In May of last year I received an email from a lovely reader and online vintage inspired clothing shop owner named Sally in Australia (who was on the hunt for some 1960s and 1970s blogs to check out). Though these are not the decades that my own blog or tastes in yesteryear fashion typically center around, after many years in the vintage blogging realm, I'm happy to say that my path has crossed with many for whom such is the case and I was able to send her a quite a good sized list of such sites.
Ever since then, I've had the reoccurring thought that such a list might be of help and/or interest to some of my readers here as well, so I'm sharing that (now updated and slightly expanded) list here with all of you today.
I fully realize that the sixties and seventies might not be - to borrow a term that would be quite at home in the era, especially in the UK - your bag, but it's important to keep in mind that many of these folks are incredibly passionate about such time frames and that we share a collective love of past in common. As such (and I hope that goes without saying, but…) their sites are every bit as important and worth following as those that focus on earlier (or newer, as the case may be) decades and time periods.
The resurgence in recent years for 1960s and 70s fashions shows no sign of slowing down and I fully suspect that as time goes on, and a greater number of years have passed since those decades wrapped up, an even larger number of folks will embrace such styles and turn to not only wearing and filling their homes with sixties and seventies offerings, but to blogging about them as well.
You may know, and possibly already be following some of these sites, but I hope that at least a few will be new to you and that you'll pop by and say hello to the fine, hard working, vintage adoring folks there sometimes, too.
The following list is one that I composed myself of blogs - arranged alphabetically - that have a particular focus on the 1960s and/or 1970s (that isn't to say that their respective writers don't enjoy/wear other time periods as well, just that at present they put a lot of emphasis on one or both of those decades).
I'm certain that it is not a complete list of such sites by any means (simply an assortment of some of those in the field that I'm most familiar with) and definitely welcome you to share others that you may be aware in the comment section of this post.
Fifteen Wonderful 1960s
and 1970s Vintage Fashion Blogs
1. Celestial Calling: With a piercing gaze, flowing blonde locks, and an immediately evident flower child fashionista vibe, one instantly picks up on the fact that twenty-something year old Caitlan from Australia has the boho hippie spirit flowing through her veins and wardrobe alike and that she's keen to brighten the world with it wherever she goes. (She has also a fun Etsy shop called Goddess Sea where she sells styles akin to those she sports herself.)
2. Get Some Vintage-A-Peel: Helmed by historical costume specialist and avid collector Liz Eggleston, this engaging blog (that will turn a full decade old this year) is chock-a-block full of fabulous, diverse 1960s and 1970s fashion images from a wide array of sources, each of which is informatively presented and deeply enjoyable to spend time with.
3. Happy as a Lark: Laurie and her sense of diverse style are both just plain cool! She described herself as a huge 60s and 70s fan and many of her fabulous ensembles echo that fact, while also often weaving in elements as diverse as ladylike chic to punk rock to mid-century kitsch. Not only does Laurie adore fashion, but she's an avid crafter, too, who counts crocheting and appliqué work amongst her creative passions. (And, just like Caitlan, Laurie has an Etsy shop that shares the same name as her blog, Happy as a Lark, wherein she sells some of her incredibly cute handmade products.)
4. I Broke My Hip Doing The Twist: Retro looks, great music (often on classic vinyl), zine writing, and thrift shopping are amongst Tessa's loves and each one shines through in her vibrant, delightfully fun ensembles, many of which are a strong nod to the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
5. Manic Pop: A mod loving, retro inspired fashion and fabric designer, blogger, and abstract artist, Nicole from Manic Pop is the sort of super cool, super talented gal you just know you'd be good friends with in person and whose sewing and fabric creations you'll find yourself swooning over like a teenage fan at a 1960s Beatles concert.
6. Sewing In The Sixties: Hailing from Down Under, Sydney, Australia based Catherine is a 1960s lover with a penchant (and immense talent) for sewing and a vibrant, fabulously charming, and very chic wardrobe that would make even the most ardant 1940s fan feel a sudden urge to dip their toes into the sartorial waters of the swinging Mod era years.
7. Style Sixties: Chic, fashionable, and devoted to all things 1960s, Sarah from the UK channels the spirit of everyone from Jean Shrimpton to Twiggy with her on point ensembles, which she does a great job of highlighting on her always engaging blog that is busting with snaps featuring retro garments that she sews herself. (And like quite a few of the other bloggers in today's list, Sarah also has an eponymously named Etsy shop, Style Sixties, where she sells clothing, fabrics and patterns from the decade she holds most dear.)
8. Sweet Jane: Unlike most of the other blogs on today's list, this author of this marvelous site does not post many (if any, I'm not honestly sure) photos of herself, instead she shines the well deserved spotlight on a treasure trove of 1960s and 1970s fashion magazine and book images from her personal collection. A must follow for anyone with even the slightest interest in either decade!
9. Tenement Funster: The always lovely Freya is another UK native with an unending love of the sixties, including the Fab Four, which she expresses in a myriad of ways, including through her stop-you-in-your tracks, phenomenally talented art (that could easily have graced the cover of any sixties album). Sweet, creative, stylish, and a keen music lover to boot, Freya's blog always delights with its mix of fun and informative posts (plus, for more of Freya's wonderful 1960s filled world, be sure to check out her cool YouTube channel).
10. The Carnabetian Army: Another devoted fan of The Beatles, popular 1960s fashion blogger Lucy captures the sweetly feminine side of decade especially well via pieces such as baby doll dresses, sheer blouses, and Mary Jane shoes, and leaves one with a hankering to go vintage shopping for some girly Mod era pieces of their own.
11. The Flying Clubhouse: It is a little known fact that I secretly have a very, very strong bohemian side to my fashion sense and were I to let it run wild and free, I like to think it would jive with the impeccably lovely looks that Anna shares on her beautiful blog, The Flying Clubhouse. Each is sophisticated, wonderfully coordinated, and teeming with notes of yesteryear style.
12. The Secondhand Years: Mom, thrift store shopper, and passionate sixties fashion fan, avid blogger Curtise is an inspiring dresser who never shies away from colour, pattern mixing, layering and oodles of other components that help elevate a retro look from merely nice to flat out sensational!
13. Velvet Codeine: LA based blogger Larissa's style is all kinds of earthy, boho, Stevie Nicks approved cool of the sort that you just know would have ensured her a front row spot (if not on the stage itself!) at any groovy rock concert back in the day.
14. Vintage Vixen: A legendary figure in the world of sixties attire, blogger and vintage shop owner Vix is a style maven with a flair for hippy looks, punchy hues, ethnic style influences, and bold, beautiful ensembles that will make your jaw drop time and time again.
15. Waiste: Dreamy, absorbing, and very, very lovely, Sara Louise's expertly curated blog (much like her vintage shop) is a feast for the sixties/seventies, earth child loving soul that never tires of checking out stellar sixties/seventies filled and inspired looks.
Plus...I'd also like to mention my lovely friend Daffny's mid-century focused blog, A Vintage Nerd. While her site is not strictly 1960s (or 70s) centered, Daffny has a longstanding interest in this era and often discusses it in such contexts and films and books, as well as making the sixties an integral part of some of her lovely vintage ensembles.
{All images above care of their respective websites. Please click on an image to be taken to its source.}
☮ ✌ ☮
So often as fans of the 1900s - 1950s, we can be quick to dismiss the fashions and cultural importance of the next two decades that followed those that many of hold nearest and dearest, but doing so is a disservice to ourselves and to history itself. Even if we're not wild about the styles from those years, they were still incredibly poignant, eventful decades that forever changed and shaped the course of history and fashion alike.
From politic strife to civil rights, the Vietnam War to the incredible music scene, pop culture icons to styles that, objectively, often have more in common with those of earlier decades than many of today's present offerings, the 1960s and 1970s are years that we owe it ourselves to get to know better, especially if we didn't get a chance to actually live through them firsthand.
Each of these engaging vintage fashion blogs can help on that front, while also being oodles of fun for all kinds of other reasons, too, and I really do encourage you to visit them all and find some that you might be keen to add to your feedreader.
After all, a vintage lover is a vintage lover, so to speak, regardless of the decades that they hold nearest and dearest and sometimes, you know, it can be downright refreshing to look at the past through the eyes of someone whose key focus is on a time period other than those that we fill our own days with.
