Psychedelic?

foofoogal

foofoogal

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I recently wrote a blog about search terms for vintage on Ruby Lane. Like deadstock etc.

I am obsessed with 1960s Psychedelic and pretty much always have been. With the current popularity of it I am now over the line with it.

My ? is I see mod, op art, opt art etc. Even boho which I do not put with that time period.

So is there a proper term for wild colored 1960s/ 1970s that the VFG hold?

Hippie chic unless one lived during that time which I did and know it when I see it but it sure would make it easier to search if it could be pinned down better. Sandy

Any help appreciated.

or what other terms can I use to find it? My ? is not about the terms I mentioned as I know them but the terms that I see people use.
 
So is there a proper term for wild colored 1960s/ 1970s that the VFG hold?
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Sandy, if you're asking if we have an actual "definition" of psychedelic, then, no I don't think we do! I guess I'm not quite sure I understand the question.... As with just about any popular keyword these days, people use, abuse, and misuse them to death. You & I both lived during the "psychedelic" era, and, as you say, know it when we see it. LOL! I do see a lot of plain old "flower power" dresses being called psychedelic, and while some are, I'd say most aren't. You mention op art--that term is often used incorrectly, too.

As far as terms used to describe psychedelic without them using that term, so searching might yield better results (maybe that's the crux of your question?), years ago folks would use "hippie" (not "hippie chic") as a descriptor for psychedelic prints. I'm kind of out of the loop now, as I used to sell a lot of 60s/70s dresses but not so much now, but I'm guessing it's hard to narrow down true psychedelic fashions through the use of keywords--probably just have to search and scan the results....
 
Thank you Anne. I did sort of ramble in my ?
I guess it just frustrates me trying to do a specific search for this type of clothing and I do search for hours online for this.

Possibly a clarification of op art and mod. Several generations have passed and now sell it online.
The word psychedelic itself is a mouth full.
It is amusing to see how it is described by some. I tend to use mod quite a bit.
Other categories of glass and such have historical terms but possibly I am looking at it wrongly with my expectations.
I do find this time period fascinating. From a bit of research on the terms since my post mod came more from London originally from modernist. Op Art from optical illusion. When I think Hippie I think Janis Joplin, flowers, flowy dresses, suede fringe etc.
 
foofoogal said:
I guess it just frustrates me trying to do a specific search for this type of clothing and I do search for hours online for this.
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I think we all hear your pain on this! The use of terms change over time, and key word spamming, as it's called, is rife. Even if there were a clear definition, you can be sure that unscrupulous sellers would use it wrongly, to try and get traffic to their particular item even it didn't fit the style.

However, 'psychedelic' and 'psych' are both good KWs used for this style, and I do find many sellers use 'bright' for the wild colours, so if you add that, it that might help narrow down your search results.

I just did a quick ebay search for '60s pyschedelic bright' - try it, see if those results are what you are looking for.
 
Another KW to try is Pucciesque - ie reminiscent of Emilio Pucci's bright pyschedelic prints
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That's a really good point, Ruth!

I think several styles of clothing can be done in psychedelic prints--so you can get a hippie dress that's psychedelic. Since the hippie movement/related drug culture was infamous for the trippy psychedelic experience, a lot of hippie clothing had psychedelic prints and colors. Tunics, caftans, printed-fabric bellbottoms (remember those--LOL!), etc. It can be really hard to sort through hundreds of listings to find what you're looking for in psychedelic! Mod, for example, isn't something I personally associate right off with psychedelic, although mod styles can be done in psychedelic prints. Personally, I associate the slightly later hippie look more with "psychedelic" than the mod look--and of course, during the transition years from the heyday of one to the heyday of the other, either style could have elements of the other--at least in my own teenaged buying and wearing experience. I don't think there's as much of a line during that time between the mod and hippie styles as some people think--it's not "black & white" (in more ways than one!). At least in this former more-mod-than-rocker and subsequent young hippie's mind.....

To wander a bit afield, and this is brought to mind by your point that op art is derived from "optical illusion" art, wherein shapes appear to move or change or be distorted as the viewer looks at them. The term "op art" in vintage clothing must be one of the most misused terms I've ever seen!!!!! What sellers call op art today often bears no resemblance to what it was when first introduced. Seems like anything with a big print and bright colors is called op art, but it's not.... (I may not know a lot about many historic styles, but I was around and of the "fashion-interested" age when op art was in its heyday, so this is something I'm familiar with, maybe one of the few things.) If you went to any art gallery, art museum, or looked at the fashion mags then, what was being marketed as "op art" bore little resemblance to what you see online today as fashion op art.

Anyway, pardon my ramble--this all just brings back so many closet and culture memories. I'm waxing nostalgic here....
 
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