The Beatles Fashion and Style of the 1960s

The 1960’s was a decade of broad changes in fashion as well as culture. The early 60’s were influenced by a group of men, and later, women, who called themselves the Modernists. They liked jazz music and were known for wearing anoraks which were heavy hooded jackets, usually lined with fur. They wore tailored suits for formal wear and started the casual look of the bellbottom pants. The Modernists were in exact opposition with the Rockers, who preferred 1950’s rock-and-roll and still wore leather jackets.

In the mid 1960’s, the mini-skirt became very popular, influenced by Twiggy and other models. Jacqueline Kennedy was a tremendous influence on fashion, not just in the United States, but in England, as well. Her pill box hat became very popular in the United Kingdom.

Hair styles in the 1960’s ranged from bee-hive hairdos in women to long hair in men. The Beatles influenced hairstyles by starting the mop-top haircut, so named because it looked like a mop. The longer mop top issued forth the age of the hippie culture. Although the hippie movement started in the U.S., it spread to other parts of the world, including England where hippies made summer trips to Stonehenge and the music festivals there.

Part of the hippie culture was given to the drug scene and psychedelic rock was born. It was produced to go with LSD and other mind-altering drugs. Bands such as Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones experimented with psychedelic rock, as did the Beatles with their Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Today, you can see evidence of the hippie culture in some of our religious beliefs and sexual customs; and psychedelic rock paved the way for heavy metal.

The Beatles had a tremendous impact on rock-and-roll. Until they came along, the United States dominated that music genre. In the 1960’s, the Beatles changed all that for the United Kingdom. In fact, the Beatles had more influence on rock and roll world-wide than any other band in history, and they led the way for England to become a principal hub for rock and roll.