Peace & Love & Psychedelia

A lot of people seem to think that 'hippie' fashion and 'psychedelic' fashion from the 1960s are the same thing. I find the original hippie style be raw, natural, and earthy. E.g. bare feet, tie dye, wooden beads, and real floral garlands. Very much seeing clothes as merely a necessity, similar to indigenous tribes.

Pattie Boyd, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, 1967

A girl at a Rolling Stones concert at the Isle of Wight, 1969

A high school girl, 1969

Ewa Aulin, 1969

Sharon Tate, unknown date

Both styles favour light and floaty materials, but the psychedelic style appears to be a little more "high fashion", drawing inspiration from the colourful, golden-clad gods of Indian and the Arabian-esque jewelled looks of Morocco. It tends to lean more towards the gypsy aesthetic - Afghan vests, mystical gemstone jewellery, ornate belts, bright and daring patterns, embroidered suede boots, and almost royal fabrics such as silky brocade or plush velvet. Whereas the hippie males resembled Native American chiefs, the psychedelic men dressed as dandies in their Shakespearean ruffled shirts with intricately designed double-breasted coats and fur.

Pattie Boyd, Cynthia Lennon, Maureen Starkey, and Jenny Boyd modelling for the Apple Boutique

Marianne Faithfull and Mick Jagger at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, 1967

Sharon Tate, 1968

Jane Birkin as Penny Lane in 'Wonderwall', 1968

Grace Slick, 1968

Goldie Hawn as Toni Simmons in 'Cactus Flower', 1969

Pattie Boyd and two others modelling for The Fool, 1968

Coco Dolenz, 1967

Unknown date

George Harrison, unknown date

Alan Holston, 1967

Unknown model and date

Unknown model and date

I am fond of both styles, but my heart ultimately lies with the psychedelics. Here are some of my favourite advocates:

Jimi Hendrix

at the Royal Albert Hall, 1969

unknown date

at the Monterey Pop Festival, 1967

1968

unknown date

unknown date

at the Hollywood Bowl, 1967

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, 1967

at the Monterey Pop Festival, 1967

Pamela Courson Morrison

1973

with Jim, 1968

having dinner with Jim at the Ambassador Hotel's Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, 1968

modelling for her boutique Themis, 1969

Judging by these photos, Themis must have been well stocked with psychedelic threads.

Brian Jones

at London Palladium, 1967

The Rolling Stones sans Keith Richards, unknown date

at the Cannes Film Festival, 1967

at the Monterey Pop Festival, 1967

The Rolling Stones at Green Park in London, 1967

Rolling Stones concert, unknown date

at Green Park in London, 1967

playing a Mellotron, 1967

unknown date