Retro Fabric
From 1960 onward synthetics dominated the textile field. With each
succeeding decade a new generation of man-made fibres would appear with
advanced technological improvements in spinning, weaving, dying and
finishing. Patterns became more daring, bold floral and geometric
prints. The Baby doll dresses of 1966 were full and flared into tent
shapes mostly with cutaway armholes or/and a halter neck. They
were made of transparent tulles, lace or chiffons plain or tree bark
mounted. Black and white was a sixties combination and was used in op
art dresses and block pieced dresses worked in Mondrian style.
Ironically by the late 70’s few would even know how to sew as most
schools had discontinued home economics courses by then, but women
chose who they wanted to be and if they felt like wearing a short mini
skirt one day and a maxi dress, midi skirt or hot pants the next day
that's what they did. For evening women often wore full length maxi
dresses or evening trousers or glamorous halter neck catsuits. Some of
the dresses oozed Motown glamour, others less so.
The Hippies of the sixties had brought with them clothes from other
ethnic groupings which had often never even been seen before. Nehru
jackets and loose flowing robes from hot countries made their way to
world cities and permeated down to mainstream fashion, helped of course
by designers like Yves St Laurent. From the mid to late 70s, caftans,
kaftans, kimonos, muumuus, djellaba (a Moroccan robe with a pointed
hood) or jalabiya (a loose eastern robe) and other styles from every
part of the Indian sub continent and Africa were translated into at
home style robes and comfort wear. They were worked in every fabric
imaginable, but were especially suited as glamour dressing. Despite the
fact that synthetic fabrics were used in many items of clothing there
was still a great following for natural fibres. Cotton velvet and
cotton corduroy in particular were worn at all hours of the day by both
sexes, and many of the more lurid flower power prints were cotton based.
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