BY DESIGN
A dmit it. The ‘60s weren’t just about peace, love and music with a message. The years also featured some of the most diverse fashion, with more “uniforms” than any previous era. Baby boomers can stay smug knowing that their kids have kept it all alive--not only through activism and granola--but recycling a style that defined a generation.
The Doc Was In Then
Dr. Martens at Woodstock? It’s true. When Sid Vicious was still in grade school, the requisite footwear of the punk army had its day in the summer sun of 1969 thanks to original raucous rocker Pete Townshend. The Who guitarist gave political activist Abbie Hoffman a swift boot when he rushed the stage in an effort to rile the crowd (check out the Woodstock movie for the hard-hitting visuals). Times have certainly changed. Twenty-five years later, mainstream America has embraced “Docs” and Woodstock as a symbol of unity (counter-culture attitude optional). Notes a spokesman for Dr. Martens in London: “DMs have been an integral part of every major music and fashion movement since the 1960s. (They) have the ability to adapt to any trend.”
A Dead Trend
It’s the wardrobe associated with those long-haired, peace-loving, dirty-footed, groovy kids that called themselves hippies: India gauze shirts and dresses; Army surplus gear; tie-dye tank tops; fringed Daniel Boone jackets; Benjamin Franklin specs; Mexican saddle bags; ankle-length, patterned wrap-around skirts, peace sign patches. And all of it is still available and selling like mad at vintage stores such as Taxi Taxi in downtown Huntington Beach (outfit pictured). “There’s always a ‘Woodstock’ going on, but it’s called the ‘Deadhead show,’ ” says owner Jinx Varona. “The kids who keep discovering the Grateful Dead keep (the look) revived.”
Teed Off Youth
While Mom and Dad wax nostalgic over a concert they never even attended, their kids are tuning in to all the hype. There’s the cable telecast at $50 a pop. And record stores such as Tower are selling compact discs of the original Woodstock artists at a discount, as well as the Official Woodstock T-shirt. For $14 you too can be a part of the retro regurgitation. “It seems to be college-aged kids and younger who are buying the shirts,” says Mike Williams, manager at Tower Costa Mesa. “We haven’t gotten a lot of older people looking at them yet.”
