The 1960s brought us The Beatles, Bob Dylan, beehive hairstyles, the civil rights movement, ATMs, audio cassettes, the Flintstones, and some of the most iconic fashion ever. It was a time of miniskirts, Mary Janes, shift dresses, bright colors, bold prints, bikinis and the rise of “boho.” Names like Jackie Kennedy, Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn, Twiggy and Sophia Loren live on to this day.
A number of designers turned to the '60s for inspiration when they showcased their Spring/Summer collections for 2025. Bored Panda decided to jump on the bandwagon and search for the best vintage photos of 1960s fashion in action. It turns out people have been sharing pics of their parents and grandparents from back in the day, all dressed up with somewhere to go. We compiled our own classic fashion collection for your scrolling pleasure. Don't forget to upvote the ones you'll be trying out next year.
#1 Another Photo Of My Grandmother, 1950s Or 60s I Think
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#2 My Grandmother Was A Model In The 1950s And 60s
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#3 My American Grandmother Visiting Athens In The 1960s
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The 1960s saw a rise in student activism, mass protests, feminism, and of course, hemlines. A British designer called Mary Quant is largely credited as the pioneer of the miniskirt. Along with model Twiggy, Quant started pushing the boundaries of what was deemed appropriate in the early '60s when she raised the hemline of skirts to roughly six inches above the knee. Quant christened the short skirts "minis" after her favorite type of car. And by the late '60s, American women across all walks of life were bearing much more leg than they had dared to in the past.
#4 My Grandpa In The ‘60s Looking Like He Walked Out Of A Ray-Bans Ad
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#5 My Grandma In The 60s
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#6 My Mom Sometime In The 60s
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"The miniskirt was an extraordinary phenomenon and had a big impact because it was part of the emerging youth culture of the 1960s and it was very much an expression of that youth culture and also of the beginnings of the sexual liberation movement due to the invention of the birth control pill," said Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at FIT. "So it was kind of a historic moment."
#7 My Grandma In The 60s Looking Like A Model
Image credits: Im_Big_In_Japan
#8 Today Is My Mothers Birthday And Father’s Day. I’m Celebrating Their Lives With A Few Groovy Photos. My Parents Fled Cuba As Exiles In The Early 60s. The Met In Miami In The 70s At A Macrame Party. My Dad Was The Macrame Teacher. They Are Still The Coolest People In Miami
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#9 My Grandma As Miss Santa Clara With Clint Eastwood In The 60s
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Although wildly popular, the rebellious item of clothing wasn’t accepted by everyone and created much controversy. As the BBC reported, “Pioneer feminist Betty Friedan saw miniskirts as sexist symbols or little doll outfits that hampered serious pursuits. On the other hand, the American feminist Gloria Steinem argued that sporting a miniskirt was a transgressive act and she wore them to rallies.” Iconic fashion designer Coco Chanel also called the miniskirt “just awful.”
While the mini fast became an activist statement and symbol of women’s liberation, the designer behind its popularity later revealed that wasn’t her initial intention. “I didn’t set out to shock,” said Quant. “I wanted to be able to move around, go to work, go out in the evening to somewhere where I could dance half the night away.”
“Middle age business men would beat on the window and shout ‘It’s obscene, it’s disgusting.’ Extraordinary, isn’t it!” Quant once remarked during an interview with British Vogue.
#10 My Ever So Elegant Grandmother In The 50s-60s. She Did Some Japanese-American Modeling For A Bit
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#11 My Grandmother In The 1960s
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#12 My Grandmother Late 1960s
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Quant might not have set out to shock, but that's exactly what she ended up doing. Miniskirts were banned in certain places, and some countries even made it illegal to wear them. "Miniskirts were blamed for corrupting the morality of youth, for deteriorating women’s health, and for destroying women’s feminine charms and respectability," reported the Saturday Evening Post.
"High schools across the country banned the style, claiming that the short lengths led to a 'distraction' among fellow students, and employers sought to prohibit their workers from wearing minis to the office."
#13 My Adorable Grandmother In The 1960s
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#14 Grandmother And Grandfather Circa 1960
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#15 Mom & Pops Back In The 60s
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The controversy around the miniskirt extended beyond those who wore it. To this day, debate rages on about who the true “inventor” was. While Quant popularized rising hemlines in Britain, French designer André Courrèges had also begun experimenting with skirt lengths in the '60s. He showcased his above-the-knee space-age dresses in 1964.
#16 Another Photo Of My Mum In The 60s
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#17 My Aji (Grandma) On The Right With Her Friend In The 60s
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#18 My Grandma Getting Ready For Her Wedding, 1960
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The two designers previously both laid claim to being the miniskirt's pioneer. And Quant once tried to put the debate to bed by saying “It wasn’t me or Courrèges who invented the miniskirt anyway—it was the girls in the street who did it.” But, as Bored Panda found out, history shows that she was wrong...
#19 My Grandma And Grandpa In The 1960’s
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#20 My Parents On Honeymoon Mid 60s. Still Together And Best People I Know
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#21 My 28 Year Old Grandpa In 1963, Bucharest Romania
My grandfather was a photographer among other things so we have a pretty big collection of old pictures from him, including this one. Me and my brother decided to make an Instagram account to share his work with the world. If you want to check his “virtual gallery” is gxg.georgescu.
Image credits: Alicewonderingaround
Interestingly, neither Quant nor Courrèges "invented" the itsy-bitsy garment. There's evidence that people loved flashing some thigh as far back as 5400 BC. From early European civilizations to the ancient Egyptians, there was no shame in showing a little, or a lot of, leg.
"Archaeologists have uncovered ancient figurines dating back to 5400-4700 BC that depict females wearing skirts like the 60s mini, indicating this was a common form of dress in early civilisations," notes fabric print-on-demand company Contrado. "However, it's impossible to say whether this was purely for practicality or other more liberating reasons."
#22 Found This Old Photo Of My Dad Being Cool. 1960s. Mackinac Island. (He's On The Left.)
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#23 My Grandpa And Grandma Getting Married. 1960
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#24 My Grandma And Grandpa At A Cocktail Party In The Early 60's
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Regardless of who "invented" the mini, Quant's contribution to fashion can't be disputed. In 1966, she was recognized by the Queen when she received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) medal. "Quant was photographed at Buckingham Palace wearing one of her own trademark jersey minidresses, helping to promote her distinctive look around the world," notes Britain's Victoria And Albert Museum.
#25 My Grandma, Great-Grandma, And Great-Great-Grandma In The '60s
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#26 My Grandmother, 1960’s
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#27 My Grandfather, Grandmother, My Mom And Her Siblings After Mass In The 1960s. My Grandmother Is Now 95 And Going Strong
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#28 Wedding 1950/60s
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#29 My Aforementioned Grandpa Being Oldschoolcool Through The Years (60s Onward)
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#30 I Love Seeing How Fashion Trends Come And Go. This Is A Photo Of My Grandfather Taken Roughly In The Late 60s To Early 70s. His Tracksuit Is Definitely Back In Style!
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#31 My Parent’s Band, Late 1960s
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#32 Somebody’s Memaw Was The Life Of The Party! (Late 60s/Early 70s)
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#33 1950s Or 60s Mom And Daughters In Miami?
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#34 Someone Posted A Beehive Hairdo Here A While Ago And I Thought I’d Share This Pic Of My Mom In The 60’s. She Absolutely Hated It
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#35 My Grandma, Cocoa Beach 1960
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#36 Two Guys 1950/60s
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#37 Mother, Me And Grandmother All Dressed For Easter 1960s
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#38 Mum And Grandma In The 60s
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#39 1960’s. My Paternal Grandmother And Grandfather At Their High School Prom
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#40 Mom Was A Cheerleader In College In The Late 60s/Early 70s
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#41 My Grandpa And Grandma In Bogotá, Colombia Circa 1960. Bogotá Was Known As The "Athens Of Latin America" At The Time
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#42 My Grandma Belly Dancing C. Late 1960s. She’s Currently 73 And Still Teaches Zumba And Step Classes In Her Spare Time
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#43 Leaving Church Easter Sunday Morning In Grand Isle, La C 1960
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#44 My Grandpa (Left) In The 60s
Time could be off but he looks to me like he is in his early 20s and Google tells me there where coats like that at that time.
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#45 My Grandparents In The ‘60s
I found these pictures i didn’t know i had of my grandparents. My mom never talked about my grandma, looking at her photographs feels eerie because they look so alike. I always thought my mom was the most beautiful woman ever, now i know where she got it from.
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#46 My Grandmother And Her Friends (And One Of Them Rocking Ysl?) In The 60's. My Grandmother Is On The Right
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#47 My Grandma Meeting Debbie Reynolds C. 60s-70s
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#48 My Grandpa Taking A Selfie In The 1960s
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#49 My Grandma Modeled In The 60s
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#50 Great Grandma On Vacation. Can Anyone ID The Country??? [1960s]
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