Admittedly, I am a tad bit obsessed with the Swinging London of the 1960s. Many of my favorite bands -- the Stones, the Kinks -- and people -- Anita Pallenberg, Jean Shrimpton, Bailey, not to mention, designers -- Ossie Clark, anyone? -- came out of the scene. Of course, we are all familiar with the ideas and styles born in that era that fashion loves to recycle, but maybe you didn't realize that the 1960s left another legacy to modern fashion: boutique culture. The small boutiques of London in the 1960s were the predecessors of high street, accessible fashion that so many modern fashionistas rely on for style on a budget. (Think H&M and Topshop.) '60s London boutiques were created in an effort to make style and fashion accessible to the youth in a time where couture and boring department stores held the market in thrall. Marnie Fogg's book, Boutique: a '60s Cultural Phenomenon, chronicles the names you need to know. Personal faves are Biba, natch, and Granny Takes a Trip.
This book was published in 2003, and is therefore not new. But I have a huge fashion library, and would like to make this a regular feature. So many people interested in and even working in fashion are unaware of fashion's rich history. Books like this are a great resource for boning up on your fashion history.
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