Where The Style Came From

The 60s and 70s were periods when people were experimenting and doing what they must to find new inspiration. Artists and designers stopped trying to conceive best guess imagery of a future world they couldn’t predict, and instead began looking backwards to past trends and cultures for ideas. The decade is filled with elements culled from exotic worlds: Nehru jackets from India; fringed vests inspired by native American garb; frog-toggled jackets from China; peasant blouses and gypsy scarves; and winter-inspired clothing derived from Russia. Of course, it was the film Dr. Zhivago that brought us this last fashion choice.

A Fashion Revolution

The 1965 film immediately launched the furor, and in a heartbeat the Russian look was all the rage. The late 1960s catwalks were marked by fitted military coats, fur hats, turtleneck sweaters, and lace-up boots. Hemlines, which had been progressively getting shorter and shorter as the decade had been wearing on, suddenly dropped dramatically when this film came out. “Midi,” the term used to describe a hem which fell to mid-calf, was the hot look. It was not unusual to see women in the last half of the 60s wearing skirts at varying lengths, going from micro-minis to those sweeping the floor as maxis.

Head to Foot

But it was the idea of Russian hats and boots that really had an impact on fashion. That hasn’t gone away. This film inspires designers again and again, and every few years we see a new iteration on this now-classic look.