Hippie fashion came out right after the Beatles movement, which was in the 50’s. Its development was driven by rebelliousness and the need to be free from society’s repressive rules.

If the Beatles era was characterized ...Read more]]> The 60’s was an era marked by a lot of things, but none as huge as the emergence of hippie fashion.

Hippie fashion came out right after the Beatles movement, which was in the 50’s. Its development was driven by rebelliousness and the need to be free from society’s repressive rules.

If the Beatles era was characterized by the black turtleneck, the 60’s was all about freedom, peace, love, and going back to nature with its colorful loose clothing, peasant blouses, granny dresses, organic accessories, tank tops with bell bottom jeans, and micro-mini skirts. Even the hair was let loose (men and women alike) to signify freedom from the constraints of oneself.

The term “flower power” emerged soon after hippies referred to it as the ultimate symbol of what they believed in (freedom, peace, love, and nature). This of course translated into the frequent use of flowers as accessories and  floral printed clothes that were either hand made, hand painted, or tie-dyed.

Today, hippie fashion is not the general norm, but it is a look one can easily achieve with the right clothing and accessories. Even some celebrities love carrying out this style frequently (Olsen twins, Kate Moss).

If you’re a hippie fashion fanatic, you can take advantage of the spring  season’s call for colors, prints, and patterns by wearing floral printed shoes that are reminiscent of  the Flower Power era.

Betseyville Victoria Wedge

GUESS Delightful

Tribeca Prime Letter

Betsey Johnson Foster Wedge

Go-Go Boots from ...Read more]]> One of the events that marked the 60′s era was the appearance of Go-Go Boots. Before that period, wearing boots as a fashion accessory was unheard of among women. Boots were used solely for functional purposes – as in wearing one if the weather requires it, during horseback riding, or during rugged activities.

Go-Go Boots from the Spiegel catalog in 1968

(image from coololdstuff.com)

If you’re wondering how boots became a fashion accessory, here are a few things you might want to know of its history:

1. Andre Courreges was the designer who introduced the Go-Go boots to the world of high fashion, thereby making the boots internationally stylish. By doing so, he made the boots a fashion accessory that can be worn anytime,  anywhere, with anything – very far from the old pre-conceived idea of women’s boots. Soon after, manufacturers started mass producing these boots making it available to everyone.

2. The first type of Go-Go boots was simple in design – calf-high, low heeled (1 inch), with a pointy or round toe, and made of either leather (more expensive) or vinyl (more affordable for school girls).

3. The term Go-Go was adopted after young Go-Go dancers were seen wearing the boots in an afternoon TV show.

4. As the hemlines in the 60′s went up (became shorter), the height of the boot also became higher reaching up to the knees. There was also another reason why the boot height went up – for modesty. Shorter skirts meant more skin shown. With high boots, the women stayed modest-looking as less skin was seen. In the 70s, the lace-up boots came into fashion. And as the years progressed, the attention shifted towards the heel height, making it higher and higher.

A variety of Go-Go boots from the 70s

(image from coololdstuff.com)

5. There is a strong connection between the Go-Go boots and UK’s Kinky boots (black leather knee-high boots with very high heels and pointy toes, ala Dominatrix). But the Go-Go boots came in more variety so it became an easier choice for most.

These days, we no longer call the Go-Go boots by its name. We simply call it ‘boots’. In fact, the boots we have in our closet are the modern day versions of the Go-Go boots. Here are some updated styles that offer a hint of the original Go-Go appeal:

Steve Madden Smokker Boot from Heels.com

Dereon Regal Boot with the lace-up detail from Heels.com

Pastry Galatina Wedge Boot from Heels.com

Betseyville Lucky Boot Grymlt from Heels.com

You can shop for more retro boot styles by visiting Heels.com.