Jonesing for Bell Bottom Jeans

- The History of How Far-Out Flares Got So Groovy -

No hippie chick’s wardrobe is complete without a super cool pair of bell-bottoms, but did you know that this major hippie style had its start way before the ‘60s?

Curious about how this groovy garment came to be? Keep reading and we’ll lay it on ya!

Boatin' in Bells

Hippie culture may have brought bells front and center in the '60s and '70s, but the flared leg style has a much older and functional rather than fashionable history. When someone says the word bell-bottoms, it usually conjures ideas of flower children decked out in denim flares, platform boots, and psychedelic prints, but the first people to slip them on were sea-faring sailors!

Since the seventeenth century, the bell-bottom style was worn by those who work on boats for quite a few practical purposes. Sailors during the War of 1812 wore Navy-issued bell-bottoms because the large legs made rolling them up while washing the deck easier, the wide bottoms could be inflated with air and used as a makeshift life preserver, and they made men easier to grab if they fell overboard! Talk about functional fashion!

Flower Children Adopt the Flare

The far-out fashion sense of the ‘60s flower children was essentially a rejection of the conservative (and expensive) fashion of their parents. The individuality-loving and anti-war hippies ransacked surplus and thrift stores for styles which they could add their own touch. They would sew flower and peace sign patches onto faded navy bells or old army jackets as a statement of their antiwar sentiments. Or, if they couldn’t get their hands on a pair, handy hippies would create their own by cutting the outside seam on their straight-leg jeans and adding a triangle of fabric to get the bell effect.

Musicians really helped make bell bottoms mainstream. Some of our favorite artists, like Janis and Jimi, were often seen rockin’ ultra-flared bells while belting onstage! Some styles were so wide that they even got the nickname ‘elephant bells.’

Flares Forever!

Trends may come and go, and bell bottoms may be back in fashion, but here at the Hippie Shop, we’re never giving up on this groovy style! Not only do they bring us back to the days of free love and following bands across the country in our VW bus, they are also comfy and flattering as hell!

Our 5-star rated bell bottom jeans are made right here in the U.S.A from a super soft and stretchy material. And, since the fabric flares out widest at the bottom, it creates an illusion of a smaller waist (and who doesn’t love that?!).

Have you fallen for flare? Get your own pair of Groovy Bell Bottom Jeans and rock the whole day and night away!