1960's - The Summer of Love

by Megan Bang on Jul 03, 2020

Besides the mod movement and space-age fashion, a definitive fashion trend of the 1960s was the hippie fashion revolution. A strong melding of youth, anti-‘the man’ and drug culture all came together to craft a fashion with style rules as free as their mindsets. The summer of love itself refers to 1967, where students and beatniks in the Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood of San Francisco peacefully rebelled against the Vietnam War and the structured lifestyles of previous generations. This epicentre of the movement was known for open drug use, sexuality, communal mindsets, art creation and counter-cultural attitudes.

Music played a huge part in this movement. Music festivals of the time (Woodstock anyone?) were gathering places for free love and romantic dressing. Pieces took on the bohemian style of natural textiles and prints. The flared jeans and tie-dye were also in full effect (groovy). These styles are highly recognisable as they influenced what is typical music festival fashion today.

The formal summer of love ended at the conclusion of that summer (naturally). Most of the students that originally flocked to the area returned to schooling and those who were left held a funeral for the ‘Death of the Hippie’. However, the movement did not end in San Francisco. This phenomenon spread throughout the United States and internationally. More music festivals and counter-culture events followed for the remaining years of the 1960s and early 1970s. The styles continue to influence youth culture today in the spirit of self-empowerment and freedom.

Here are HULA’s picks for embodying your inner free-love:

Mini Dresses

The A-line mini-dress is the quintessential silhouette from the 1960s, especially in a pop colour. Many sported the racey and short hemline that was sometimes worn with coloured tights and knee high boots.


Theory	Celine	Valentino

Lanvin	Celine	Shanghai Tang

Walter Steiger	Celine	Lanvin

The Sporty Mini

The mini skirt is a must for capturing the 60's vibe; mostly printed, in a pop colour, or leather. The 60's was the beginning of independence for women, even if the style was still feminine. This was a look for the girl-on-the-go, sporting a tight tank top and flat pointed shoes.


No.21	DKNY	Celine

Carven	Roger Vivier	Wolford

Jourden	Stella McCartney	Hermes

Flower Power

Say it with flowers and more flowers! Flowers were worn by both men and women to depict a deep connection with the earth, growth and love. It was a sign of shunning materialism. Pieces were floaty, whimsicle and sheer and even better if the prints clashed. Worn with flat lace-ups and plenty of costume jewellery.


For Love & Lemons	Tory Burch	Isabel Marant

Isabel Marant	Maddalena Marconi	Lineapelle

Oscar De La Renta	Chanel	Lanvin

Peasant Look

Peasant dressing became exceptionally popular around this time for their romantic appearance and youthful energy. Most garments of this time were DIY-ed, hand embriodered and laced-up, plus these peasant style dresses were fairly simple to craft, so they were in every Sears cataloge.


Sea New York	Chloe	Zimmermann

Maison Michel	Mochi	Dodo Bar Or

Celine	Altuzarra	Hermes

Boheme Dream

Not all garments from the 1960s were full of bright colours. Natural tones were also enacted as to match the textiles of linen, suede and wool. These garments were often detailed with fringe or other home-made fastenings. This look truly emits the feeling of mother earth.