The Supremes and quickly adopt the “mod” fashions that the Brits brought over. From there, people start perfecting the miniskirt with odd fabrics such as vinyl and wild optical prints. To end the decade, long skirts, long hair, no shoes...and often no clothes at all become the trend. Ya gotta love those hippies…Pass me that doobie, man.
this is the first notable occurrence of young people starting to emulate their music idols such Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. Television becomes popular, thus giving mass audiences of impressionable teens up-close and intimate views of their favorite musicians’ styles. I got chills… they’re multiplyin’! With the advances in television coverage and the ever-growing population of young people looking for a role model, music and fashion quickly go from waltz speed to techno speed. As early as the 1960s we see a splintering in the types of music and fashion that young people are emulating. For instance, the British Invasion throws a giant wrench into the mainstream machine that is the baby boomer population within the US. Kids start the decade wearing the beehive hairdos from the late 50s
Watch your step and mind those platform shoes as we step toward the back of the closet. The 1970s are not called “the decade that fashion forgot” for nothing. All I can say is thank God for Debbie Harry, Johnny Rotten, and David Bowie. These pioneering artists of Punk and Glam Rock may just be the saving graces of 70s music and fashion in an otherwise earth-toned, oversized-collar blah of a decade. Strap on your glittery glove as we enter our final section of the closet. The 1980s embody everything that new-age media represents. MTV should be almost solely credited for every popular trend that lives and dies during this decade. In the 80s if you are into music or fashion, you are watching MTV. During the decade we are blasted with music that is all over the board. Punk, hair metal, rap, heavy metal, new wave, pop, and country music bombard us from all sides. All of which (thanks to MTV) make their impressions felt in the 80s fashion trends. Notable influences are Madonna, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks, and Run-D.M.C. to name only a few. We could keep digging through these racks for days and uncover many more memorable…and forgettable fashions all spawned, or heavily influenced by music. However, bad personal wardrobe memories, the stench of moth balls, and a rather lengthy conversation with the ghost of Kurt Cobain have given me all the reason I need to get the hell outta this closet. And I’m keeping that flannel, Kurt.
-JH
David Bowie
Kurt Cobain