--- title: Best Political Convention Style of 1960s From LIFE Magazine description: From "Kennedy Cuties" to a go-go dancer with a Nixon hat, these convention-goers wore their political hearts on their sleeves canonical: https://time.com/4393542/1960s-political-convention-hats/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-18T12:00:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:46:36.661Z og:title: Best Political Convention Style of 1960s From LIFE Magazine og:description: From "Kennedy Cuties" to a go-go dancer with a Nixon hat, these convention-goers wore their political hearts on their sleeves og:url: https://time.com/4393542/1960s-political-convention-hats/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb00c1751167d72a0/69889aa8f887dcb92ce96830/160630-political-conventions-1960s-05.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 1960s Presidential Conventions og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Best Political Convention Style of 1960s From LIFE Magazine twitter:description: From "Kennedy Cuties" to a go-go dancer with a Nixon hat, these convention-goers wore their political hearts on their sleeves twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb00c1751167d72a0/69889aa8f887dcb92ce96830/160630-political-conventions-1960s-05.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See the Colorful Political Convention Outfits of the 1960s by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) Jul 18, 2016 12:00 PM UTC  Colorful hat supporting Lyndon Johnson at the Democratic National Convention, 1964. Colorful hat supporting Lyndon Johnson at the Democratic National Convention, 1964.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) Jul 18, 2016 12:00 PM UTC The best-known reason for a delegate to go to a political party convention is to have a say in the official selection of a nominee for president. But, based on [appearances](http://swampland.time.com/2012/09/06/swag-at-the-dnc-little-hats-big-buttons-and-sequin-shoes/photo/the-2012-democratic-national-convention-3/), that’s not the only point of gatherings like the one the [Republican Party](http://time.com/3707440/lifes-best-convention-photos-the-gop/) will hold this week in Cleveland or that the [Democratic Party](http://time.com/3707191/lifes-best-convention-photos-the-democrats/) will hold next week in Philadelphia. A party convention is also a time to see and be seen, in quirky clothes (and hats—many, _many_ hats) that reveal the wearer’s political leanings. And that tradition is nothing new. As the Smithsonian Institution’s Harry Rubenstein [explained](http://www.msnbc.com/happy-hat-day-look-campaign-hats-throughout-history#slide2) to MSNBC earlier this year, hats are part of a long tradition in American electoral politics, going all the way back to the headgear worn by members of political clubs in the 1800s. Over the years, as [political buttons and pins](http://time.com/4336931/campaign-buttons-history/) became more common, those hats became a natural place for convention attendees to declare their loyalties with a bit of extra flair. The more such hats and other accoutrements became a dependable way to get attention among the crowds, the more they veered away from staid boaters and into outlandish territory. As the 2016 convention season gets under way, here’s a look back at some of the most colorful clothes from LIFE Magazine’s coverage of the political conventions of the 1960s. From “Kennedy Cuties” in matching striped dresses to a go-go dancer with a Nixon hat, these convention-goers weren’t afraid to wear their political hearts on their sleeves.  Female supporters of Democratic Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, called "Kennedy Cuties" form a conga line at the airport while awaiting their candidate's arrival for the Democratic National Convention, 1960. Hank Walker—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Colorful hat at the Republican National Convention, 1964. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Colorful hat supporting Barry Goldwater at the Republican National Convention, 1964. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Colorful hat supporting Lyndon Johnson at the Democratic National Convention, 1964. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Colorful hats and clothing at the Democratic National Convention, 1964. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Colorful hat supporting Lyndon Johnson at the Democratic National Convention, 1964. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Colorful hat at the Republican National Convention, 1964. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Colorful hat supporting Lyndon Johnson at the Democratic National Convention, 1964. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Barry Goldwater hat at the Republican National Convention, 1964. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Colorful hat at the Democratic National Convention, 1968. Lee Balterman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Colorful hat supporting Hubert Humphrey at the Democratic National Convention, 1968. Lee Balterman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Colorful hat at the Republican National Convention, 1968. Arthur Schatz—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Colorful hat and pin supporting Richard Nixon at the Republican National Convention, 1968. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Richard Nixon supporters at the Republican National Convention, 1968. Lynn Pelham—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Colorful hat at the Democratic National Convention, 1968. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  George Romney supporter at the Republican National Convention, 1968. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Colorful hat at the Democratic National Convention, 1968. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Colorful hat at the Republican National Convention, 1968. Lynn Pelham—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Rockefeller supporter at the Republican National Convention, 1968. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Richard Nixon supporter at the Republican National Convention, 1968. Lynn Pelham—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Richard Nixon supporters at the Republican National Convention, 1968. Lynn Pelham—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Richard Nixon supporters at the Republican National Convention, 1968. Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4393542/1960s-political-convention-hats/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4393542/1960s-political-convention-hats/"},"headline":"See the Colorful Political Convention Outfits of the 1960s","datePublished":"2016-07-18T12:00:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:46:36.661Z","description":"From \"Kennedy Cuties\" to a go-go dancer with a Nixon hat, these convention-goers wore their political hearts on their sleeves","url":"https://time.com/4393542/1960s-political-convention-hats/","keywords":["politics","Newsfeed","photography","LIFE Magazine","1960s","republican convention"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb00c1751167d72a0/69889aa8f887dcb92ce96830/160630-political-conventions-1960s-05.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Liz Ronk","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb00c1751167d72a0/69889aa8f887dcb92ce96830/160630-political-conventions-1960s-05.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"1960s Presidential Conventions","caption":"Colorful hat supporting Lyndon Johnson at the Democratic National Convention, 1964.","creditText":"John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/politics/","name":"politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4393542/1960s-political-convention-hats/","name":"See the Colorful Political Convention Outfits of the 1960s"}}]}] ```