1960s Dress Patterns

The 1960s saw a shift in the direction that dress fashion styles had, up until that time, been aimed in.  Rather than providing 1960s dress patterns for an expensively run and a high-class society, designers looked to the general population, and in particular the younger generation.  Pop art encouraged the use of fun and exciting combinations of colours and patterns, such as paisley and other retro patterns.  Tie-dye material and elaborate swirls were used in abundance to decorate shapeless pinafores, and girl-like dress styles.  Hemlines got shorter, and dresses were often paired with patterned and textured tights or go-go boots that came halfway up the calf, almost to the knee.

1960s Hippy Fashion

Hippy fashion was first fully embraced in the 60s, and took a lot of its styles from foreign climbs, encouraging loser, more flowing dresses and gowns.  Kaftans and kimonos, and other Asian influences also can be seen amongst some of the vintage patterns in the 1960s.

Having seemingly said goodbye to any recognisable marks of the second world war, dresses, as well as many other items of 1960s patterns, were more liberal and styles took their inspiration from a broader influence.  For the adult generation, already settled with their own homes and responsibilities, there was still the presence of a suitable 1960s house dress pattern that allowed a person to feel feminine around the home but allowed for more comfort but less elaborate glamour.  Jackie Kennedy, no doubt was a huge influence in promoting feminism, in that a woman could happily wear a beautiful garment, and be in a comfortable position of influence and authority if they should so choose, without needing to be uncomfortable, or wear something too restrictive.  A line dresses, often paired with a boxy jacket was all part of the iconic look she promoted.

Vintage Dress Patterns 1960s

Our choice of vintage dress patterns, 1960s fashion lovers can choose from, often feature the design of a collar, cuff and sometimes, patch pockets, being made in a different colour, and sometimes different material to the overall dress.  Again, you can see, in some of the outfits worn by Jaqueline Kennedy, as well as other fashion icons like Twiggy (Lesley Hornby), and Audrey Hepburn that this was a common sight amongst the dresses and other fashionable wear of the times.

Mary Quant, the designer of the mini skirt, was another influence present at the times and based her designs on the premise that fashion should be available to all, and not just a minority.

The Vintage Pattern Shop

Here at The Vintage Pattern Shop, we have taken all of the hard work out of sourcing all of these wonderful patterns and made available an abundance of 1960s dress patterns, UK fashion lovers can create again and again.

If you are looking for any specific vintage dress patterns of the 1960s, our UK leading pattern providers can help.  Contact us today.  In the meantime, have a look and see what we have.  We are confident that when you see what we have, you will come to love this era of fashion almost as much as we do.