VLVL The Pisk Sisters and Fashion Sense

[davemarc]

From: Malignd <malignd at yahoo.com>

> Army/Navy stores were like the Gap in the sixties, a
> good cheap source of durable clothes.  Where, does one
> suppose, bellbottoms, as a fashion, originated?  There
> was little about it that could be read as antiwar
> commentary.
>
But here's the thing: Folks nevertheless understood that those who wore the
"army surplus uniform" belonged to a counterculture camp that indicated
being antidraft/antiwar (at least the war in and around Vietnam). It was
probably the overall look--the hair, the symbols, the jeans, the
sandals--rather than the army surplus clothing alone that got the message
across.

Some links--most rather lighthearted, one rather bizarre:

"Students wore long flowing hair and faded denim jeans with army surplus
shirts and combat jackets at anti-war rallies."
http://www.geocities.com/FashionAvenue/Catwalk/1038/ethnic.html

"The new hippie clothes style wasn't great for retailers either. Shopping at
the Army Surplus tends to undercut major department stores....

"Hippie clothes include:

1. Afro hair was the syle for blacks. The bigger the better. And the more
radical.

2. Combat style vest. Combat jackets and fatiques were big too.

4. Leather sandals were worn for all occasions. And they helped you avoid
all the problems associated with going barefoot.

5. Obligatory peace symbol" [sic]
http://www.fiftiesweb.com/fashion/hippie-clothes.htm

"W.J. Rorabaugh in his book BERKELEY AT WAR: THE 1960s describes hippies
wearing flowers in their hair dressing in second-hand clothes from thrift
and army surplus stores. They wore ponchos, bell bottoms decorated with
patches and embroidery, tie-dyed shirts, leather sandals, bright colors and
intricate patterns."
http://www.epcc.edu/ftp/Homes/monicaw/borderlands/14_flower_children.htm

"Students in these times took to challenging the established order
everywhere. Self-loathing white kids wearing battle fatigues over their
French cuff shirts mocked, challenged, and threatened violence.
http://www.popecenter.org/clarion/2000/sept-oct/bookrv2.html

d.