Showing posts with label 1964. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1964. Show all posts

Sunday, 3 April 2016

Part four exploring The Beatles style from 1961 to 1970, compiled and written by guest blogger, Harrison. In this installment the Beatles move into military style and also into more casual attire. You can also create your very own Beatles inspired look with this guide.

'64 - '65
The In-betweeners 



The Beatles performing at Shea Stadium, New York.


"It's all sort of important in good ways and it's unimportant really in other ways."
- Ringo Starr


In 1964 through 1965, The Beatles were riding high on a wave of commercial and critical success. The lads performed at Shea Stadium in New York City on August 15th, 1965. In attendance were over 55,000 concertgoers, which made this the Beatles largest concert up to that date. 

A replica of the Beatles "Shea" jacket,
signed by Paul McCartney.
The Beatles continued to wear matching stage suits when they performed. The Shea Stadium suits are arguably their most iconic look from the mid 1960s. The military style single breasted tan coloured jacket with five brown buttons down the front, one smaller button on each chest pocket and also one button on each shoulder. The 'Wells Fargo' sheriff badge is optional. Underneath the jackets, instead of wearing dress shirts, they wore black t-shirts, which matched their black drainpipe trousers and "Beatle boots".  

However, their personal style had evolved and they became more easily identified through their interviews, photoshoots and personal appearances as individuals instead of one entity. Perhaps the best example of their individual style is contained in the second movie they starred in, which was also the first one in colour, Help! A comedy adventure that revolves around Ringo Starr's ring and the mysterious cult that will do anything to obtain it!




Sunday, 20 March 2016

Part three of our series exploring The Beatles style from 1961 to 1970, compiled and written by our guest blogger, Harrison. In this instalment the Beatles embrace their suited look. You can also create your very own Beatles inspired look with this guide.

'63 - '64
The Toppermost Of the Poppermost



The Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan Show. 1964.


"So we got suits and ties and stuff and we went on like that. We gained a whole new audience and lost all the people who wanted us in leather."
- Paul McCartney 


In 1963, The Beatles were headed to the toppermost of the poppermost. Although there is debate over which single was their first U.K. number one hit, From Me To You went to the top of the charts in May. The group's first number one hit in America was I Want To Hold Your Hand. It entered the charts in January of 1964, and in the first week of February, just before their arrival, the song jumped to number one. 

The Beatles look evolved with their growing success and popularity. They no longer wore their round neck collarless suits. Their stage suits were always a variation of the traditional English Chesterfield, however, in early 1964 the lads had a special suit designed for them by Douglas Millings. The winged velvet collar suit was made for their debut American television performance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9th, 1964. They joined the club of their musical idols, Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly, who'd previously performed on the programme. The former sent them a telegram prior to their performance to congratulate them.  

The black suits they wore on Ed Sullivan were mohair, four button jackets with three button cuffs. They had no outer pockets, but the fully lined inside had double breast pockets. The double vent back allowed them to move more freely when they performed and also made running from fans easier. They continued to wear narrow ankle drainpipe trousers. The slacks also had tab adjustments on the waistband to make the drainies smaller at the waist and eliminating the need for a belt.