Bell Bottoms - The Fashion Cycle

A look at the fashion cycle of Bell Bottom pants, a staple of the retro era.

1. Bell Bottoms The Fashion Cycle

2. Introduction

3. 1960 They were introduced as a high fashion product in the mid 1960s. At the time it was inspired from sailor’s pants, which had a noticeably wider leg than other pants for the sailors to roll them up while scrubbing on deck.

4. RISE

5. Late 1960 They went from high fashion to a part of the hippie counter culture movement. It was a way for the youth to deplore modern fashion. Many of them would make it themselves by inserting pieces of fabric from the knee of the jeans. There the bell bottoms were paired with tie-dye shirts and granny glasses. After this they got very popular and moved into the mainstream.

6. PEAK

7. 1970 With the trend of bell bottoms growing, the garment industry began to mass produce bell bottoms. The bells were further popularized by various celebrities such as David Bowie and Sonny & Cher. They also began to come in a variety of fabrics ranging from denims to polyester and even cotton.

8. Decline The Bell Bottom fashion never really declined or passed into obsolence instead it remained a classic and was re-invented in different styles.

9. DIFFERENT STYLES

10. HIP HUGGERS

11. ELEPHANT BELLS

12. BOOTCUT

13. FLARED

14. CONCLUSION Even with the advent of skinny jeans and classic jeans the flared and bootcut versions still remain relatively popular. Therefore it would be wrong to say that Bell Bottoms are obsolete. They have simply evolved.