Italian fashion from the ‘60s to

the 90s

The 60sIn the '60s lots of things changed in Italy: these are the years of social protest and a new industrial revival. Clothes started to become important as a manifestation of their time. New models were created to dress women elegantly and cheaply all over the world. This brought to the affirmation of the international "made in Italy", with the triumphant prêt-à-porter (presized clothing ready to wear) of the seventies and eighties and the designation of Milan as the pole of attraction for the fashion world.

The legendary sixties are still a reference for contemporary fashion: the 60s were marked by the miniskirt, the Beatles, high boots just above the knee, blue jeans.

THE MINISKIRTThe ‘60s were famous especially for the miniskirt.

Its appearance in 1965 responded to the growing needs for adolescents and young people to express themselves freely, and it caused a sensation: legs had never been so exposed! The mini was immediately considered indecent and many

people expressed their indignation but lots of women continued to wear it.

THE TRANSPARENT LOOKMini skirts and bare waists soon paved the way to

transparency, which was helped by the use of new materials like plastic and synthetic fibers.

ART BECOMES FASHIONIn the 60s the boundaries between art and fashion became

confused.Artists like Christo, of Bulgarian origin, and the American Mimi

Smith created clothes as if they were works of art.The op art (or optical art) became an important fashion trend

both on canvas and on fabric: the clever use of shapes such as circles, squares and spirals gave the illusion of movement.

HAIR STYLE in the 60sIn the '60s the volume of backcombing undoubtedly reached its

climax, often supported by huge quantities of hair spray.

The ‘70sBorn from the innovative ideas that spread in the late sixties, fashion in the seventies took the form of a real movement. The Hippies wore loose shirts and long transparent tunics,

flared trousers, bright colours, gaudy flowers, jewellery of all types and exotic garments. Hair became more and more a

tangle of unkempt curls. This new ragged look, clearly beyond the official fashion, became a real symbol of freedom.

In these years also the feminist movement was identified with long skirts, clogs and clothes bought for very little money at

flea markets.

Elio Fiorucci was the first in Italy to understand and take advantage of this fashion made of rags. In a few years in Milan

he created a large store-bazaar, where you could find everything from badly finished clothes to dangerous and wedge-heeled shoes, sweatshirts, jeans and very colorful gadgets. He was responsible of the introduction of stretch fabric in fashion, which allowed him to invent tight-fitting

clothing suitable for the disco-dance. Among the innovations, just at the very beginning of the 70s, there were the Hot Pants, a kind of shorts much shorter than

skirts that left the legs entirely uncovered.

HAIR STYLE in the 70s

As far as hair style is concerned, people continued to backcomb their hair although they opted for more natural curls. Often, flowers, ribbons and small bands were used to look prettier. Men had short or long hair according to their political ideas. It’s important to remember that middle-aged and old people rarely changed their style.

The 80sIn the eighties fashion designers redefined their profession

and their roles in the world of fashion. The fashion of the eighties was characterized by the worship

of success and efficiency together with the birth of lots of important maisons.

In order to have a complete picture, it’s also important to mention the unruly punks and other groups of urban youth

culture who had their own transgressive style.In the ‘80s fitness became very trendy and popular so that

casual clothing was created from sportswear.Fashion was also linked to political ideas: the teenagers who, first in Milan then all over Italy, wore designer jeans, Ray Ban sunglasses, Timberland shoes, were later defined "paninari" and considered politically right-winged. People belonging to

the left wing used torn jeans, wore sunglasses bought for little money, baggy shirts and sweaters, and bags made of leather .

In this period Italian fashion became international. The success of the so-called Made in Italy was also due to skillful marketing strategies. Milan snatched the palm of the fashion from capitals like Turin, Florence and Rome. Giorgio Armani, Missoni, Gianfranco Ferre, Gianni Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Krizia became worldwide famous. D & G's success was due to the pop star Madonna, so enthusiastic about their shabby chic clothes, black stockings and underwear to show. The ideal of feminine beauty was inspired by the sporty woman, slender, muscular and ambitious, successful both in the private and the public, thanks to the fact that she is always dressed appropriately. Madonna personified this model.

HAIR STYLE in the 80SAs for the hair-style, permanent wave spread among women to increase the volume of their hair, but backcombing and voluminous hairdos were still very fashionable.

The ‘90sDuring the 90s revolutionary changes took place: a much wider range of styles became available. Magazines not only suggested the dominant trend for the following season but also emphasized the variety of themes, shapes and materials proposed by the designers. It’s also important to underline the fact thanks to the Internet every fashion group created its own website in order to show their collections and sell directly on line.In the ‘90s fashion resumed the '60s and '70s styles (skirts, flared trousers, hippy clothing, wedged-heeled shoes and punk style). There was a growing number of new trends, from cyberpunk to eco-fashion, from ethnic to grunge style.

Punk Fashion

Ethnic Fashion

Grunge Fashion

To analyze the fashion of the 90s we’ll show you some pictures of the most popular TV series broadcast in those years (Beverly Hills 90210 and Friends) and a famous female group (The Spice Girls) that describe in a perfect way the fashion and the hair style of the time.

Beverly Hills 90210

Friends

Spice Girls

Hair Style in the ’90

The tendency in these years was to create a very natural style.

End