As I write my next novel I’ve been researching fashions of the early 1960s – the setting for my forthcoming book. Many readers jump to the conclusion that when you say 1960s, you mean bell bottoms, hippie styles, long hair for men, etc. A good number of fashion history websites make the same mistake – characterizing the period between 1960 and 1969 as homogenous when it comes to fashion. Not so! The early sixties and late sixties were like two different decades.

The early sixties was largely a...