Jean Shrimpton in an Italian Vogue edition from 1962
At the end of the shows I was busy compiling my trend report as usual when the 60's trend came up on my radar. It was done best at the Parisian House of Rochas, designed by Marco Zanini, but Balenciaga, Prada and Giles had a go too. It got me to wondering what exact moment of the 1960's had inspired the look, and mulled over who the muse might be. Jean Shrimpton? Jackie Kennedy? Brigitte Bardot? None of them felt right and I couldn't pin it down. It's here I have to hand it to the British High Street design teams and buyers. They know how to spin a trend and give it the shape they want for their customer base. On the way they sometimes manage make a trend ten times better than it seemed on the catwalk.
The 60's trend is a case in point. My Eureka moment hit at Urban Outfitters when I became enthralled by their Cambridge Satchel link-up (below), the shearling lined hiking bootees, the Harris tweed satchel collaboration, and the cute way they paired flecky grandad cardigans, plaid shirts, kilts, and yet more satchels. It was then I knew who the muse was for this whole darn trend... here she is...
Carey Mulligan just before she meets her man in An Education, set in 1962
Cambridge Satchel
Urban Outfitters gets inspiration from Carey Mulligan in An Education and the English university style of the early 60's
New Look AW10
TopShop AW10
Lynn Barber: the real thing. I LOVE this book.
Of course, the film is set in 1962. Turns out this is the same year Tom Ford's film A Single Man is set. This put me on a trail for other significant cultural events from 1962 and following a a sixty minute journey through the Web I feel totally inspired.
Don't so many guys have this look today? Julieanne Moore could make each Rochas AW10 look her own.
A FEW THINGS OTHER THINGS ABOUT 1962:
YSL launches
The beautiful Yves Saint Laurent in 1962
Bob Dylan first album
These photgraphs are taken:
