THE BRITISH INVASION
By Robyn Bingham
&
Giselle Denum
Quotes that describe the British
Invasion
• The mod fashion had "narcissistic and fastidious [fashion] tendencies" –
Unknown
• The concept of mod can be difficult to pin down, because throughout the
subculture's original era, it was "prone to continuous reinvention." –Paul Jobling
and David Crowley
• The mod subculture is a
“fashion- obsessed and hedonistic
cult of the hyper-cool” - Paul Jobling
and David Crowley
What is the British Invasion and
how did it begin?
• The British Invasion was a phenomenon that occurred in the mid-1960’s
when rock and pop music acts from the UK, as well as other aspects of
British culture, became popular in the US, and then throughout the world.
• The British Invasion was influenced by
Swinging London, a catch-all term
applied to the fashion and cultural
scene that dominated London in
the 1960s. It was the arrival of the
Beatles in the United States and their
appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show
which marked the start of the British Invasion in the US.
Fashion Trends that occurred
during the British Invasion
• The dominant fashion style was the “mod”, which is a term that
derives from modernist. It is a subculture that originated in London
in the late 50’s.
The fashion was a symbol of youth culture
Significant elements of the mod
subculture include fashion (often tailormade suits) Popular in North America
Description of garment
parts for Men
• Male mods adopted a smooth, sophisticated look that emphasized tailormade Italian suits with narrow lapels, mohair clothes, thin ties, buttondown collar shirts, wool or cashmere jumpers, and pointed-toe leather
shoes that were nicknamed winklepickers
• They wore Chelsea or Beatle boots, Tassel Loafers, Clarks Desert Boots
and Bowling shoes
• The Hairstyles of the British Invasion imitated the look of the
French Nouvelle Vague cinema actors of the era, such as Jean-Paul
Belmondo.
• Some male mods went against what was perceived as the gender norm of
the era by enhancing their appearance with eye shadow, eye pencil or
even lipstick.
• Scootering (which become more popular than motorcycling) led to the
wearing of military parkas to protect costly suits and trousers from mud
and rain.
Description of garment parts for Women
• Female mods dressed androgynously, with short
haircuts, men's trousers or shirts, flat shoes, and little
makeup — often wearing only pale foundation, brown
eye shadow, white or pale lipstick and false eyelashes.
• Female mods pushed the
boundaries of parental tolerance
with their miniskirts, which got
progressively shorter between the
early and mid-1960s.
What colours and designs were popular?
• US teens and young adults started to dress "hipper".
The evolution of the styles of the British Invasion bands was seen,
as some bands went from a cleaner cut to being more hippie.
• While the people of the subculture were very consumerist and
shopping minded, mods were not passive consumers; instead they
were very self-conscious and critical, customizing "existing styles,
symbols and artifacts" such as the Union Jack and the Royal Air
Force roundel, putting
them on their jackets in a
pop art-style, and putting
their personal signatures
on their style
How did the clothing communicate the
wearer’s social status, occupation or
role?
• Working class mods, the
subculture's focus on
fashion and music was
a release from the
dullness of daily
their jobs.
•
“Ancient elegance and new
opulence are all tangled up in
a dazzling blur of op and pop”
-Piri Halasz’ description of
Swinging London in the 1966
“Time”magazine
Who were the fashion Icons and
Designers?
• During the time of Swinging London, fashion and
photography were featured in Queen magazine, which
drew attention to fashion designer Mary Quant.
• The model Jean Shrimpton was another icon and one of
the world's first supermodels. She was the world's highest
paid and most photographed model during this time.
Shrimpton was called "The Face of the '60s", in which she
has been considered by many as "the symbol of Swinging
London" and the "embodiment of the 1960s".
• Other popular models of the era
included Veruschka, Peggy Moffitt, and Penelope Tree.
Who were the
fashion Icons and
Designers?
• The model Twiggy has been called "the face of 1966" and
"the Queen of Mod.”
• As female mod fashion went from an underground
style to a more commercialized fashion, slender models
like Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy began to exemplify
the high-fashion mod look.
• Women were lured to King’s Road, where Mary
Quant’s radical miniskirts were sold at her iconic store,Bazaar.
• (The Teddy Boys paved the way for making male interest in fashion
socially acceptable, because prior to the Teddy Boys, male interest in
fashion in Britain was mostly associated with the underground
homosexual subculture's flamboyant dressing style.)
• The Teddy Boys are a subculture
How did Music and popular culture influence
fashion? What movies are representative of
the British Invasion?
• The Beatles- Fashion and image differentiated the
Beatles out from their earlier US rock and roll
counterparts. Their distinctive, uniform style "challenged
the clothing style of conventional US males", just as their
music challenged the earlier conventions of the rock and
roll genre.
How did Music and Popular Culture influence
fashion? What movies are representative of the
British Invasion?
AUSTIN POWERS
YouTube Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
MvE5NHLhtls
THE BEATLES
THE ROLLING STONES
As well as other bands such as The Who, The Kinks, The Animals, Gerry and the
Peacemakers and many others
What clothing parallels can be made
to other time periods?
• The Mini Skirt: Similar to the 1920’s when
Women’s skirts first began to get shorter in
length, during the British Invasion skirts
shortened even further to become Mini skirts,
pushing many boundaries.
• Women wearing Men’s clothes: During the 1920’s
women’s movement, women were dressing less
feminine and during the British Invasion women
began to wear men’s shirts and trousers also
mimicking a more masculine look
What significant historical or cultural
events influenced fashion during the
British
Invasion?
• One catalyst of Swinging London was the recovery of the British economy
Post-World War II. London went from being a dreary post- War capital into a
bright, shinning epicenter of style. It was largely down to two factors, youth
and wealth. Due to the baby boom of the 1950’s the urban population was
the youngest it had ever been. By the mid-60’s, more than 40% of the overall
population was younger than 25 years old. Young people had more
freedom and fewer responsibilities
compared to the previous generations.
People also had more disposable income
than ever before. The combination of
affluence and youth led to the flourishing
of music, fashion and design.