A New Era in Vogue Fashion: Youthquake 1965

Model in Pauline Trigère Evening Dress, photographed by Henry Clarke in the December 1, 1966 Vogue.

“There is a marvelous moment that starts at thirteen and wastes no time. No longer waits to grow up, but makes its own way, its own look by the end of the week. The dreams, still there, break into action: writing, singing acting, designing. Youth, warm and gay as a kitten yet self-sufficient as James Bond, is surprising countries east and west with a sense of assurance serene beyond all years.

First hit by the surprise-wave, England and France already accept the new jump-off age as one of the exhilarating realities of life today. The same exuberant tremor is now coursing through America – which practically invented this century’s youth in the first place.

The year’s in its youth, the youth in its year. Under 24 and over 90,000,000 strong in the U.S. alone. More dreamers. More doers. Here. Now. Youthquake 1965.”[1]

Diana Vreeland came to work at Vogue as editor-in-chief in 1963, and from her first day there, the pages of Vogue reflected “the Swinging Sixties.” Youthful models replaced the prim society figures featured in the past, and they wore the newest fashions from young designers. Moreover, the jet liner suddenly made fantasy fashion shoots possible, and Vreeland sent her teams to exotic locales in Africa, India, Turkey, China, Japan, and South America. The once-unattainable was now a reality.

The scene started with Mary Quant in London at her Chelsea boutique, Bazaar. Working first with a milliner, she set out to design “absolutely twentieth century fashions.”[2] Perhaps her greatest achievement was the miniskirt, which Vogue promoted by declaring that the fashion for skirts was only going to be “short, short and shorter.” And the perfect models to wear these fashions were Jean Shrimpton, Twiggy, and Penelope Tree.

Jean Shrimpton modeling a miniskirt, photographed by Gianni Penati in the March 15, 1969 Vogue.

These three British faces graced the pages of Vogue, and yet each had a completely different look: Shrimpton with her proper British style, Twiggy with short hair and pencil-thin legs and arms, and Tree with long hair and doll-like eyes. All were to become fashion icons.

In addition to these British beauties, the magazine promoted other models unique to the time. Veruschka (Vera von Lehndorff), standing at 6’1”, was likely Vreeland’s favorite, as she reportedly exclaimed on first seeing her, “Oh, she’s marvelous – look at her body!”[3] By the early ’70s, Veruschka had been featured on the cover of Vogue 11 times. With these four talents, Vreeland fully developed the new “ideal beauty” in her pages.

Veruschka at Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania, photographed by Henry Clark in the January 1, 1965 Vogue.

New models and new clothes, however, were not enough. In London, the boutique was all the rage, offering of-the-minute fashions, which flew off the shelves as fashion became more and more disposable. The U.S. lagged behind Britain in the boutique phenomenon, but not for long. The July 1965 issue of Vogue began the newest feature by Carrie Donovan: “Vogue’s own Boutique of suggestions, finds and observations,” also known as “Vogue Boutique.” Little shops in Manhattan, as well as in California and the rest of the globe, were featured, and fresh, young designers began to receive recognition for their innovative work.

In 1965, Paul Young brought the British boutique to New York with his Madison Avenue store Paraphernalia, which quickly made its way to the pages of Vogue. In addition to importing British designs by Mary Quant and Ossie Clark, Young hired emerging American designers, such as Betsey Johnson, who is still designing today. Andy Warhol and his Factory Girls, Baby Jane and Edie Sedgwick, along with socialites, celebrities, and average teenagers, flocked to Paraphernalia and its branches across the U.S., where the theme was “…anybody who takes fashion seriously is ridiculous. I mean they’re just clothes. Therefore they should be fun, and nothing about wearing them should be taken seriously.” [4]

Everything was new, everything was young, life was outrageous – and most, if not all, was captured by Vogue.

[2] Ewing, Elizabeth, revised by Alice Mackrell, History of the 20^th Century. (Lanham, Maryland: Barnes and Noble Books, 1992) 179.

[3] Dwight, Eleanor, Diana Vreeland. (New York: William Morrow, imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, 2002) 156.

[4] Lobenthal, Joel, Radical Rags: Fashion of the Sixties. (New York: Abbeville Press, Inc., 1990) 78.

Twiggy, photographed by Bert Stern in the March 15, 1967 Vogue.

Cher modeling a minidress at the San Francisco boutique Paraphernalia, photographed by Arnaud de Rosnay in the August 15, 1967 Vogue.

Penelope Tree, photographed by Arnaud de Rosnay in the October 15, 1967 Vogue.