Sept. 5, 2014 1:30 p.m. ET
ANTICIPATION HUNG THICK as 40-ply cashmere just before the Louis Vuitton fall fashion show in March. It was the debut collection from Nicolas Ghesquière, one of the industry's most innovative and influential designers, who had been absent from the runway for over a year since leaving his post at Balenciaga. The show space—serenely minimal and gray with metal-shuttered glass walls—betrayed few clues.
But as the shutters smoothly opened to let in the Parisian morning sunlight and the first look appeared, the tone was immediately set. You could almost hear an audible click in the fashion hive mind. Aha. The '60s.
Shown Above
Left to right: Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane Duffle Coat, $3,490, Sweater, $790, and Boots, $1,495, Saint Laurent, 212-980-2970; Carven Caban Wool Skirt, $460, intermixonline.com
Leather Zipped Dress, similar styles from $5,300, Leather Belt, $880, Alligator Revival Ankle Boot, price upon request, Single Earring, $900, and Epi Doc Bag PM, $2,960, Louis Vuitton, 866-884-8866
Leopard- Print Cowhide and Nappa Leather Coat, $11,500, Gucci, 212-826-2600; Giambattista Valli Bag, $3,365, Fivestory NYC, 212-288-1338; Manolo Blahnik Flats, $745, Barneys New York, 888-222-7639
The reference was clear. Wearing a wide-collared leather coat over a swingy cream minidress and black knee-high boots, model Freja Beha could have been French singer and style icon Françoise Hardy reborn. (Ms. Beha's Hardy-esque brown hair and bangs nicely completed the vision.) And though Mr. Ghesquière's well-received show was far from a straight-up retro redux—surely an A-line knit dress circa 1967 was never embellished with a swirl of feather-like paillettes—his nod in that direction was unmistakable.
A 1960s storm has been brewing of late in fashion. Early signs appeared in the nip-waisted minidresses and high-necked gowns that Valentino's been showing for the past few seasons. This fall, Gucci designer Frida Giannini recast the British dolly-bird look with an Italian eye for luxury and a refreshed millennial color palette. Think a double-breasted mint-green angora martingale coat over sky-blue leather pegged pants and matching python Chelsea boots. Meanwhile, Saint Laurent designer Hedi Slimane, ever a maestro of making retro relevant, mined Carnaby Street for his fall collection, resulting in leggy, rocker-chick dresses and cool school-girlish capes. The collection would have made an ideal wardrobe for Edie Sedgwick, Marianne Faithfull and Nico—and is now fit for modern-day counterparts like platinum-maned Slimane muse Sky Ferreira.
The '60s revival in all its various forms is a welcome development for retailers and shoppers alike. While looking to the past for inspiration is an established fashion maneuver, something about the magic era of mid-60s to early '70s is particularly seductive.
"It's the best fashion decade," said Barbara Atkin, fashion director at Canadian department store Holt Renfrew. "When we head into the '60s, everyone gets excited because there's a huge ROI [return on investment]. The trendy pieces become blue-chip investments in a way."
That's partly because as each decade—from the '20s to the '90s—boomerangs in and out of vogue, the '60s never seems fully out of the picture. Its icons, from Jane Birkin to Catherine Deneuve, Ms. Sedgwick to post-Camelot Jacqueline Onassis, are near-constant references for women who love fashion. Type "Jane Birkin" into Pinterest and marvel at the treasure trove of worshipful pins that unfurls on your screen.
For his resort collection, hitting stores in late October, designer Derek Lam focused on 1966. "It's one of my favorite years because it bridges the tension between what is lady and couture and the more relaxed sportswear era," he explained. That was the year that Yves Saint Laurent, the first French couturier to launch a more accessible line, broke ground with his ready-to-wear Rive Gauche collection. It was also a newly youth-focused moment that saw the influence of the street trickling upward to high-end designers. And somehow it's made for a timelessly classic look. As fresh and modern as French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg looks in Mr. Ghesquière's new creations, you could just as easily imagine her mother, Ms. Birkin, in them 50 years ago.
Fall's return to the '60s translates into excellent buying opportunities—like Gucci's leopard-print A-line skirt or Vuitton's smart little strap-wrapped ankle boots—that will feel very of-the-moment for the next few months, and then settle quite sensibly into your closet for years to come.
Some shoppers have already caught on. At Chicago boutique Neapolitan, owner Kelly Golden reported that Gucci has already proven to be its most popular fall collection. "The [label's] Lillian boot"—a low, block-heel style to the ankle or knee—"is almost sold out," said Ms. Golden last week. "And we're not even in September yet."
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