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The Bell Bottomed Pants of the 60’s
Fashion is one of the most talked about subject today. With
exceptionally talented designers lining up, Fashion has gradually turned
into a billion dollar industry. However, the era, which re-defined,
fashion as a full-fledged industry and brought about a perpetual style
revolution was the 60s. 60’s fashion witnessed some highly innovative
dressing patterns, which later turned into trends and genre. Short
skirts, Mini skirts, bright floral prints, sharp geometrical haircuts
and the sexy bikini culture were few of the popular developments in the
women fashion scenario. Italian suits, wide colorful ties, paisley
flounce shirts in bright fluorescent colors characterized men’s fashion
and bell-bottomed velvet pants were in vogue. Well, Bell bottomed pants
needs a special mention. One fashion element changed the definition of
style for men thereafter.
Derived from the traditional sailor’s clothing, the wide leg was useful
to the sailor to put pants on over heavy boots and easier to remove,
when wet than traditional trousers should they fall off the ship deck.
Bells have long been a traditional part of the naval uniform. It
gradually turned into a symbol of those who opposed war; Bell-bottoms
have tended to arouse strong emotions. In the 60’s fashion scenario,
some have condemned it as a fashion disaster, whereas others have worn
them as a bold fashion statement. The Bell bottomed pants, which were
just a uniform suddenly gained recognition and became the next big thing
in 60’s fashion. The tight fitting pants, which were popular until the
late 50’s and early 60’s, were suddenly eradicated with the arrival of
Bell bottomed pants.
“Hip huggers" had a waistline right below the naval and often had a
psychedelic swirl pattern in several colors. High-waist baggy pants had
large bell-bottoms and huge cuffs and were popular in plaid. The female
consumers in the early 60’s, especially in Europe and North America,
generously embraced these new types of pants. By late 60’s, Bell
bottomed pants were the craze among men and women alike. Bell-bottoms
are trousers that become wider from the knees downwards. Men
specifically wore them to retro theme disco parties, retro revival
bands, and to clubbing.
 60’s fashion saw bell bottomed pants being
flaunted by several popular celebrities, thereby increasing its fashion
quotient manifold. Beatles for example led millions of fans to wear the
new “in” pants. Their influence went far beyond music. The emerging
“hippie” culture was gaining momentum as a new way of life. Bell bottom
pants, headband, flower prints, torn denims, colored sunglasses and
miniskirts were characteristic of the hippie fashion. Hippies and war
protesters were among the first to wear these pants. “Sonny and Cher”
were the first to popularize Bell bottomed pants in USA through hit
television shows. Young Toni Basil in the concert film “The T.A.M.I
show” flaunted them. In the late 60’s the denim jeans manufacturer Levi
Strauss presented its first pair of bell-bottoms in jeans and velvet.
Gradually the pants were being produced in Jeans and other fabrics, both
cuffed and un-cuffed. Popular figures such as Joan Collins, David Bowie,
Raquel Welch and the evergreen Jimmy Hendrix flaunted some of the
best-designed Bell-bottoms. Later in the decade, several variations of
the immensely popular Bell-bottoms flooded the markets. “Loon pants”
were one such case. They flared more from the knee than typical
bell-bottoms, in which more of the entire leg was flared. They were
occasionally seen in the popular TV show “Ready Steady Go!” in 1966 as
worn by go-go dancers. “Elephant pants” were another variation made out
of denim. This variety however did not gain acceptance until mid 70s.
Bell-bottoms are still considered a benchmark in the 60’s fashion
scenario, which re-defined a new face of fashion. |
