Costumes for Murder Mystery Games set in the 1960s
“Fashion is made to become unfashionable.”
1960s Icons
Twiggy. Diana Ross. President Kennedy. Jackie Kennedy. Mick Jagger. Marianne Faithfull. The Beatles. James Bond. John Steed. Emma Peel. Faye Dunaway. Bob Dylan. Alain Delon. Catherine Deneuve. Brigitte Bardot. Edie Sedgwick. Marsha Hunt.
Anything goes. Everything’s groovy. As long as it in no way resembles anything Old People (anyone over 30) is wearing. Say goodbye to mummy wear. Say hello to mini skirts, jumper dresses, shift dresses. To coloured tights. To go-go boots and kitten heels. To chain belts. To “ethnic” and “Indian”. To layers.
New fabrics and detergents and cheaper, quicker ways of cleaning your clothes mean many more choices are available. Say hello to nylon and PVC, rayon and polyester. To shiny and vinyl. To stripes. To wavy lines. To plastic. Even to paper (not so good in the wash).
Shapes have changed, too. To long and lean. To skinny. Women now look like men or men impersonating women or women impersonating men impersonating women (it gets complicated). They wear men’s jeans. Men’s waistcoats. Trouser suits. Cable knits. Trench coats.
Above and beyond almost everything else, it’s all about hair. Often it’s now the same length or shorter than men’s. And about make-up. Which is now in-your-face as well as on-your-face. It’s face paint and war paint and worn to be noticed.
Like, um, psychedelia! And, wow! Flower power!
Costumes for Men in the 1960s
Let’s start with the hair. Mop-tops. Fringes that get in the way. Hair worn over the ears. Over the collar. And not forgetting:
The return of the Peacock and the Dandy. Frilled shirts. Cravats. Huge lapels. Dangerously tight trousers. Winklepickers. Anything that itches or squeezes.
The return of the Dashing Hero. Clothes which are/are copied from Victorian and Edwardian uniforms.
The rise of the Mod. Suits sharp enough to shave with, tapered trousers, narrow lapels, slim ties.
Dressing down. Looking casual. Jeans. T-shirts. Cable knits. Turtle necks. Sandals. Corduroy.
Eye-scorchingly bright colours. Sweaters. Everything tucked in. Everything extra tight.
Murder Mystery Games that can be set in the Sixties
