Sweet ‘60s: Reliving the Decade Through Cosplay, TV and Thought

By Shrey Sankalp

I want you to picture something.

It’s a crisp February morning, with a slight chill in the air and the sun shining brightly—signifying the weather will be fairly pleasant.

There’s commotion as you walk down Madison Avenue, nothing out of the ordinary, but a faintly loud buzz as people ramble on about the day’s prospects.

NewYorkDailyNews.com

You’ve got your best hat on, color matched to your tailored suit and overcoat, and you’ve got a rich leather briefcase in one hand, and the day’s pink paper in the other.

Except the paper is dated some five decades ago.

Really takes you back, doesn’t it?

All that’s missing is some Technicolor and a jazz score and you might as well be back in the ‘60s.

Or, you know, on an episode of Mad Men.

Source: HuffingtonPost.com

The ‘60s were a culturally and historically significant decade. There have been more packed decades, but the ‘60s served as a bridge between the modern world and “the past” with the relaxation in social norms, elimination of taboos and a complete revolution when it came to clothing, music, “recreation” and whatnot.

It’s been argued as to how the ‘60s were more of a showcase of the excesses prevalent in the human nature and its consequences, because they eventually did lead to events that either shocked humanity, or made us proud— or at the very least did something that added to the volume of our history books—but there was constant “action” that’s hard to come by in this day and age.

Just listen to one of the old timers talk and you’ll see what I mean.

The ‘60s had a very profound impact on the artistic and cultural landscape of the world as well; it gave us The Beatles, Richard Yates’ seminal novel ‘Revolutionary Road’ and countless unforgettable feature films.

This decade was all about the aesthetic, and its impact has spilled out into the present millennium as well.

You would be surprised at the devotion Hollywood has towards the ‘60s, with a vast number of its producers still set in, or deriving inspiration from the decade in some way or the other. And that’s not a bad thing at all! How else are we gonna get the opportunity to live those moments vicariously?

Perhaps no one does it better than Matthew Wiener’s excellent drama Mad Men.

Source: HuffingtonPost.com

Much like the decade it’s set in, it has become a corner of pop culture that cannot be overlooked.

If living the decade vicariously is what you’re looking for, you can’t do better than the show.

Granted, at first it feels like the setting is a gimmick because the characters could have been set in the present day and the story would still have the same impact, but when you really start to observe the fantastic attention to detail that’s been poured into the making of the show, you realize it’s an entire generation condensed into seven seasons of television – from the hairstyles (Brylcreem is forever), to the well-cut suits, the beautiful dresses, to even seemingly minor things like accessories, everything is a perfect recreation.  As any cosplayer or history enthusiast would know, it’s the little details that help flesh out the bigger picture.

There’s a growing number of anachronistic cosplayers (not talking about steampunk here) who have been trying to bring the ‘60s back aesthetically, and the attention to detail I mentioned is what they seem to miss. 

It’s not an anachronistic cosplay if you’ve got the ‘60s hairdo but are wearing a slim fit suit, or are still using your iPhones and your Galaxies! A cosplay like this is rich and complex, and should be done as such.Source: Pinterest.com

It’s of utmost importance that you’ve got the right costumes, the right accessories and the right layout – even if a small detail like a lamp or the wallpaper feels off, it takes you out of the moment, and it’s necessary you pour in the time to research and map out the details.

There’s a reason every episode of Mad Men costs $3 million, you know.

But ultimately it’s our past, and we’re reliving it to satiate our nostalgia, however much we can.

Our past tends to define our future, but we’re not ultimately beholden to them.

They shape who we are, and who we’re going to be, but nothing is absolute.

The world learnt a lot of crucial lessons too – we made mistakes, we conquered our fears, we reached new heights and experienced lows we hoped we never had to.

Ultimately, we lived and we learned, and having led an eventful life and settled into a sense of calm for the time being, it’s only natural to feel the pull of those old times.

There aren’t a lot of ways we can relive our past, but then what do you know?

I guess one of the benefits of the modern world is we can always go back in time, if only for a short while, if only to address those sudden pangs of nostalgia.

And you know how profound one moment can be – sometimes it’s all it takes to find your perpetually elusive moment of clarity.

Life isn’t an episode of Mad Men, but if it were, this is the part where we’d be smash cutting to the Hilltop Coca Cola advertisement.

Source: AdWeek.com

You know what that entails.

We’ve come full circle, and that means I’m okay and you’re okay.

Celebrating the ‘60s can be as simple as reminiscing of the times to a Beatles tune, watching an episode of Mad Men or talking to a Vietnam vet.  But the true vessel travel back in time to the days of hippies and revolution is through costumes.  Celebrating the 60s in proper fashion that stays true to this symbolic time is the best way to recreate the feel of the decade.  You can see it in the costumes used in TV shows and movies set in those times, but costuming is an element that also has a place in real life.  From cosplayers to Halloweeners and everyday folks attending 1960s costume parties, the outfits and accessories from the time are instrumental in the true representation of era.  If you are interested in the most legit 1960s costumes for your next event, check out our 1960s and hippie collection where you will be able to express yourself in traditional ‘60s outfits.  Be it a hippie, rock star, ‘60s or go-go dancer, you will find your 1960s persona.