Aug 8, 1999 / FW/ --- The 1950s was a time of the "Beat Generation", a subculture that had a certain amount of influence on the fashion followers of that period.

Some mannequins connoted the appearance of "tough vamps". Other figures had a "Lolita" look, with exaggerated makeup, pouting lips and provocative poses.

In the early '60s, society collectively was beginning to go through some very painful upheavals. It was a time of rebellion, of unrest, of facing up to the cold hard realities of man's inhumanity to man -- The Kennedy assassination, the struggle for civil rights, the Cuban missile crisis. The easy-going '50s gave way to tumultuous times.

And the times soon became manifested in the mannequins. They were awkward and gangly. Mannequins by the Swiss firm Schlappi and the Hindsgaul Rhythmica attempted articulated animation.

But they were actually more likened to the "beings" created by surrealists Hans Bellmer. With plastic-sprayed hair-dos and the like, it was as though people envisioned themselves as pieces of op art.

Rock 'n' Roll, bikinis, and space-age technology also were forcing their way into the '60s.

And in the midst of it all, it seemed odd that with the gyrating pelvis and the blatant bellybutton exposure, there was such denial of realism in anatomy, attitudes and movement of mannequins.

There were, though, a few "body awareness prayers" answered with the arrival of beach boy mannequins, made by a few California-based companies, such as Wolf & Vine, and LOR Sales.

The macho man was making his presence known, with broad shoulders, large bared chest, rough facial features, a deep tan and twine hair.

Some stood with hands on hips while others leaned casually against a rock or some such prop. Naturalism and realism, however, still were lacking as experimentation with fiberglass continued.