DESIGN: Exhibits trace decades-old fashion, fabric trends

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By Deborah K. Dietsch

"Clothing the Rebellious Soul" at George Washington University's Luther W. Brady Art Gallery is a nostalgic look at counterculture fashions of the 1960s and early 1970s. Mannequins dressed in vintage bell-bottoms, peasant blouses and mini skirts reflect the hallmarks of hippie style from the Woodstock generation.

Organized by vintage clothiers Nancy Gewirz and Mark Hooper, the exhibit takes baby boomers on a groovy trip down memory lane. At the same time, it reminds younger viewers that the bohemian fashions now in vogue came from their parents' beads, peace signs and psychedelic prints.

The curators have made an effort to connect the designs to their turbulent times with posters, record albums and memorabilia from the era. For hippie youth, clothing became a means of personal protest against the establishment. Wearing a camouflage Army shirt or a jacket adorned with the American flag was more than a fashion statement; it was a political statement about the unpopular Vietnam War.

Three-piece suits and shirtwaist dresses were cast aside for casual, mismatched garb expressive of nonconformity. The exhibit reflects this eclectic style in vintage outfits put together from Victorian-style camisoles, military gear, leather halter tops, crocheted dresses and ethnic pieces from India, Hungary and Mexico.

Denim jeans and jackets, the uniform of the era, are shown to be individualized by both sexes with hand-painted decorations, embroidery and political buttons.

Indian-style moccasins and beaded headbands, colorful bandanas and tinted granny glasses finished the look.

The only significant item missing from the gallery's hippie love-in is a tie-dyed T-shirt, a curious oversight given the curators' clear affection for the period.

Surrounding the clothing are song lyrics from popular bands as reminders of the musicians who set the hip fashion trends. Leading the way were Janis Joplin in a feather boa, Jimi Hendrix in a fringed jacket and Jim Morrison in leather pants, all recalled in photographs by Elaine Mayes, who documented rock groups during the 1960s.

Andy Warhol's pop art also played a role in designs such as "The Souper Dress," a paper shift emblazoned with Campbell soup cans. Even more emblematic of the period are the brightly colored artworks by Peter Max, but his important influence on 1960s fashion is only conveyed through a horoscope-decorated scarf displayed in a vitrine outside the gallery.

In addition to the clothes are documents and artifacts from the 1960s and 1970s in hallway displays to remind viewers of the decades' social and political unrest. Raised fists symbolizing black power, recruiting brochures for the radical Students for a Democratic Society and an Army helmet emblazoned with "draft beer, not students" are among the mementos representing the civil rights and anti-war movements.