1960s Vintage Fashion

1960s fashion split into two distinct moods. The decade opened with the careful formality of Jackie O - tailored skirt suits, boxy collarless jackets, hats and gloves as everyday staples. By the mid-60s, London had overtaken Paris as fashion's capital, and Mary Quant's miniskirt sent hemlines rising from the knee to mid-thigh in a matter of years.

Our 1960s fashion pieces cover both sides of the decade: structured shift and sheath dresses in bold prints for the Mod look, and fitted skirt suits and cocktail dresses in satin or brocade for early-60s elegance. Whichever era of the decade you're channelling, it's designed to feel as sharp now as it did then.

What did women wear in the 1960s?

• Early 1960s: tailored dress and jacket sets, sheath dresses, cocktail dresses with ruched waists, pillbox hats and gloves
• Mid 1960s: shift dresses and A-line skirts in op-art prints and colour blocking, high necklines, and hemlines rising fast from the knee
• Late 1960s: softer, floatier chiffon, lace and velvet, maxi lengths and earthy colours, a look that leads straight into the 1970s

1960s outfits and how to style them

For a 1960s look with early-decade polish, take a Jackie O dress and jacket set, add three strands of pearls, kitten heels and a pillbox hat, and you are done. For 1960s style with a Mod edge, choose a mini dress, add opaque tights and flat boots, and finish with big hair, winged eyeliner and geometric jewellery. Looking for 1960s style dresses in the UK? Our 1960s cocktail and party dresses and 1960s dress and jacket sets are designed in-house and made in Yorkshire, and are the easiest places to start. If you love the Swinging London end of the decade, the Ossie Clark and Biba collection carries the mood into the 1970s.

Want the full story? Our 1960s style guide covers Jackie O, Mary Quant and Twiggy, the fabrics and the accessories. Looking for a party outfit? 50s and 60s partywear with Missy Malone has plenty of ideas, or see how the look developed in our 1970s vintage fashion.