summer of love 2009

At the time I felt there was a hippie holiday theme going on in December of 2008, but I swear I wasn't planning to post on Woodstock this Summer, nor did I intend to design the Woodstock Dress for an anniversary of some kind. I'm not lying! The John Lennon and his round glasses post? Also innocently just a coincidence of hippie culture coming together. I just recently spotted the very 70's inspired typography poster around town: A Woodstock movie? Well, let me tell you: I stopped smoking that weed a long time ago and I am not a hippie by all means, but it is the music and the culture that has always inspired me in my life!

The weather is about right as it was then, exactly 40 years ago. 40 years ago, what?! The Summer Of Love, baby! What an incredible story!

Yes, it was in the Summer of 1969 when the Woodstock Music & Art Fair (informally, Woodstock or The Woodstock Festival) a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition", was held at Max Yasgur's 600 acre dairy farm in the rural town of Bethel, New York from August 15 to August 18. Bethel, in Sullivan County, is 43 miles (69 km) southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York.

Thirty-two acts performed during the sometimes rainy weekend in front of nearly half a million concertgoers. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest moments in popular music history and was listed on Rolling Stone's 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll.

I went Upstate in the late 90's to see the town of Woodstock for myself and I thought about all the great bands playing there in '69 (Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Sly & the Family Stone, Joan Baez, Santana, Johnny Winter, etc.) and I was a bit surprised to still find all that leftover hippie vibe there... I recall buying a bunch of hand made bee wax candles.

There is no doubt that we would need another Summer of Love in 2009, but sadly we are out of luck! There is no more Jimi Hendrix and there is no more Janis Joplin and no more The Who!!!

Before I get too sentimental, I better come to the point of my post now: You may want to head over to the ticket office and grab a couple of tickets for the "Taking Woodstock" Movie, directed by Ang Lee! It opens Friday, August 28th, 40 years after Woodstock. And check out my Woodstock Dress while you are getting into the 70's groove:

As you well know there are many more 70's music inspired items to find in the idilvicefashionrocks online shop... just saying!

And because you are so cool to check out my blog, as a very special treat y'all: here is the full set of Jimi Hendrix's performance at Woodstock in 1969 - ENJOY!!

Vote for your favorite Woodstock song! See you at the movies!