Tiki Fashion of the early 1960s - General Tiki

R Rattiki Member Key West, FL Joined: May 03, 2003 Posts: 422	R Rattiki Posted posted on Wed, Oct 11, 2006 7:54 AM Well I've really gotten into retro clothes (and hats) for me and my girl the last few years so I'l chuck in my nickel's worth and say; from what I've seen in pix of tropical parties, supper/nightclubs, luaus and bars over the years it seems there were 3 levels of dress portrayed. First and foremost the 50's-60's Rat-Pack era was quite formal by today's standards, and it was gentlemen in jackets and ties, and the ladies in tight acetate cocktail or a fancy sarong style dresses, both with maybe a lei about their neck. This was the look for supper clubs such as the Kahiki or Trader Vics (hell it was the look just to go shopping or to the movies back then!). Check out http://whirlingturban.com/ for some awesome high style sarong dresses and other similar stunning dresses! Then there is the more casual look with guys in a NICE ironed Hawaiian Shirt with long PRESSED slacks (such as linen or a cotton/rayon blend, and rarely shorts) and gals in sarong style dress of a less formal style or maybe even an actual QUALITY sarong tied properly (easy to do and it is surprising how nice a straight, 'finished' piece of batik or bark-cloth or just a tropo print material can look when it is tied well). If it was an outdoor affair men may have worn hats. Pork pies and fedoras made of straw, visca or panama (which is made from a type of palm) were common, and ALWAYS with a 1-1/2" or less stingy brim (NOT a 2"+ broad brim!). Lastly there was the beach-bum look which seems to have been more a joke than actually applied. This was a marooned on a desert island look that was probably popular with the newly emerging surfer crowd which consisted of bare-feet (or sandals), shorts (sometimes looking cut off and disheveled), cheaper looking print Hawaiian shirts and palm frond hats (stingy or broad brimmed) for the hep cat beach-bum and loosely tied sarongs maybe over or around a one piece swimsuit (or modest 2 piece bikini), or a moo-moo (not the huge bags that we think of today, but just a tasteful, more modest looking Hawaiian style dress) for the krazy kittens. You see this look portrayed at beachside luaus and poolside BBQs in postcards from the era. Remember the shockingly sloppy and disheveled look of the hippy movement was still 6-8 years away and in 1960 it was de rigueur to be sharp, pressed, and have clean lines. Well presented was the way of the day! :wink: [ Edited by: Rattiki 2006-10-11 08:06 ]

Well I've really gotten into retro clothes (and hats) for me and my girl the last few years so I'l chuck in my nickel's worth and say; from what I've seen in pix of tropical parties, supper/nightclubs, luaus and bars over the years it seems there were 3 levels of dress portrayed. First and foremost the 50's-60's Rat-Pack era was quite formal by today's standards, and it was gentlemen in jackets and ties, and the ladies in tight acetate cocktail or a fancy sarong style dresses, both with maybe a lei about their neck. This was the look for supper clubs such as the Kahiki or Trader Vics (hell it was the look just to go shopping or to the movies back then!). Check out http://whirlingturban.com/ for some awesome high style sarong dresses and other similar stunning dresses!

Then there is the more casual look with guys in a NICE ironed Hawaiian Shirt with long PRESSED slacks (such as linen or a cotton/rayon blend, and rarely shorts) and gals in sarong style dress of a less formal style or maybe even an actual QUALITY sarong tied properly (easy to do and it is surprising how nice a straight, 'finished' piece of batik or bark-cloth or just a tropo print material can look when it is tied well). If it was an outdoor affair men may have worn hats. Pork pies and fedoras made of straw, visca or panama (which is made from a type of palm) were common, and ALWAYS with a 1-1/2" or less stingy brim (NOT a 2"+ broad brim!).

Lastly there was the beach-bum look which seems to have been more a joke than actually applied. This was a marooned on a desert island look that was probably popular with the newly emerging surfer crowd which consisted of bare-feet (or sandals), shorts (sometimes looking cut off and disheveled), cheaper looking print Hawaiian shirts and palm frond hats (stingy or broad brimmed) for the hep cat beach-bum and loosely tied sarongs maybe over or around a one piece swimsuit (or modest 2 piece bikini), or a moo-moo (not the huge bags that we think of today, but just a tasteful, more modest looking Hawaiian style dress) for the krazy kittens. You see this look portrayed at beachside luaus and poolside BBQs in postcards from the era.

Remember the shockingly sloppy and disheveled look of the hippy movement was still 6-8 years away and in 1960 it was de rigueur to be sharp, pressed, and have clean lines. Well presented was the way of the day! :wink:

[ Edited by: Rattiki 2006-10-11 08:06 ]

Post #260147 by Rattiki on Wed, Oct 11, 2006 7:54 AM