In 1968, a magazine called ‘Thai Fashion’ offered a look at the styles popular in Thailand. The cover featured Miss Thailand from that year in a beautiful traditional Thai dress. This style included elegant silk fabrics and specific ways of wrapping or wearing the cloth, showing respect for Thai culture and history. However, when you opened the magazine, the pictures inside showed something quite different.
The inside pages were filled with fashion that reflected the “swinging sixties” trends popular in places like London and other Western cities at the time. This was a period of big changes in fashion, with styles becoming more youthful and daring. The magazine showed models wearing dresses with bright flower designs. These patterns were very common in 1960s fashion and represented a cheerful, sometimes psychedelic, look.
Mini skirts were also featured. These skirts had hemlines well above the knee and were a major symbol of the swinging sixties. Seeing them in a Thai magazine in 1968 shows how global fashion trends were reaching Thailand. Hot pants, which were very short shorts, were also shown. This was another bold style that became fashionable in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their appearance in the magazine highlights a move towards more revealing and casual clothing styles.
The fabrics used for these modern styles in Thailand likely included both local silks and imported materials. Thai silk was known for its beautiful colors and quality, and designers often blended traditional craftsmanship with new designs. The styles shown in the magazine represented a mix of global influences and local interpretations.
Looking through the pages, you would see models with hairstyles and makeup that also fit the 1960s look. Hair was often styled in bouffants or other popular shapes of the decade, and makeup trends from the era were visible. The magazine presented a vision of modern Thai women embracing contemporary fashion. It showed that 1968 in Thailand was a time when traditional styles existed alongside exciting new looks influenced by global trends.
