Hippie

Fashion.

Today, the fashion world has once again discovered the
wonderful styles from the '60s. We've come full circle and clothes are
not the only part of hippiedom to resurface for the new millennium.
It's a symbol of the resurgence of hippie values in their culture.

In the '60s, without warning, hippies turned fashion
upside down and inside out. They brought a tsunami of new styles and
colors into fashion like never before. From the Haight-Ashbury to
London to Katmandu, the hippies took fashion on an eye-popping
psychedelic journey.

The fashion rule in the '60s was that there were no
rules. Anything went as long as it wasn't based on the drab,
conservative styles of the early '60s. I doubt if fashion designers
were able to keep up unless they dropped acid. The only thing they
seemed to be able to influence was the miniskirt. This is because many
of the hippie fashions were based on traditional designs from India,
Nepal, Central America, Bali and Morocco.

Many new fashions emanated from San Francisco and
London to some extent. The fashion leaders were the icons of our day.
Rock 'n roll stars like Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles appeared in public
and on record albums in all sorts of colorful costumes.

Of course your average hippie couldn't afford to shop
like a rock star. Our stores were less like Harrod's and more like the
Salvation Army. Nevertheless they were able to piece together something
from bits of cloth. It was easy to take an old pair of blue jeans,
holes and all, and just put some bright patches over the holes. If they
didn't fit, you could open the seams and insert a triangle of something
else, thus giving you flared bellbottoms. A cheap bandanna, an old
vest, some beads and you were the height of fashion.

The elements that went into the hippy wardrobe were
only limited by their psychedelic imaginations. Bellbottoms ruled the
day, from striped, to blue jeans to patchwork, to hip huggers, even
leather pants were popular. Tops ran the gamut from Nehru shirts, to
brightly colored African dashikis and Middle Eastern caftans, to halter
tops, tie dyes, and frilly, silky shirts for men! Women wore saris from
India and sarongs from Bali and Java. Velvet, leather, batik, denim,
Indian cotton and silk were all popular fabrics. Op art, paisleys and
psychedelic designs appeared on clothes, occasionally making themdizzy!
Footwear ranged from the basic sandal and Birkenstocks to zippered
boots, platforms and bright patent leather shoes. Peasant dresses, long
skirts and layering were also very popular.

Then there's that symbol of women's sexual freedom (or
slavery), the mini-skirt! It was designed by Mary Quant in 1965, and
was responsible for the huge surge in pantyhose sales. Along with
see-through blouses and braless breasts, it's no wonder there was a
sexual revolution.

Accessories included love beads, bandannas, leather
vests, jackets with frills, and granny glasses. Jewelry, especially if
made of silver from Mexico, India or Morocco was essential. Bangles,
rings, earrings, nose rings, and ankle bracelets were worn, especially
for parties or concerts. Necklaces were adorned with peace symbols,
raised fists, yin-yang symbols, and other eastern esoterica. Hats ran
the gamut from tall Jamiroquai numbers (John Phillips liked them) to
small head hugging Islamic numbers (Richie Havens). Fedora type hats
were usually decorated with feathers, beads or other colorful objects
(Hendrix & Dylan liked these).

It's amazing how many of these things have come back
into fashion over the years. At the moment we are witnessing a complete
resurgence thanks to so many movies like 'Austin Powers' and 'The
'60s'.

Let's not forget how they let their Free Flag fly!
Men's long hair was symbolic of their disdain for convention. Most
hippies just let it grow, perhaps trimming it once in a great while.
Blacks, both male and female wore Afros, using Afro piks (combs) to
tease their hair out to the max. Men grew long side burns, mustaches
and beards. Women stopped shaving their legs and underarms.

It must be added that no self-respecting hippie ever
wore a logo of some corporation. This was heretical to the hippy
movement. It's no wonder so many kids today, sick of having to conform
to corporate ideals of fashion have instead sought out the Hippy Brand®
of non-conformist, anti-establishment, revolutionary, laid back
sportswear! No logos, no commercials with sports figures, no
multi-million dollar endorsements, no hype. Just cheap, comfortable,
easily repaired, second-hand clothes to give you the look.

There was fashion for the nose as well. Scents filled
the air wherever hippies gathered, and it wasn't just marijuana.
Incense and perfume were standard accouterments of the day. The flower
children had to smell like flowers, with lavender, rose, gardenia, and
other floral scents. Patchouli was perhaps the most popular since it
helped mask the smell of pot. Sandalwood and musk were popular scents
for men.

At home, on college campuses, in crash pads, and on
communes hippies decorated their living space with every sort of poster
imaginable. These were large cheap and colorful and would cover much of
the wall space. Concert posters from the Fillmore, publicity posters or
album covers were the most popular. But some posters also made a
statement about the residents' political views. These included peace
and love posters, antiwar, black power, feminism, and posters that
protested just about everything. A lot of the posters were just art
from other periods, Beardsley and Maxfield Parrish were two very
popular artists. Tibetan mandalas and yantras were used for decoration
as well as meditation.

Most furnishings were imported and hippies fueled the
huge boom in imported goods. These included beaded curtains, large
floor pillows, bean bag chairs, wicker tables and chairs, brass from
India, statues of Indian gods like Shiva, Ganesha, or Buddha, Moroccan
carpets and kilims. Headshops and import stores like Pier One succeeded
thanks to hippies.

Prior to the hippies, most homes had maybe one dusty
plant in a corner. With the back to nature movement, hippies filled
their homes with life. Sometimes there were more plants inside than
outside, creating a sort of jungle, often with ferns, vines, and other
lush foliage dominating rooms. Hippies loved to paint their rooms in
bright colors and often added rainbows, stars, even murals on the
walls.

An essential part of any hippy household was the
stereo. Hippies bought the best sound systems they could afford. That
is because the music of the era was so important to them. They got
stoned to it, they danced, they partied, they meditated.

In the early sixties music went from monaural (mono) to
stereo which in itself was a psychedelic effect that everyone could
appreciate. Then there was quadrophonic (4 channel) sound. Things went
as far as quintophonic (5 discrete channels) which was popular in movie
theaters.

The typical hippy vehicle was a VW bus or van or bug.
Small campers and even schoolbuses were converted into living space for
one to a dozen people. These were often painted (they usually needed a
paint job badly) in bright colors and psychedelic patterns, which
sometimes included flowers, peace signs, mystical symbols, even
landscape paintings.

Food is an important part of every culture. Hippies
developed their own cuisine, a mishmash of Indian, American, middle
Eastern, Mexican, Italian and Asian with an emphasis on vegetarian.
Cheap meals are the rule with soups, fresh salads, a hearty main course
(with lots of vegetables) and a dessert. Organic produce, especially
from one's own garden is always preferred. Fresh fruit juices and
smoothies (usually with yogurt and fresh fruit - similar to Indian
Lassies, but improved upon by hippies) are great tasting, healthy
treats.

Hippies helped popularize Indian food, especially
curries and chapatis, dahl and basmati rice. Asian foods like tofu,
soybeans, tamari, rice crackers, miso and tempeh are now part of many
healthy American diets. They buy bulk foods like flour, grains, beans
and nuts, sold by the pound, not prepackaged and left on supermarket
shelves for years. Whole grain bakeries all over the country now offer
a variety of multigrain breads which are far tastier and healthier than
the traditional American white bread. Yogurt, kefir, goat milk, soy
milk are all non-traditional dairy products popularized by hippies.

Health food stores and cooperatives exist now in almost
every decent sized town and city in the U.S. This is directly a result
of the Hippy fondness for health, quality and freshness. Hippies helped
promulgate the laws that regulate organic produce found in many states
(California and Oregon are good examples). Organic farming is now
accepted as a regular practice across the country. Ironic isn't it,
since we've had to educate the brainwashed farmers of America about the
dangers of herbicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers and teach
them how to grow organically, the way it was done by their
grandfathers. People think hippies are unhealthy, yet we were
responsible for the health craze that swept the country in the '70s and
'80s.

Holistic medicine, with origins in Asia, Africa, India,
and native cultures around the world are studied, taught and practiced
by hippies. Some of these include herbalogy, homeopathy, acupuncture,
massage, reflexology, shiatsu, and ayurvedic medicine. Other things
hippies do to stay healthy on their own include hiking, Tai Chi, Yoga,
meditation, fasting, sweat lodges, hot springs and Sufi dancing.

Just the act of going barefoot is revolutionary for
most people. Shoes confine more than just our feet. Walking barefoot
puts you in direct touch with the world around you. You're more
sensitive and aware. Your more vulnerable, but more open.

Hippies, ever concerned about ecology, were the first
to promote biodegradable products, and the use of natural ingredients
in everything from fabrics to shampoo. They made sure that every
product ingested by Americans has a label indicating all its
ingredients. They boycotted those companies: whose products polluted
the environment; used animals for testing; were prowar or very
reactionary; or manufactured dangerous chemicals or weapons.

It must be said that in general most hippies were
anti-fashion. That is they rejected the corporate nature of the fashion
industry as well as the power of individuals to dictate the way others
should dress or conform to a set standard. The fashion industry was
seen as part of the Capitalist propaganda machine that kept us slaving
to consume the latest fashions. This is more true today than ever.

If it's not clothes, it's cars, toys, even our
lifestyles that are marketed to us by demographics. And with Internet
shopping they can track our every move. Many hail this as a great
innovation, and the ultimate direct marketing tool. But isn't it just a
more efficient way to keep us imprisoned in a consumer nightmare? Like
a glutton, they are fed more and more tasty morsels until we are so fat
with consumption that our lives serve no other purpose.

The hippies' rejection of prevailing fashion led them
to explore other cultures and in doing so they learned and adopted many
concepts and practices alien to Western society. Much of what they
pioneered is now an important part of popular culture and thinking.
Hippies influenced not only clothes but a wide range of ideas and
attitudes thus changing society in the process.