Women’s 1960s fashion was an extreme style and attitude from the start of the decade to the end.
In the early years the fashion idol was Jackie Kennedy with her perfectly white pearls and tailored suit dresses.
By the the middle of the decade supper model Twiggy had women freeing their minds and bodies into clothing that didn’t require any extra thought or effort.
Take a look back in time with these fashion trends from the 1960s…
Tight slacks and snug evening gowns show the range of costumes worn by twisters in 1961. David McLane/New York Daily News |
A mini-knit and a mini-jingle of plastic cutouts give a geometric twist to the Electric Circus discotheque at 23 St. Marks Place in New York City in 1967. William Quinn/New York Daily News |
Flower power! A fashion model wears a teeny, daisy-encrusted bikini in June 1968. Gunnar Larsen/New York Daily News |
Dressed up at the Carlyle Hotel (l.) or dressed down to bring John F. Kennedy Jr. to school in 1968 (r.), Jackie Kennedy was a vision in whatever she wore. Hal Mathewson/New York Daily News |
When in New York City in 1968, both Liz Taylor and Barbra Streisand were sure to show off their eclectic styles. Richard Corkery/New York Daily News |
English pop star Dusty Springfield sported poufed hair and a totally rad dress when arriving in New York City on Sept. 1, 1964. Tom Gallagher/New York Daily News |
French sex kitten Brigitte Bardot wears dark glasses and knee-high boots while she sits in a plane at Newark Airport before flying out to Hollywood. Hal Mathewson/New York Daily News |
Trendsetter and jetsetter Brigitte Bardot arrives at Kennedy Airport in New York City on July 31, 1966. The couple wore nearly matching stripes. Gene Kappock/New York Daily News |
Frank “Killer Joe” Piro, expert of discotheque dances, shows his partner, Kathleen Carroll, how to do the hitch-hiker. Piro was a dance instructor who popularized disco dancing in the 60s and 70s. New York Daily News |
A woman models a cheetah print bikini with laced-up sides at the New York State Pavilion of the World’s Fair, where tanners of upstate Fulton County threw an all-leather fashion show in 1965. Bill Meurer/New York Daily News |
Looking smart in a two-piece suit, Frank Sinatra gets hounded by photographers at JFK Airport as he returns from Europe in 1964. Joe Farrington/New York Daily News |
Penthouse magazine publisher Bob Guccione poses with two Penthouse Pets at the New York Hilton in 1968. Bryan Smith/New York Daily News |
French actress and fashion icon Catherine Deneuve arrives at JFK Airport in 1961. Is that a Hermes scarf, Ms. Deneuve? New York Daily News |
President John F. Kennedy sports a single breasted suit and a skinny tie in 1960 alongside Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Dan Farrell/New York Daily News |
Actress Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis take children Kelly, 5, and Jamie, 2, with them as they sail from the Hudson River pier on the liner Argentina in 1961. Tony was off to Argentina to make a film. Phil Greitzer/New York Daily News |
A woman inserts a dollar bill into a vending machine that sells men’s shorts for 97 cents at Macy’s department store on 34th Street. George Mattson/New York Daily News |
A young couple rings in summer, dancing the night away in the Hamptons in August 1964. The woman wears matching patterns from head to toe. Dan Farrell/New York Daily News |
For summer fun in 1964, stylish ladies set out to the Hamptons for beach parties. Dan Farrell/New York Daily News |
Models (l. to r.) Gail MacDermott, Lillian Jarvis, Zwen Getter, Tynee Turner preview hairdos for holiday season at Statler Hilton. Gene Kappock/New York Daily News |
A bar-top performance by waitress Gloria Allen aims at relaxing the inhibitions of patrons a Disc-Au-Go-Go in 1965. New York Daily News |
Girls in racy fringe ensembles show off their moves at the Disc-Au-Go-Go in 1965. New York Daily News |
The Rolling Stones arrive in the U.S. for a three week tour donning matching jackets in 1964. From left at Kennedy Airport are: Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Mick Jagger. Ed Giorandino/New York Daily News |
A couple concentrates on dancing the night away at a disco in 1965. New York Daily News |
James Earl Jones makes a bold statement mixing a scarf with a Nehru jacket during the Tony Awards in 1969. Anthony Casale/New York Daily News |
Fashion forward Mayor John Lindsay shows his smart style as Twiggy uses his phone in 1967. Gene Kappock/New York Daily News |
A fashion model poses on a rock in Central Park on the first day of summer in 1965. John Duprey/New York Daily News |
Princess Grace of Monaco and her daughter Stephanie arrive in royal style in the Big Apple in June 1968. Tom Gallagher/New York Daily News |