Summer is here, well almost, and it's time to bring out those t-shirts of yours to celebrate the much-awaited spring and sunny season. It’s the stylish tees season! But if you find that your tees collection is anything but stylish and trendy, it's probably a good time to invest a bit on those t-shirts that’ll not only make a bold statement when worn over a great pair of jeans, leggings, or mini skirt, but will set you apart from the general t-shirt tribe.
Chic Lace T-Shirts
After all, tees are not just meant to be worn for household chores or for dashing down to the grocery store, they are also meant to be worn to parties, events, clubs; you name it, there is always one that fits the occasion.
From boat neck styles to patchwork patterns, lace to animal prints and the popular pierced designs, there is one that will certainly ‘strike your fancy’. And whether you are just window shopping or seeking something chic and sexy to buy, these t-shirts’ are really in, as in trending!
It doesn’t matter if you are on a shoe-string budget, or have plenty to spend, browse around a bit if you have time to spare. It’s highly probable that you’ll love what you see. And . . . There are diverse styles to suit every woman’s taste; plain, elegant, chic, sexy, or vintage.
You probably remember them; the great fashion designers of the 1960s.
If you are a baby boomer, those were your teenage years and many of you certainly have a tinge of nostalgia for the swinging sixties . . . the era of kohl-rimmed eyes and false lengthy lashes; micro-mini dresses, space-age suits, and shiny patent boots; fashionable stuff that defined the face and style of the times.
They were great fashion designers of their time and so influential in the fashion scene that they easily 'called the shots' in style….
The fashion of the 1960s centred more on London and not Paris as some might believe. It was a new look, a total deviation from the fifties style of dressing. It was further divided into several sub-cultural trends, prominent among whichever the other styles can be are these three:
Mods – modern chic look in dramatic urban styles
Hippie – a generally unisex look, flowing clothing, tie & dye fabrics, lots of flowery prints
Biba looks – floppy hats, clothing with Gothic tones, a lean towards 20’s style; very dark eye, nail, and lip make-up.
Key fashionistas of the sixties include:
Twiggy
Mary Quant
Jackie Kennedy
Brigitte Bardot
Nancy Sinatra
Edie Sedgewick
Jean Shrimpton
Famous and Sought After Fashion Designers
1. Biba Founded by Barbara Hulanicki, in the 1960s, Biba lines (which eventually included makeup) were aimed at teenagers mostly and consisted of what we may refer to as today’s high-street fashion. Her colour palette was "muddied colours of brown, sepia, grey and plum" . . . dark but rich.
Biba's "swinging London look" were affordable couture recreation and include the following styles:
Mini-skirts
Long tight sleeves
Maxi skirts
Catsuits
Gingham print dresses
Triangular headscarves
Swanky wellies
Today, if you find an authentic Biba dress, it may sell for as much as $1000
Brighton Museum and Art Gallery celebrates BIBA
2. Givenchy Though he rose to fame in the 50s Givenchy’s fashion creations and elegant styles still reverberate in today’s scene.
This fashion designer's creations were so refined; it helped to define the 1960s refined style of the chic and sophisticated dressing of movie stars. We all remember the elegant Audrey Hepburn . . . She was mostly dressed in Givenchy's clothing whether on or off-screen.
Givenchy's most famed designs includeAudrey Hepburn’s style, The Little Black Dress, which she wore in the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany’s".
3. André Courrèges Courrèges was a French fashion designer who made his 'debut' in the Parisian fashion world of the 1960s with his futuristic, youthful but "high fashion label".
His fashion creations include:
A triangle-shaped shift dress that was THE defining silhouette of the 1960s
Well cut pants
Halter tops
Short skirts
Hip-hugger pants
Sequined jumpsuits
White mid-calf boots
Vinyl-trimmed coats and suits
Cigarette pantsuit
It is claimed that he is the designer that created the mini skirt. Authentic Courrèges pricey high fashion creations are difficult to find today, but cheaper copies of his works may be found if you can ‘wade’ through vintage clothing hunts.
4. Pierre Cardin The originator of the fifties bubble dresses, Pierre Cardin is a very famous 60s fashion designer who created innovative, contemporary designs that bordered on the unusual and futuristic.
It was he who embraced the use of hammered metal jewellery, industrial zippers, and plastics in his creations. His famous styles include:
Thigh-high boots
Collarless jackets
Bright-coloured mini-shift dresses
The unisex cosmos suit
Skinny double-breasted suits
Slim trousers
Space-age designs
5. Yves Saint Laurent
Yves Saint Laurent, an influential fashion designer from Algeria, has had a great impact on the European fashion industry right from the early 60s till date, and it’s not uncommon to find that celebrities and models still gush over his designs even though he passed on from brain cancer in 2008.
YSL contributed to many of the sixties fashion trends. Some of his most popular clothing styles include:
Mondrian shift dress
Peacoat
Safari jacket
Women tuxedos
Blazers
Sheer blouses
Jumpsuit
Women smoking jackets
Photographic Original Press – Yves Saint Laurent 1960s
6. Emilio Pucci
This list will be incomplete without the mention of Pucci, "The Prince of Print" whose designs were mostly recognized for his trademark “psychedelic look” - electric colours, bold geometric prints, and 'clean' racy cuts.
Pucci contributed to the '60s trends like no other. Fashionable women and important personalities Jackie Kennedy and Sophia Loren wore his styles and a great fan of his clothing line, Marilyn Monroe, was even buried in one of his clothes.
His popular designs include:
Palazzo pantsuits
Silk headscarves
Body-hugging mini-skirts
Silk jersey clothing
Psychedelic 'op-art' tights – a form of printed leggings
Cropped Capri Pants
Poplin shirts
Space-age-inspired air hostess uniforms
7. Mary Quant
No, Mary Quant didn’t invent the "mini" as many vintage fashion enthusiasts tend to believe. Rather, she gave the style its name by popularizing it in the 60s!
Many of us have the Quant look 'embedded in our minds. The silhouette ensconced in a mini skirt or a mini shift dress; patent boots, coloured opaque tights, a bob style haircut, prominent and dark eye makeup and false lashes.
To replicate the Mary Quant look today is a breeze and you'll find a good number of fashionistas adopting the 1960s "quintessential" Mary Quant style. Her designs were pricey and many a woman found them unaffordable. Nonetheless, she was regarded as one of "London’s swinging" groups.
Her designs include the following:
Star style
Colourful raincoats
Boots with detachable tops
Mix and match separates
Tight mini-skirts
Hot pants
Lounging pyjamas
Dresses/Skirts with matching colourful tights
1967 Mary Quant fashion show
Finding an original Mary Quant outfit outside of the UK would be like searching for a needle in the haystack, but replication can be achieved by looking out for the right pieces to create the perfect ensemble.
21st Century Interpretations of 60s Fashion Designs
Today, finding these famous fashion designers' originals is certainly difficult, judging by the fact that they 'styled' and set the trends for many of us fashion-conscious youths over half a century ago.
However, it is so good to know that interpretations of their designs are easy to spot in most boutiques, malls, and high street shops . . . That is if you know what to look out for.
