#AtoZChallenge 2015: Y is for YOUTHQUAKE #dogladysden Share on X
Youthquake
a 1960s fashion, musical and cultural movement.
The term was coined by Vogue’s editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland in 1965. London was the centre of the movement. Teenagers dominated the fashion and music scene. This was the tail end of the “mod” era, 1965-69. London became synonymous with fashion, music, and pop culture in these years, a period often referred to as “Swinging London.” In turn, mod influence spread to the United States and around the world.
Living in Germany during those years, I was totally caught up in this culture, thanks to British pirate radio stations Radio Caroline and Radio Luxembourg, British Forces radio and RAVE magazine, which I read faithfully.
Great movie! Available from Amazon
[click image]
The fashions back then were colourful and fun! Just picture this: A green, pink, yellow and orange striped shirt, with matching striped belt and green plastic buckle. Add a wide green tie, green miniskirt and green hexagonal earrings.
Finishing touches? White lipstick, fringed purse and plastic Go Go boots. This was one of my favourite outfits at the time. 😀 Wish I had a photo! Well, these are the boots, at least:
Visions of “Swinging London” danced through my head!
1. Carnaby St. 2. Mary Quant 3. Twiggy 4. George Best
5. Piccadilly Circus 6. Soho 7. The Beatles
Photo Credits: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
A little taste of music from that era:
(Good song! I still have the original vinyl record)
In June of 1969 my father and I visited London for a week (a short, 70-minute flight).
Even though I didn’t get to meet the Beatles, it was a wonderful experience.
Are you familiar with the Youthquake movement?
Did you wear crazy clothes, too?
Looking forward to your comments!
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
38 thoughts on “#AtoZChallenge: Y is for YOUTHQUAKE”
What a fun word, I have never heard of it before. I do have a vintage light blue mini (extremely short that is) dress which might be from the sixties, but as I only paid 10€ or so, I am not sure.
I think I do have a taste for the colourfulness, I am meant to pick up my new glasses today, and they have a blue frame… And I have a pair of shoes that is in May green 🙂
My teenage years began in southern Italy. We were there for a year 1965-1966 and I lived through a very edulcorated version of the youthquake. I remember leaving Canada in 1965 listening to “the Monkeys” and coming back and finding “the Beatles” and in between living the Italian “musical revolution”.
The thing that I found most “evolutionary” was in fact the music…..both Italian and “anglophile” music. I still loved the “pre-” songs, but found the new sounds and words fascinating as well. But I am no expert in music.
As for clothes, for one having had to wear a uniform until that summer, anything would have been gorgeous, but what is associated in my memories of those years were my Mom’s words “you’re a young lady now, so dress like one”. So I tried LOL. I must say, apart from the length of the skirts [of which I learned when I came back to Canada], I met with very few restrictions…..on the contrary, my Mom was very “look” conscious–very elegant, coordinated, etc. I was more extravagant.
My first approach to fashion as per se was with the black-and-white pop look and I’ve been partial to those two colours ever since.
My first “modern” outfit? a striped black and white t-shirt, and a short [for then] white pleated skirt!
No plastic boots that I can think of, but I do remember my favourite — white, shiny plastic raincoat [on sale at K-Mart!] with a black and white polka dot lining! Loved that raincoat and wore it every year as long as the weather allowed me to! When it got to freezing point, I had to give up— wasn’t too comfortable to walk around in an ice-cube! LOL.
Hot pants, mini-skirts, those daring outfits with matching shorts and ridiculously short dresses! And the terrible part was that panty hose weren’t all the rage yet, as well as being extremely expensive, so at least until 1968-69 us girls had to put up with garter belts!!! yecch!
Hi Bianca; Late 60s/early 70s is my favourite era for music, including Italian! ♥ I remember your Mother and agree – she was always elegant. Your raincoat sounds like fun and definitely qualifies as a “Mod” clothing item. Hot pants came along in the early 70s and those were more fun to wear than the mini skirts, because you didn’t have to be quite as self-conscious. I also remember those awful garter belts and wearing fishnet stockings, which were all the rage in the late 60s. Do you remember the maxi look (early 70s) and those long black capes you sewed for both of us? We walked around that winter freezing to death, but we sure were stylish! 😀 I still have mine – sentimental value…
Thanks for visiting and sharing your memories here.
How wonderful to find someone else talk about GoGo Boots and GoGo Watches. I didn’t know about the Youthquake though….
Watches! Yes, I had a few of those too, with wide plastic bands and large faces. 😀 Youthquake was big in England.
I was but a babe during the late 60’s so I didn’t experience any of this but boy my mom did! She was a fashion statement and I always love looking at photos of her in her finest! Loved all the pics here too!!
Those were fun times in the fashion world, for sure. 🙂 Very colourful! Those pictures of your Mom must be delightful. Thanks for visiting.
I wasn’t born during those days but learned of them doing fashion research when I worked at LOFT and through a friend who was a rock historian. Youthquake is a new term (my friend always refers to the “Summer of love”). With a little white, I could take all those stripes and make a really cool stripe. Depending on proportions, they would be a bit much for me without a grounding neutral.
Visiting from A to Z,
(also @ http://glamofgod.com)
The “Summer of Love” took place in 1967 and was centred in San Francisco. ♫ If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.♫ It was certainly part of the Youthquake movement, which was more or less 1965-1969 and centred in London, England. I think there may have been white in the actual shirt, but it was such a long time ago. Colours were wild! Thanks for visiting.
Loved the pics of you! Especially the one of you flying to London. Girl, you have amazing legs! You and Tina Turner. 🙂
I read the comment about your turquoise and black and white outfit: I would love to see it. But you did a great job describing it as I can see it in my minds-eye.
I remember go-go boots. I was young but oh how I wanted a pair!
I never heard the term “youthquake”…but it’s a brilliant word from the Vogue people. And who knew more about mod fashion than the folks at Vogue?!
Great post! Hard to believe we only have one more day… What a ride!
Hi Michele; I wish I had photos of those crazy outfits, too. Fun times and that whole era had a special “feel” to it. The legs have seen better days now, but thanks for the compliment. 🙂
Hi there – Loved the pics and visiting the past. But, you know, I was a teen in the 60’s and never heard the term Youthquake. BTW, I’m dropping in from a shout out to your blog from Rosie Amber’s blog https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/ from FictionZeal.com
Thanks for visiting, Diane. This term was most popular in England, I think, with London at the hub of the movement. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the post.
I LOVED the 60’s – I lived in Abilene, TX and then off to Japan during this time and we all wore those go-go boots and danced to the Beatles, the Herman Hermits – best days.
@Door2LoreSue
PowerofStoryBlog – Every Hero Has a Story
Those were some fun and colourful times. 🙂 Japan must have been fascinating! Nice to reminisce. Thanks for visiting, Sue.
I was a little young for the mod look of the latter sixties, and I do not recall it being much of a factor in the Mississippi Delta, where I grew up. I do recall, we would often make note of the unusual apparel of the cast members and guests who appeared on Laugh-In, the Rowan and Martin television program.
The Mississippi Delta is such a unique place, from what I’ve read. As a kid, I was hooked on a TV show called “Yancy Derringer”, about a Mississippi river boat gambler. 🙂 Yes, the cast of Laugh-In was heavily into the Mod look, Goldie Hawn, especially. It was still on when we moved back here in late 1969.
Interesting Debbie as I have never heard of this term before! 😉 I wish you had a colour photo of that outfit: it sounds outrageous just like you, your flamboyant style! 🙂 (And that’s a compliment you know! Not everyone could get away with wearing that and wear it well!) <3
LOL Thanks, Elly. 🙂 The Mod Style was all the rage in Northern Europe back then, so I wasn’t overly unique. Click HERE for some typical examples. Another favourite outfit: ( I wish I had photos too, because people may not believe it. 😉 All true, though.) Turquoise corduroy hip-hugger bell bottoms with wide white leather belt and large silver buckle + black sleeveless turtleneck with silver peace sign necklace + turquoise corduroy captain’s hat + large round turquoise earrings, white lipstick and white fringed purse. 😀
I love the song, although it’s the first time I’ve heard it. I don’t think the group ever made it to the States. 🙁 I’ve never heard the term Youthquake, but the clothing? We had to wear fairly conservative clothing at school until I was a senior in high school, including skirts to the bottom of our knees…Ugh! But, I did have a beautiful pair of those white Go-Go boots made famous by Nancy Sinatra. I was usually a jeans and cords (corduroy) type, but when I came out of the store with a pair of hip hugging bel bottoms one day, I thought my dad was ready to have a stroke.
Can you believe it? Tomorrow is the last day of the challenge!
No, this band’s music never crossed the Atlantic, but they were huge in northern Europe. 🙂 Cords were all the rage then and most especially of the hip hugger bell bottom variety. Loved my turquoise ones with matching Captain’s hat. 🙂 Hard to believe the challenge is over and that we survived, Mary. 🙂
How funny–my hip-hugger bell-bottoms were also turquoise with a very wide red belt. I just now saw your picture of Twiggy. I DREAMED of having her lack of curves–my curves were a little ample (still are, for that matter, although a little more abundant. If she were TWICE her size she would have been skinny!
Loved this! Your site is truly amazing!
Thank you, Sharon. I appreciate the comments. Apologies for the late response. 🙂
very interesting! I’d love to come back and read more of your fun words!
Welcome to the Den, Sharon. 🙂 Come back, anytime; door’s always open. Glad you enjoyed the post.
I wasn’t aware of this term, sounds cool. I wore simple boring clothes, am experimenting now 🙂 nice pictures. Enjoyed reading your colourful post.
Glad you enjoyed the post, Sulekha. Thanks for visiting. 🙂
You’ve brought back some memories for my biped! She says radio was fun when the pirate stations were on the air – it hasn’t been the same since.
Glad your biped enjoyed the post, Clowie. 🙂 Did she live in England back then? Radio (at least the commercial variety), is pretty bad, these days. Way too many ads and repetition of music.
Yes, she grew up in England and she isn’t much younger than you.
We have some things in common, then. 🙂 I was completely steeped in English mod culture, thanks to Rave magazine and the radio. Wish I had kept some of those old issues!
I have never heard the term before… but I love it 😀 And you were very stylish I have to say 😀
LOL you think so, Raj? 😀 What was stylish then, seems a bit ridiculous now. 😀
Fab post, those pirate stations were still going in my youth a little later. Dropping in from the A to Z I have given your blog a shout out from my own letter Y.
@rosieamber1
Rosie Amber – Book reviewer. Campaigning to link more readers to writers.
Nice to meet you, Rosie. 🙂 You’re in England? I didn’t realize the stations continued beyond the late 60s. Thanks for visiting!
I’ve heard the term but never associated it with the movement you describe. I tried the mod look but thought I looked kind of stupid so that didn’t last long. I always had more of a grunge look I guess. Or maybe conservative hippie.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
It was big in England and spread to northern Europe, then North America. Trying to picture a “conservative hippie”….;)