By the Johnson County Museum
A new special exhibition just opened at the Johnson County Museum! Titled “Free to Be… A 1960s Fashion Revolution,” the exhibit was created in partnership with the Johnson County Community College’s Fashion Merchandising and Design Department and their historic fashion collection. It explores women’s changing fashion in the 1960s and highlights four big fashion themes. Read on to learn more about this colorful, groovy exhibit!
Fashion in the ‘60s
The 1960s was a decade of great change in the United States. After the relative conformity and cohesion of the 1950s, few things seemed clearly defined in the 1960s and nearly everything was in flux. This era of changing feelings and altered perceptions led to an array of new trends in women’s fashion. Women’s clothing fell along a design spectrum, from conservative and traditional to modern and unconventional. While many women in suburban Johnson County and around the nation clung to more traditional norms, others embraced the changes of the 1960s. They expressed themselves through color, pattern, shape, and style in completely new – and sometimes jarring – ways.
In this exhibit, we have identified four dominant themes that emerged in ‘60s fashion: The Socialites, The Professionals, The Modernists, and The Naturalists. Each theme represents a major trend in fashion, a change in women’s experiences, and a response to the historical movements of the decade. Taken together, they show how fashion became a powerful form of self-expression for women, signaling what they valued, who they were, and what they wanted America to be.
- The Socialites
In many ways, The Socialites’ style was a continuation of 1950s designer fashion, but with some distinct changes that pushed traditional elegance in new and different directions. Suburban women of means wore beaded gowns and long coats to dinners and galas. The style of 1960s couture clothing was conservative, expensive, and – while not necessarily one-of-a-kind – generally handmade in small batches for small boutiques. New designers like Cristobol Balenciaga and Hubert de Givenchy, as well as an updated color palette and subtle changes in shape, influenced this category of fashion. Picture actress Audrey Hepburn and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who adored Givenchy, and you have your image of The Socialites.
- The Professionals
The Professionals’ clothing uses wool in houndstooth and other patterns to bring a classic touch, while the color palette screams 1960s. These understated outfits are ready for a 1960s office setting.
Women joined the workforce in increasing numbers during the 1960s. For some women it was an economic necessity; for others, a choice; and for others still, a political statement. The style of The Professionals offered women in different types of employment, and with different career goals, the opportunity to shed their day dresses and present themselves in an understated way. Designers created new options for women during the 1960s – including, somewhat controversially at first, pants, and in 1966, women’s pant suits from Parisian designer Yves Saint Laurent. Importantly, the decade also offered more clothing at more price points. While options varied based on location and income, more affordable and accessible fashions for working women became available in department stores across the nation.
- The Modernists
Outfits in The Modernist style are Space Age-inspired and futuristic. New cuts, new fabrics, and new designer ideas informed this style – all that is missing is a pair of go-go boots.
The Space Age of the 1960s inspired an endless array of fiction books, movies, and fashion trends. The Modernist look featured flamboyant, colorful, wacky, and futuristic themes and designs. Material was often key to giving clothing a modern and otherworldly look or feel, including the incorporation of new synthetic fabrics and plastics. Art movements of the decade – including the Pop Art and Op Art movements – inspired designs such as Mondrian dresses and dramatic uses of black and white patterns.
- The Naturalists
There was perhaps no style more iconic of the 1960s than The Naturalist look. Hippies were the most dominant counterculture movement of the decade, but The Naturalist style also included the DIY-Craft movement (do-it-yourself patching and altering) to make totally unique pieces. While much of The Naturalist movement was about creating the piece or assembling the look oneself, the popularity of the style led designers to mimic it in pieces available in department stores by the end of the decade, known as “Hippie Chic.” Eastern influences, natural fibers, animal prints, and of course, tie dye, made this style.
Plan Your Visit
Fashion in the 1960s was as divisive as the decade itself. Whether women identified with The Socialites, The Professionals, The Modernists, or The Naturalists, they wore the decade’s changes as their clothing. The biggest legacy of the decade’s fashion was individual expression, a major change from the conformity of the 1950s. Although styles have ebbed and flowed since the 1960s, that individuality and sense of personal style is still at the heart of American fashion today.
Don’t miss this new exhibit! “Free to Be… A 1960s Fashion Revolution,” is included in regular admission. The museum is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This summer, there are some special opportunities to view this exhibit. The museum is participating in Sunflower Summer through Aug. 11, and in Blue Star Museums through Sept. 2. Go to JCPRD.com/museum to learn more and to plan your visit today!
