Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

[Mark Rand]

Hermit's poll on "pulling a Gath" inspired me to create two new threads. This is the second, and more lighthearted, of the two.

 

The basic idea is that the fashions of the 1960s are still in vogue.

 

Ideas?

[Basil]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Hermit's poll on "pulling a Gath" inspired me to create two new threads. This is the second, and more lighthearted, of the two.

 

The basic idea is that the fashions of the 1960s are still in vogue.

 

Ideas?

 

I'm going to write and try to get (whoever they are) to sell "Tie-dying for Dummies."

 

[Hermit]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Nighthawk has more of a cowboy shirt motiff

Witchcraft has to deal with a mini skirt and thigh high boots

Sapphire goes with a blue tye die perhaps

Defender's armor is a lot clunkier.

Ironclad is an alien, so is probably dressed in a quasi futuristic jumper, poor guy.

[David Blue]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Hermit's poll on "pulling a Gath" inspired me to create two new threads. This is the second, and more lighthearted, of the two.

 

The basic idea is that the fashions of the 1960s are still in vogue.

 

Ideas?

To start with you'll need positively enormous collars, and flares. The flares are more important, as they will have a greater influence not only costume but armor designs, with jet boots (dinky little sole-of-the-boot jets) giving way to wide-flaring armored jet pants.

 

Waistcoats are good, but they don't have nearly the influence on powered armor aesthetics that super-chunky collar-like designs do. (These should be functional, for example a large Egyptian-style yoke that flashes mesmerizing patterns, or lapels that look big enough to be detachable power packs, and are.)

 

Fringes are good. Especially buckskin. Fur is good too. Anything that's organic or trippy and will break up a simple straight edge is good. Of course this means killing animals and glorifying drug use. Both are good, so if you're squeamish about clubbing baby seals to death so you can look good, it's easy, just get high and get clubbing: win/win!

 

If you just can't do that, don't de-fringe by halves: you'll need a uniform look with something like Nehru jackets and a bowl-shaped hairdo, to make it clear that you can't fringe because you have to do this other weird thing that you are doing.

 

There are going to be more weirdo powers run off odd-looking glasses... tiny, tinted, odd-shaped, kaleidoscopic and moving...

 

Mystic worry beads are good. These should go with turtle-necked shirts. (Most things go with turtle-necked shirts. If you're not going to have a big, exaggerated collar, don't have a collar at all.)

 

Important choice: you go with a big medallion, or the big flashy belt buckle on your flared pants, not both. It you have worry beads, you have chosen the belt buckle, do not make mystic beads compete with mystic medallions as it's bad karma.

 

Before we get away from pants: low waistlines and belt-lines! Anyone with a backside is going to be in serious fashion trouble, so much so that I recommend lairy big bracers to hold together what your super-low-slung belt won't be able to. This however is in contrast to...

 

Bikinis! These are built like bank vaults: high, wide, thick modest and solid, and often metallic. (With super-heroines, this should be real metal.) Much more modest than...

 

Hot pants!

 

But getting back to swim-wear and related clothing, there is one occasion when the one piece costume is cool: Playboy bunny costumes have become as respectable as business suits, as the mega-mega-corporation just grew in fame, wealth and respectability till it defined good manners. (And some super heroine is going to have to have a bunny ID.)

 

The bunny suit includes not only the cute tail but the ears. They're no odder than the false beard and wig formal wear of ancient Egyptians, and they (the bunny ears) are not so unusual, as headbands (with decals, religious and mystical symbols, company logos and the occasional feather) are going to be popular for both sexes. For example, in presidential debates, the parties of the candidates will be instantly recognizable by their (D) and ® logo headbands.

 

Tie-dye and paisley are good, but the color is much more important than the pattern. Colors should have eye-melting intensity. At least give powerful purple and flaming tangerine a try before you settle for anything less. Unless you are a villain.

 

If you are a villain, you wear green. If you don't have a green outfit, follow Catwoman's example and get one now.

 

One final (for now) piece of advice: is you have a completely nonsensical idea in mind, like Red Indian warpaint plus a hussar's jacket in bright silk and/or crushed velvet with elaborated golden braiding: dare to be you!

[teh bunneh]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Lest we forget...

 

[Mark Rand]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Warder, the team's mage, would keep her colors, black and gold, but go with a gold mini dress, knee-length boots, and elbow-length leather gloves, all in black, with gold jewelry, some of which might be foci.

 

Shadowcat, who was raised, and trained, in Japan, would stay with her ninja garb, but might wear a kimono in her civilian identity.

 

Knight would retain her Medieval-look in costume, but the amulet that triggers the change would be different.

 

Doctor Arcane might replace Warder as the team's mage. He'd dress like Mandrake the Magician.

 

The team's nurse would wear a white uniform and cap instead of scrubs and all the ladies would wear gloves when out shopping or at their respective houses of worship.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Following up on David Blue's comments about the Playboy Bunny costume, Playboy International owns one of the campaign city's hotels. Although the club is still private, the hotel is open to the public.

 

One of the local bunnies started out as a free-lance commercial photographer and handles such chores for the hotel. She probably is the hotel's only active bunny that can wear regular clothes instead of her costume.

[assault]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Some very groovy 60s heroes. Unfortunately the image is black and white. Oh well.

[Badger]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Badger wants to kill Gath.

 

Frosty Bob- "oh yeah, I remember the 60s, ladies wore miniskirts and burned their bras. This is gonna be so sweet."

[Mark Rand]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Anyone remember when the "mod" look started? I was hoping that the 1960s fashions in the campaign would reflect the elegant look, not the "mod" look.

["V"]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Some very groovy 60s heroes. Unfortunately the image is black and white. Oh well.

 

I loved Zenith.

 

From a UK point of view, Sixties supers could fall into two distinct camps - the hip/trendy/counterculture types mentioned largely above with the sideburns, the mini skirts (hopefully not on the same characters that have sideburns) and so on. But there would also be the longer established supers, probably with a military background who would see the rise of the "yoof" fashions as disturbing and would probably come down hard on any young male super with long hair.

 

The 60s weren't all young people having fun you know...

[Cancer]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Anyone remember when the "mod" look started? I was hoping that the 1960s fashions in the campaign would reflect the elegant look' date=' not the "mod" look.[/quote']

 

I want to say 1967 or 1968, but that's stretching my ability to remember ... not the sort of thing an 11-year-old pays much attention to.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

I want to say 1967 or 1968' date=' but that's stretching my ability to remember ... not the sort of thing an 11-year-old pays much attention to.[/quote']

 

You might be right.

 

I was 10 when the 1960s started. Back then, most women wore gloves in public, and almost every woman working in a hospital wore a white uniform. I thought it looked cool.

[Basil]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Anyone remember when the "mod" look started? I was hoping that the 1960s fashions in the campaign would reflect the elegant look' date=' not the "mod" look.[/quote']

 

Err, what do you mean by "elegant look"? Because high-fashion gowns (vide any Grammy or Oscar ceremony) haven't really changed since the 60's. The same esthetic still rules the up-scale get-up biz.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Err' date=' what do you mean by "elegant look"? Because high-fashion gowns (vide any Grammy or Oscar ceremony) haven't really changed since the 60's. The same esthetic still rules the up-scale get-up biz.[/quote']

 

Sorry. In the early 1960s, women looked elegant even in the daytime. Back then, many women wore gloves even to do their regular shopping.

[Basil]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Sorry. In the early 1960s' date=' women looked elegant even in the daytime. Back then, many women wore gloves even to do their regular shopping.[/quote']

 

I hate to be mean, but if you believe that, I have a bridge for sale.

 

I grew up back then and can assure you the only women who went shopping in gloves were in the sit-coms. My mom didn't, nobody's mom I ever knew of did so. And none of them looked "elegant" in the middle of the day, they were working too hard. Donna Reed in her pearls was laughed at even back then.

 

Mind you, women went to fancy "department stores" to meet each other, have lunch, and get in a bit of shopping. They did look elegant and did wear gloves for that, but that was because they were going out to eat (and meet friends), and that was something one dressed up for. Which is still true, but only for the fanciest restaurants; one no longer does so for a middle-class luncheon (but did so in the early 60's).

 

Anyway, there's been little change in the "dressed up nice" look since the 60's, so if that's what you want to talk about, this will instantly become a very boring thread. Now, mod/hippie/swinger fashions are actually fun to discuss, so I suggest we keep talking about that.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

I hate to be mean, but if you believe that, I have a bridge for sale.

 

I grew up back then and can assure you the only women who went shopping in gloves were in the sit-coms. My mom didn't, nobody's mom I ever knew of did so. And none of them looked "elegant" in the middle of the day, they were working too hard. Donna Reed in her pearls was laughed at even back then.

 

Mind you, women went to fancy "department stores" to meet each other, have lunch, and get in a bit of shopping. They did look elegant and did wear gloves for that, but that was because they were going out to eat (and meet friends), and that was something one dressed up for. Which is still true, but only for the fanciest restaurants; one no longer does so for a middle-class luncheon (but did so in the early 60's).

 

Anyway, there's been little change in the "dressed up nice" look since the 60's, so if that's what you want to talk about, this will instantly become a very boring thread. Now, mod/hippie/swinger fashions are actually fun to discuss, so I suggest we keep talking about that.

 

Yeah, you're right. Now that I think about it, your memory is better than mine.

[Basil]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Remember, if your costume involves a flag motif, the flag has to be upside down, torn, or with a symbol (political more likely than personal) either replacing the stars, or plastered over the whole thing.

 

Or reduced to the skimpiest possible sraps of clothing you can get away with wearing.

[Cancer]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Remember, if your costume involves a flag motif, the flag has to be upside down, torn, or with a symbol (political more likely than personal) either replacing the stars, or plastered over the whole thing.

 

Or reduced to the skimpiest possible sraps of clothing you can get away with wearing.

 

That's really only true in 1967 (perhaps even 1968) and later. Trying to push that into 1962 would be a glaring anachronism.

[Tigereye]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Well...considering my character is a refugee from the 1960's...

 

Actually, quite a lot would change. There probably would be a lot less matte gray and black on his outfit, and more silver or contrasting colors (like red or blue); the lapels would be a lot wider; a Union Jack would probably make an appearance somewhere on the uniform; and the outfit would be more form-fitting. Leather would replace the nylon, and the gadgets themselves would be chunkier. The full face mask would be replaced by a half-head mask.

 

There still wouldn't be a cape- that would be an affectation.

 

Of course, if it were the 1960's, he wouldn't be wearing a costume at all. Part of his secret identity derives from the fact that he fell thru a time warp from 1966 to the present day.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

I think what I'm going to do is, except for a few changes, leave fashion right where it is today.

 

Change 1, the Playboy empire is still going strong and its people are involved in many charitable projects.

 

Change 2, due to supers wearing them, gloves never really went out of style. You usually see them weing worn for dressy occasions and on stage, but goth women wear them too, and, occasionally, you'll see a girl, or woman, wearing them with jeans.

 

Change 3, white uniforms, and, occasionally, on women, caps are coming back into style. They are saying that this helps patients identify who the nurses are. It's mainly in homes for seniors, medical offices and clinics, private homes, and industry, but it's beginning to take off in hospitals, too.

[McCoy]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Anyway' date=' there's been little change in the "dressed up nice" look since the 60's, so if that's what you want to talk about, this will instantly become a very boring thread. Now, mod/hippie/swinger fashions are actually fun to discuss, so I suggest we keep talking about [b']that[/b].

With one big exception.

 

In the 40's and 50's, ladies and gentlemen wore hats. Sometime in the 60's, this came to a screeching halt. I remember JFK always had his hat with him, but seldomly wore it. Jackie's little pink pillbox hat was the last one I remember seeing that didn't look totally out of place.

[nexus]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Black Supers have more Afros?

 

Peace Symbols are more prominent?

[Basil]

Re: Fashionwise, it's still the 1960s

 

Remember, if your costume involves a flag motif, the flag has to be upside down, torn, or with a symbol (political more likely than personal) either replacing the stars, or plastered over the whole thing.

 

Or reduced to the skimpiest possible sraps of clothing you can get away with wearing.

 

That's really only true in 1967 (perhaps even 1968) and later. Trying to push that into 1962 would be a glaring anachronism.

 

Well, no-one limited it to a particular part of the 60's.

 

With one big exception.

 

In the 40's and 50's, ladies and gentlemen wore hats. Sometime in the 60's, this came to a screeching halt. I remember JFK always had his hat with him, but seldomly wore it. Jackie's little pink pillbox hat was the last one I remember seeing that didn't look totally out of place.

Oooo, good catch! Yeah, that's a good point.

 

nexus: Yeah, lots of 'fros. Even on some white guys.

 

Oh, and lots of hip-huggers, but without the undies peeking through at the belt-line.