Bless This Dress: Beatnik Babes

Well obviously I love almost everything about 60s style and fashion. Part of what I love is how diverse it was/is. From hardcore Mods and Modettes to Dollybirds, to psychedelic bohemians to beatniks, from op art and couture to go go girls and street style to renaissance revival. Today I'm focussing on Beatnik. Because Black is Back Baby, and it's never been sexier.

Sometimes I like to dress like a Russian Ballerina come Spy. Throw in a 60s element into this, and you have Beatnik. It's also a look that was worked (and rocked) by some of my style icons, so how can I not adore it? Also - unlike Op Art where it can be costly to acquire and difficult to wear short of making a huge statement - Beatnik is understated, and easy and affordable to style.

So those icons I mentioned earlier? Pretty big names of the 60s... Audrey Hepburn. Brigitte Bardot. Ann Margret. Edie Sedgwick.

Audrey made it look cute as hell.

Ann Margret did what she did best - fusing cute with sexy as hell while still proclaiming to the world that she was a spectacular dancer and performer in her own right.

And Brigitte? Well... only she could make a black high collar t-shirt, long pants and a head band look like pure sex, obviously.

Ann Margret proving that you can do Beatnik in colour and print too, with a strong mod influence (while simultaneously showing that she was a goddess with any hair colour)

I adore good fashion illustration, and recently discovered Etsy seller, artist Linear Fashions. I'm now itching to buy some of their work and am pretty obsessed with the Beatnik illustrations. Here's a few favourites... (god damn I want some over the knee suede boots - damn my skinny legs and tiny feet!)

So the modern basics for Beatnik inspired looks?

Some great black 60s shape boots (like these black suede ones: https://www.etsy.com/listing/128686799/vintage-mod-battani-racing-stripe-boots?ref=market)