This was the sixties: a rebellious decade that protested against, well, everything. It was a time where society seemed to be sick and tired of carrying on conservatively. Whether it was speaking out against the government or dressing more provocatively, the sixties took a giant leap forward from the earlier and more submissive decades. From the bold and large protests done against the Vietnam War to the colorful, forward and loud prints of Andy Warhol, the sixties made a huge impact on society. And, it was this edgy society that inspired designers in the sixties to create collections that were also bold and forward, with more skin-showing apparel, more make-up and more attitude. A classy, elegant style was replaced with a more provocative, edgy one, with legs and lashes being the only elements needed to create a trendy look. Societal changes took the fashion industry by storm in the sixties and the edgy decade seems to be back once again, inspiring designers in their latest collections as seen on the fall 2005 and spring 2006 runways.

Francisco Murillo, trend and reference specialist at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FDIM) said he believes that designers came back to the sixties for inspiration because “it was very living on the edge” and that is what fashion is all about. “Bold and non-mainstream looks are what designers are inspired by,” said Murillo.

But, was America and its society at such a submissive point, that it reflected the decades before the rebelling sixties? If fashion is anything to go by, which can easily be argued that it is as the way people dress tends to reflect a society’s mood, then yes, society may have been at a conservative point. Only now are larger and bolder protests starting to occur against the Iraq war, and only now are fashion designers reviving the edgy sixties look with all its provocative, colorful, bold and graphic nature intact.

Designer Calvin Klein’s Spring 2006 collection at New York Fashion Week concentrated less on color and more on skin. Just this past season, Calvin Klein's collection was all about elegance and contained modest, skin-covering apparel. According to Style.com, the online home of top fashion magazines, Vogue and W, Klein’s work this past season had “exemplary ink-navy suits, sleek and streamlined, with small jackets, and skirts that finished just above the knee.” Klein’s work this season was in sharp contrast with his past season’s conservative feel. His models sashayed up and down the runway in empire-waist dresses that were the same length as his tops from last season, much of the fabric used in the collection was see-through and the silhouette was carefree and anything but streamlined.

At the Dolce and Gabbana Fall 2005 fashion show, models wore heavy eye-make up, complete with dark and smoky eye shadow, liquid black liner, and false eyelashes intensified even further with dramatic mascara. They resembled Twiggy, a supermodel who was in her prime in the sixties. The Dolce and Gabbana models’ look differed dramatically from earlier trends in make-up which focused more on natural beauty than in-your-face bold make-up.

Karen Middleton, a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), whose specialization is analyzing the current scene, says the sixties revival in terms of fashion is simply a response to the market saturating the previous bohemian trend, which had elements including tunics, long peasant skirts and fits that were looser and more relaxed.

“If the pendulum swings too far in anyway, it is going to the swing the other way soon,” says Middleton. “The sixties look just looks fresh compared to the trend from before.”

The fashion market did indeed saturate the bohemian look and because of this, Middleton says, “you can be sure things are going to change for the next season.”

Similarly, society did change, or is at least starting to change, by speaking up more at larger protests.

A recent protest in Washington, D.C., against the conflict in Iraq, was the largest demonstration of antiwar sentiment since the war began. The feel of the demonstration, according to several news reports, was undeniably similar to the sixties protests against the Vietnam war. Bold signs and slogans were plenty to be seen. There was no holding back at the protest and there was certainly no holding back on the runways either.

The sixties trend is already starting to be seen everywhere from bars to clothing boutiques to the mall. A young, stylish woman seen at the mall had paired a newsboy cap, worn and popularized by sixties fashion icon and supermodel Twiggy, with a colorful and loud shirt reminiscent of an Andy Warhol print. A girl of about 17 or 18 wearing an empire-waist short mini dress walks into Forever 21, where the newsboy hat wearing girl was also shopping. They notice one another and seem to acknowledge and appreciate each other’s style. The girl wearing the dress gradually walks to the accessories section, and picks up a newsboy hat. She looks at herself in the mirror. She is pleased with her iconic sixties look.

The young girl and many others look to the designers for inspiration when in fact, many of the designers look to young girls and society for inspiration. Francisco Murillo, the trend and reference specialist at Fashion Design Institute of Merchandising (FDIM), said “Fashion does follow society,” and there is no doubt about that.

Tempers are higher now, and so are the skirts.

- Ritu Sharma, Contributing Editor