Fashiondali: June 2012

The London Look through the past 6 decades by nicola-rothery

In honour of HM Queen Elizabeth II and earlier this week marking her 60 years on the throne, I thought I'd explore British fashion during her reign (1952 until 2012) as well as some of the fashion seen during the Diamond Jubliee celebrations!

Queen Elizabeth II took to the throne in 1952, meaning she reigned through the fashion of the 1950's in Great Britain. The 1950's were still a period of time in which fashion was quite conservative. Women tended to wear longer dresses and skirts that cinched slightly at the waist and men wore wool suits such as the one below.

During the 1960's in Britain, there was a slight shift away from the conservativeness of the '50s with the emergence of the Beatles and rock & roll. Women's dresses and skirts became shorter (i.e. the mini skirt) and the idea of 'mod' came into effect. Simple and geometric patterns became popular and brighter colours were embraced compared to the colour palette of the '50s.

In the 1970's, British fashion took yet another turn and as a continuation of the experimental '60s, bright colours mixed with floral and mixed patterns became popular. Bell bottom flared jeans and long flowing skirts and dresses (often associated with the "Hippies") graced London lounges and discos. During the later part of the 1970's, punk culture inspired fashion which then led into the 1980's. Doc Martens, acid wash jeans, and drainpipe cut trousers were popular wardrobe pieces.

Finally the 1990's and leading into the 2000's found elements of the 70s and 80's with a modern twist. Tracksuits became popular and flared trousers had a slight revival (1998-2006) before the skinny jean made its stay around 2007/2008 (up until today in 2012). While the 1990's were all about denim, the 2000's are seeing the comeback of 50's & 60's inspired dresses.