars with the moon landing, popular culture exploded with shows like The Flintstones and the Batman TV series, and Muhammad Ali’s athletic prowess captivated the world. The music scene was revolutionized by Beatlemania, which swept across the globe, and British culture became a major influence in America, with icons like James Bond, bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Kinks, and actors like Peter Sellers and Michael Caine gaining immense popularity.
This era was also defined by significant social change. Civil rights movements for African Americans and Mexican Americans gained momentum, alongside burgeoning feminist and LGBTQ+ movements. The Vietnam War cast a long shadow, sparking widespread anti-war protests across the United States and globally. The decade was marked by tragic assassinations, including John and Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X, events that profoundly shaped the social and political landscape.
These transformative events significantly influenced the consumerism and fashion trends of the 1960s. The decade witnessed sartorial revolutions, most notably the Peacock Revolution. This bold approach to fashion was characterized by vibrant colors, large patterns, and unconventional styles, allowing men to express their individuality and artistic flair through clothing. Traditional dress conventions were challenged, and artists like David Bowie blurred the lines between menswear and womenswear.
As the 1960s progressed, a single standard of dress faded away. People increasingly wore what they wanted, embracing formality, informality, trendiness, tradition, conservatism, or unconventionality – a true melting pot of styles.
Fashion Fads and Subcultures of the 1960s
While we focus on classic menswear, it’s important to acknowledge the diverse fashion subcultures that thrived in the 1960s.
Mod Style: Sharp and Stylish
The Mod style, short for “modernist,” gained immense popularity, particularly fueled by the influence of The Beatles. Emerging from the Teddy Boy styles of the 1950s, Mod fashion emphasized Italian-style tailoring.
Mod suits featured jackets that were somewhat boxy but paired with significantly tighter-fitting trousers. The Mod philosophy wasn’t about rejecting tailoring but rather embracing and personalizing it. Bold colors and patterns, polo shirts, turtlenecks, and distinctive collar styles like spear point and tab collars were hallmarks of this look. Fabric-covered buttons and higher-necked, double-breasted jackets were also favored. The ultimate Mod accessory? A Vespa scooter, adorned with lights and mirrors.
Bohemian/Flower Power: Free and Flowing
In stark contrast to the sharp Mod aesthetic, the Bohemian or Flower Power movement championed a relaxed, eclectic, and carefree style. This was the uniform of the non-conformist, a rejection of mainstream fashion.
Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison were prominent figures in this movement. Bohemian fashion embraced individuality and artistic expression, often featuring floral patterns, loose silhouettes, and a rejection of traditional norms.
Greasers: Rock and Roll Rebels
Greasers, a subculture carried over from the 1950s, also known as “Rockers” in the UK, maintained their rebellious image. They were associated with rock and roll music and motorcycle culture, sporting clothing like T-shirts, leather jackets, blue jeans, boots, and Converse sneakers.
Skins: Working-Class Style
The 1960s saw the emergence of skinheads, or “skins,” a subculture originating in working-class London neighborhoods. Initially called “hard mods,” they evolved from the mod movement, known for their practicality and rough-edged style.
Skins typically wore Doc Martens boots, jeans with braces or suspenders, and button-down shirts. Shaved heads, a defining characteristic, were practical for manual labor jobs and street fights. It’s crucial to distinguish these 1960s skins from later skinhead movements associated with neo-Nazism.
Space Age: Futuristic Fashion
Reflecting the era’s fascination with space exploration, Space Age fashion emerged. This futuristic style incorporated modern materials, geometric shapes, and often had a unisex appeal.
1960s Classic Menswear: Evolving Traditions
Focusing on classic menswear, we explore what the average man wore in the 1960s, navigating the evolving landscape of style.
Hair & Facial Hair: Length and Experimentation
Hairstyles in the early 1960s were relatively traditional, echoing 1950s styles, as depicted in shows like Mad Men. However, the Peacock Revolution brought about longer, more voluminous hairstyles, often bowl-shaped.
Facial hair trends leaned towards clean-shaven looks, with occasional beards or longer sideburns gaining traction as the decade progressed, reflecting the growing spirit of individuality.
Hats: Declining Popularity, Evolving Styles
Hat-wearing declined in the 1960s as hairstyles became a form of self-expression. JFK’s hatless inauguration speech symbolized this shift.
While less common, hats were still worn. Fedoras and trilbies remained dominant but evolved with smaller brims and shallower crowns. To appeal to younger generations, hats were produced in diverse fabrics, colors, and patterns like tweeds, cottons, and even suede and leather.
Trilby brims became significantly smaller and more angled, sometimes resulting in a mass-produced aesthetic. Headbands and scarves also emerged as alternative headwear, particularly within the beatnik and hippie subcultures.
Shirts: Bold Colors and Patterns
Shirts in the 1960s were characterized by an explosion of vibrant colors and patterns, a departure from previous decades. Stripes, polka dots, checks, paisley, and even animal prints became commonplace.
Solid block colors were also trendy, with men often coordinating shirts with other outfit elements. Fitted and tight-fitting shirts were popular, and collar styles ranged from small point collars to exaggeratedly large ones.
For business settings, shirts remained more conservative, often in pastel shades with subtle stripes or checks. Turtleneck sweaters paired with jackets also gained popularity as a stylish alternative to traditional shirts.
Suits: Conservative Yet Evolving
Despite the psychedelic trends, business suits in the 1960s remained surprisingly conservative, drawing inspiration from late 1950s styles. Shoulder pads slimmed down, but the overall silhouette remained structured.
Early 1960s suits featured three-button jackets with rounded quarters and a high gorge, influenced by Italian tailoring. British-inspired styles with wider fits and country patterns gained traction by mid-decade, reflecting the Anglophilia of the time. Shorter, Italian-style jackets, known as “bum freezers,” also became fashionable. Blazers and slacks increasingly replaced two-piece suits in business-casual settings, often featuring bold patterns and gold buttons.
The Peacock Revolution significantly impacted suit styles, especially for younger men. Traditional masculinity was challenged, leading to unisex styles, gender-blurring garments, and unconventional materials like velvet and frills. Boutiques in London, like Mr. Fish and Blades, blended classic tailoring with global influences, creating unique garments. Silk and velvet trousers and jackets, rainbow stripes, zip-up jackets, collarless jackets, leather jackets, and Nehru jackets became part of the fashion landscape.
By the late 1960s, a growing ethical awareness and anti-consumerist sentiment emerged, fueled by the Vietnam War and social unrest. This led to renewed interest in vintage fashion, emphasizing sustainability and individuality. The late 60s marked the beginning of the vintage fashion movement, with Victorian-inspired styles experiencing a revival.
Pants: Slim Fits and Bell Bottoms
Trousers in the 1960s were known for their tight fit, particularly in the hips and thighs. Pleats fell out of favor due to this slim silhouette. Bell bottoms, flared from the knee down, emerged in the mid-to-late 60s, becoming increasingly popular.
A significant shift was the lowering of the trouser waistline, inspired by the casual style of jeans. Trousers began to sit at the hips rather than the natural waist, a trend that continues today.
Suit trousers also lowered, settling around belly button height. Belts became more common than suspenders, though side adjusters remained a stylish choice. Trousers, like jackets, embraced bold colors and patterns, particularly for casual wear.
Ties: Skinny to Wide and Wild
Ties in the early 1960s were very skinny, often knitted, and came in pastel shades and subtle patterns, reflecting the Mod aesthetic and carrying over from late 1950s trends.
Most ties in the 1960s were tipped and lined, often made of polyester due to cheaper production methods. The Peacock Revolution dramatically impacted ties, leading to wider styles and an explosion of bold colors, patterns, and designs, thanks to new fabric printing techniques.
With open shirt collars becoming more common, scarves and day cravats (ascots) experienced a resurgence in popularity. Scarves were sometimes paired with neck rings, reviving a 19th-century fashion trend.
Shoes: Chelsea Boots and Cuban Heels
The 1960s witnessed the revival of the Chelsea boot, originally created in 1837. These elastic-sided boots experienced a major resurgence, particularly popularized by The Beatles.
Chelsea boots became arguably the most significant shoe style of the decade, especially among Mods. The “Chelsea set,” a group of artists and socialites in West London, contributed to the boot’s popularity and new name.
Another footwear trend was the Cuban heel, a straight, medium-height heel that appears taller on men’s shoes. Cuban heels, with historical roots in riding and Victorian fashion, gained modern prominence through Latin American dancers and were further popularized by The Beatles.
The Beatles commissioned Chelsea boots with Cuban heels, creating the iconic “Beatle boot” style that swept the fashion world. Other notable shoe styles of the 1960s included monk straps, suede shoes, sneakers, cowboy boots, and tassel loafers.
Conclusion: A Decade of Diverse Styles
The 1960s, following the 1950s, was a decade defined by subcultures, youthful rebellion, and diverse fashion ideals. The Peacock Revolution unleashed many bold styles, but classic menswear also evolved, adapting to the changing times.
While paisley trousers and velvet jackets represented the extremes, many men navigated a spectrum of styles, blending classic and contemporary elements in their wardrobes, creating a truly revolutionary decade for mens fashion.
