Candid Article 23

Because Candid is now available exclusively as a paid for app, I can no longer upload links to my articles on here. However, what I can do is paste my original copy, and you will have to imagine how much better it is since it has been tweaked. In the future (after this and my next article), I will not bother placing my Candid work up on my blog, in order to encourage those who enjoy my writing to purchase the app!

Peace, Love & Flares

When someone mentions ‘Faith’ it is quite easy to dive straight into thoughts about religion; but a second definition is ‘belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc’. One group of people who embraced this idea, were liberal, free-loving, anti-war youths prevalent in sixties America and Europe, otherwise known as hippies.

Although it is impossible to generalise about hippies, as with any other social group, certain views and opinions were prevalent in the majority of members. They believed in group harmony, living away from major areas in self sufficient communes, one of the most famous of which is Drop City, developed in 1965. They encouraged the use of drugs such as LSD and marijuana, believing their relaxing and hallucinogenic properties to be beneficial to communal living and embracing nature. They were liberal in their sexual views, enjoying multiple partners and frequent casual sex, and often partook in shows of nudity.  Because hippies were so politically outspoken about their peaceful, pacifist attitudes they became known for their non-violent anarchy and deliberately chose not to conform to the norms of society. In a way, their disregard for commercialism and desire to break away from tradition, meant that their own values were created , and that they revolutionised many creative outlets, such as music, architecture and fashion.

Clothing was flamboyant and outrageous, in a feat meant to stray from normality, with bright prints, paisley, bell-bottom trousers, billowing chiffon blouses, pyjama style printed trousers, kaftans and cropped tops all making frequent appearances. There was an earthy feeling to a lot of the common trends, due to strong passions for being one with nature and going ‘back to the earth’. People often went barefoot, women braless, and materials such as hemp and unrefined cotton were widely used. Effects that were easy to create at home were embraced, such as tie-dye and batik, and peace signs and love beads were worn.

Many of the traditional hippie views were further made popular due to having a musical influence. Bands such as Jefferson Airplane, Fairport Convention and the Grateful Dead gained massive cult followings, emphasising carefree attitudes and taking on the hippie style, meaning that by the late 60s, many of their trends had been embraced by the mainstream fashion world and had strong influences on the wardrobes of the masses.

 

Nowadays it may not be quite as popular to dwell in communes and live off the land, but the relaxed style of dressing originally favoured by the hippies is still very much alive. You need only look to the festival scene that emerges each summer to see outfits steeped in hippie tradition – headbands or braided hair adorned with flowers, faded and ripped denim, floral prints, checked shirts that are adjusted and customised – the ‘boho chic’ trend that has been around for years now, is simply an updated and tweaked hippie style.

Glastonbury, Latitude and Bestival aside, clothing features that originated in the sixties are also copiously used by high end and couture designers – Paul Smith’s floral shirts, and psychedelic prints by Pucci are evidence of this. Even the beliefs valued by hippies in the past are continued, with ethically aware brands such as Edun creating clothes out of sustainable materials and helping third world communities by using local tradesmen and women in their businesses.