The 'London Look' through the past 6 decades

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.

At the Diamond Jubilee (June 2012):

And just to feel patriotic:

Nicola

**Images from Polyvore include:

Colorblock sweater, $40
Mango cotton coat, £64
Checkered suit, $8
1970's Red And Blue Equestrian Print Dress
Vintage style jeans
1960's Ivory Crochet Mod Boho Dress
1970's Granny Square Hat, Poncho, Scarf Vintage Crochet Patterns GS6, $5
Blackbird Vintage 1980s Gripper Steel Toe Boot, $175
Vintage 1980s studded blue denim rocker jean jacket batwing sleeves..., $59
Vintage Flag, United Kingdom, $999

**Images also from the Museum of London

Beach Bum

 

Following my Memorial Day Weekend beach trip, I am definitely missing the sand, waves, and endless cocktails by the pool and being back at work is proving to be very difficult. I thought I'd post some fun beach pieces while also trying out this new 'program' or 'tool,' if you will, that allows me to create boards of pieces that fit a theme or a style that I like. So far I'm really enjoying this new-found program but I know I have a lot to learn! Anyways, back to my beach-inspired pieces! Neon was EVERYWHERE this year at Dewey Beach, Delaware so I've included a neon colour block beach bag. I've written about floppy hats previously so I also included a fun coloured floppy sun hat. This year on my trip, I sported printed crop tops or loose-fitting tanks during the days and then light-weight sweaters during cooler evenings around the beach house. The denim shorts serve as a great staple and when packing for the beach, you want to pack light so denim shorts match with everything. Wedge sandals were popular this year at the beach, and in general, mainly due to their comfort for wearing out to beach clubs. Finally, I found a cool picture of vintage bathing suits. I really like this style of bathing suits and while it is definitely making a comeback this summer (see some of Victoria's Secret's bathing suit styles), I am too chicken to try it...I stuck to my traditional string tie bikinis but hey, Memorial Day Weekend only marks the start of summer and the beach season so hopefully I'll have more opportunities to try the style out!!

Nicola