You are What You Wear
(Or Wore What You Could Afford)

What truly made Classic Beatlemaniacs stand out from their non-believing peers was the “Look.” One fan could usually spot another by the haircut, jewelry, hat, footwear and clothing.

An industry grew up around the Beatle image. In the beginning, it was a silly Beatle wig worn for fun, or perhaps chopping your bangs (fringe) and clipping your hair collar-length just like theirs. Early fans collected cheap oversized laminated Beatle buttons, and proudly pinned them on their coats or handbags. Long-haired girls took to ironing their tresses to copy the style of London models.

It was the dawn of merchandising to teenagers. Jewelry, footwear, make-up, hat and clothing manufacturers got on the Beatles’ bandwagon to offer fans a wide array of items. All were guaranteed to make you feel closer to your idols and to deplete your weekly allowance.

"John Lennon” caps were soon big with fans. These were originally called baker boy, schoolboy, workman or seaman caps. They were made popular by the Beatles, especially John. Manufactured in a variety of smart colors and fabrics, you could choose between popular black wool or velvet, corduroys, plaids and even lightweight denims. They were especially great in winter, but not a practical choice when your summer hairdo was plastered to your head with perspiration. My fav was a black velvet number. I wish I knew where it disappeared.

Beatle bling made its appearance in chunky charm bracelets, ID bracelets just like Paul’s own, loads of glittery Ringo rings, and even specialized jewelry in the shape of guitars featuring your beloved Beatle.

Black leather ankle-length Beatle boots with Cuban heels were really “in” for guys. The combination of Beatle-style hair, dark turtleneck sweater, black leather jacket and Beatle boots was guaranteed to catch a female Beatlemaniac off guard—and teenage boys used this ploy. In summer, Beatle sneakers, which featured tiny mop top heads, were in vogue. Popular during winter months were knee-high leather boots for girls to wear with their shorter skirts—fashioned after the Mod looks originating from London. This youthquake movement was personified by British model Twiggy.

Naturally, some of these Beatles’ fashion items were rather pricey. A Mod dress with a trendy Mary Quant label could take a big chunk out of your dad’s salary down at the factory. So that goodie didn’t find a way into your closet. Most of us had to settle for knock-off fashions that looked Mod, but weren’t imported from the U.K.  There were the Mod Chelsea-look white collar, high-waisted dresses and skimpy, clingy ribbed knit poor boy sweaters. One of the latter was worn by Paul’s gal pal Jane Asher in the film Alfie. My first poor boy sweater was powder blue, and I wore it to death. Op Art, Pop Art and geometric prints were other fashion statements during the mid ‘60s. And don’t forget the white textured tights.

Cosmetic companies marketed their products more and more to the lucrative teenage market. The eyes had it as they especially emphasized dramatic heavy mascara, kohl black eyeliner and false lashes. All we had to do was check the fan mags to see the latest trends worn by the Beatles, their wives, girlfriends and fellow celebrities.

Mod was magnificent, but the times were a changing.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band... the psychedelic movement... and the Beatles metamorphosis was complete. Suddenly, John, Paul, George and Ringo were into psychedelic threads: long hair, tinted glasses, jeans and Indian tunics. The Flower Power look caught on with many fans too, as Classic Beatlemaniacs were college bound on the threshold of this era leaving adolescence behind.

We all know that the Beatles not only launched a revolution in music, but they left their indelible mark on the culture of that fab era.

Send us your memories of what you wore way back when to PGS@HyLitRadio.com

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