The “Freaky New Freedom” of High School Fashion in 1969

LIFE has put together a sun-saturated slideshow of California high school students enjoying another “freaky new freedom” brought on by the social and political cacophony of the decade: the right to choose, sartorially. Homemade sweatshirts mix with buckskin vests; tiny flared miniskirts sit next to bell-bottom jumpsuits and 50’s checked skirts, and great silhouettes and fringe are just everywhere.

“The latest rule in girls’ high school fashion,” LIFE magazine proclaimed in 1969, “is that there isn’t any.”

“Um,” say these three girls in harlequin tights, “Sorry, but there are always rules?”

In other slideshow news, here are 47 startling, important images of the protests currently occurring in Greece, Bahrain, Turkey, Brazil, Nicaragua, Bulgaria and more.

h/t Ellen