I have a deep-rooted obsession with Mod Style. I cannot explain what exactly triggered this, but the Swinging Sixties always played a huge role in shaping my visual taste. Ever since I can remember, women like Priscilla Presley, Twiggy and Sharon Tate have lived rent-free in my brain, and I desperately need to understand what it is they have in common - besides being THE icons of the Sixties.
But where do we start? 

 

The first obvious clue would be the outfits: Bold mini silhouettes, white go-go boots, huge graphic eyeliner and impossible hair*

*I haven't figured out a way to recreate their big hair yet. I'm convinced they had magic tools back then. I'm still collecting evidence to solve the mystery. Stay tuned.

But fashion alone doesn't explain the 60s obsession thats been infecting not only me, but thousands of people for decades. Especially interior design has been heavily influenced by mid-century aesthetics ever since. So how come the Sixties aesthetic still feels like the future? 

Despite living in a socially conservative time, the visual language of the decade was surprisingly optimistic, like the world had collectively decided that the future needed to be colorful and exciting.

Just look at Verner Panton's interiors or Eero Aarnio's Ball Chair: even today they don't feel nostalgic, they still look like someone's interpretation of the future. Homes weren't supposed to look traditional anymore, they were supposed to look innovative.

After years shaped by war, reconstruction and conformity, the Sixties almost felt like a collective exhale. People weren't just rebuilding cities anymore, they were reimagining the way they wanted to live - and suddenly, there was room for color and fun again.

(Top: Akai House by Richard Neutra, 1961; Bottom: Verner Panton Home)

And fashion followed the same philosophy: Courrèges, Pierre Cardin and Paco Rabanne weren't simply designing clothes, they were designing for an age that hadn't happened yet. So the 60s ultimately opened up a portal for the experimental nature in us. No rules, no restrictions - just boldness. 

Like a curious child that had been given a blank canvas and a paint box.

(Left: Courréges Raincoat in L'officiel magazine, Right: Paco Rabanne’s metallic dresses in 1969)

And the child said: 
"Mom, I want to be Sharon Tate when I grow up"
"But honey, she was killed.."
"No, I mean I want to be like her."

_______________

Twiggy, Priscilla and Sharon weren't just stylish women. They were part of a much bigger movement. Their makeup echoed contemporary art, their hairstyles resembled sculptures and their clothes borrowed ideas from architecture. Something that was limited before was now open for new forms of interpretation. 

And although Sharon Tate's name has become almost inseparable from the tragedy of her murder, reducing her to the way she died completely misses what she represented while she was alive: Playfulness.

The Sixties brought us back to life.