Figure 1.--
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Figure 1.-- |
A HBC reader provides us a fascinating assessment of Dutch fashion trends in the 1960s. He tells us that many older conservative fashions persisted in the Netherlands, especially the early 60s. More modern Hippie influenced fashions began to appear in the mid 60s, at first in Amsterdam and the larger cities, but only gradually was accepted in small towns and rural areas.
The 1960s started in the 1970s, maybe that's the best way to describe fashion trends for Dutch boys. Conventional styles continued. Suits and shirts with ties disappeared at the beginning of the 1960s, but boys kept having very short hair, sober shirts and dark trousers. Their underwear was white tanktops and briefs. Boxers and t-shirts were not known. Shoes were brown or black, polished. In the summertime most boys wore very short trousers with kneesocks. Overalls were rare. Lederhosen were not very common, but boys who wore them didn't get comments or strange looks. Lots of boys had 'sunday clothes': decent shirts, jackets with zippers and
trousers with creases. Most boys hated those dress-up clothes, they itched and had to stay clean. Not very useful when you're playing.
Around 1965, the hippie-period started. At first it appeard in the major cities like Amsterdam. Later the Hippie influence also appeared in small towns and rural areas where Christianity always kept more grip on the way people dressed their boys.
In magazines there were lots of discussions of social issues, including feminism.
Feminists charged that apparent differences between boys and girls were the result of socialization and education rarher than intrinsic differences between genders.
Progressive people were convinced that educating their kids equally should result in better opportunities for everyone. Conservatives were not convinced at all. A right-wing newspaper wrote about some marines who cut off all the hair of some 'hippies', and called those marines 'heros'. (Amsterdam Central Station, 1965) Eelco Gelling, guitarplayer of a Dutch bluesgroup, 19 years old then, promised 100 guilders (about 50 dollars nowadays) to every boy who had
longer hair than he had. No-one was able to earn the 100,-, but Eelco lost his job at a newspaper office because of his long hair. It took a few years before the new era had reached the majority of Dutch boys including the younger boys. So for them the 1960s started around 1970.
I have a picture of my 10th birthday (may 1966). One boy is dressed 'all
70s: blue plastic sandals, orange socks, yellow pants, short green T-shirt with a lightblue undershirt (coming out), shoulderlong blond hair. Also common: braces. To prevent that little boys lose their (too large, and/or second-hand bought) trousers.
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