Hippie Costume Ideas

The hippie subculture was introduced in the United States, during the era of the youth movement of 1960. Hippie costumes, like their way of thinking, are individualistic. Their dressing style represents their free spirits, tending to deviate from the already established genre. Being freedom lovers, they experimented a lot with their costumes and outfits.

Today, hippie culture and their costumes have inspired millions across the world due the nonconformist nature characteristic to Hippies, that has set a unique trend. Their costumes although different from any kind of prevalent fashion, have maintained a style that could be described as natural, simple and liberal.

A single example of a hippie costume won't be enough to describe hippie fashion. Well, all hippie costumes have a few things in common; they include the typical elements that symbolize Hippie trends and represent their free thinking and liberal attitude. Advocating liberalism in life and rejecting the conventional, the hippie culture and their distinctive attire brought about a complete different cult.

The term hippie was actually coined from hipsters, that described a group of people who were aficionados of psychedelic rock and jazz. Gradually, the patterns of pants or trousers that they wore became popular as hipsters.

Pants with free-flowing edges or bell bottoms were highly sought after by both genders. The songs popular during that period featured singers and rock stars with bell bottoms and retro shirts. A jacket or high collared shirt completed their attire.

To know what hippie clothing is, watch John Lennon in his song, Woman. The fashion gained so much popularity that the song Bell Bottom Blues, written by Eric Clapton emerged during that time. The trousers had a typical boot cut and they were extensively wide from the knees, till the end. Since they were fitted tightly on the thighs, they came to be known as hipsters.

To adopt this pattern for your costume, you can get your dress designed from a reputed tailoring house and customize your dress according to your own choice.

Costume outlets and shopping malls have a collection of such dresses that include bell bottoms, hipsters, retro shirts and jackets. Purchase something that will suit your personality. Add a tie and wrap a broad belt around your waist to look perfectly like a hippie. Hipsters and bell bottoms suit both men and women.

Skirts were more popular among females, than in males! And loose flowing robes being tailored in odd cuts were highly popular then. Gypsy style skirts, flattering mini and mid length skirts were excessively flaunted along with cool and unique jewelry. Angel sleeves were incorporated in robes that were mostly of plus sizes.

The woodstock look was donned by young gals where they wore peasant tops with long or short skirts. The skirts contained neat hem stitches on borders or at the end. Women either stayed simple or adorned themselves with subtle jewelry pieces that included anklets, necklaces and wristlets.

Sleeveless robes in tones of white, yellow and saffron became an established fashion among the male folks.

Open frilled skirts sewed with sections of laces, imprinted with flowers, blocks and semi-traditional prints are quite affordable. This pattern suits best with long and mid length skirts. When you wear a skirt, make sure you have adorned yourself with jewelry having beaded detailing. Flowers tucked on the hair would definitely add elegance to your look. Keep the blouse short and opt for chiffon or cotton finished fabrics that would match your skirt.

The tie-dye effect on clothing had contemporary appeal and it was more often mixed with a rugged look. Jeans had an effect of being deliberately bleached and the tattered look was known to possess a high degree of fashion. Their clothes had a blend of multiple colors, often in the form of rainbows.

Tie-dye effect was produced by customizing outfits in different tones. Dyes were splashed randomly over fabrics to acquire the tie-dye look. Jeans were washed and bleached to fade the color while they were torn apart or patched to create a more crude appeal.

The peace symbol was randomly seen on costumes and they embarked upon this idea to sustain the peace movement. The tie-dye effect has revived and Asian textiles and garments contain such prints and motifs. Both men and women are equally familiar with tie-dye outfits.

If you are ready to adopt the tie-dye effect for your apparel, then I would suggest you to purchase a few sets of loose angled sleeved tops, one piece robes and extra large casual shirts. Tie-dyed clothing is readily available at garment outlets and you can easily make an unconventional fashion statement for yourself. Wear cool floaters or flip flops with the costume.

Wearing belts, colorful floaters and jewelry became the hallmark of hippie fashion. Long hair decked up with hair accessories like bands, beads and bandanna was considered to be a unisex fashion. Flip flops, boots and gladiators were common among hippies and thus, you can see that they had their own dressing styles that were diverse and varied.

Worth to mention, 'the concept of flower power' was wildly followed by them. Decking oneself with garlands, flowers, petals was held up as a symbol of peace. You can go for these accessories and dress up the hippie way!

With this elaborate description, I'm sure you have derived a fair concept about the hippie style of clothing. Their dressing style is being adopted by the present generation and with this, the hippie cult has revived once again.

Hippie costume ideas are more about feeling free and comfortable, being Hippie is about being on your own, looking the way you want to and dressing up in your own unique style! Now, that can be in semblance with some and the other way round with others. Which group do you belong to?!