The Beatles are still influencing fashion on Long Island, 60 years later

Everything old is new again. Since the  November 2023 release of the Beatles song “Now and Then,” TikTok traffic has shown that Gen Z is tuned in to the English rock band that took the United States  by storm 60 years ago.

This blast of Beatlemania isn’t just about the music of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, whose hits include “She Loves You,” “Hey Jude,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Let It Be,” and “Help!”

It’s also about the impact of head-turning style statements — which includes 12- to 27-year-olds, per Pew Research.

“The vibe they give off is so cool,” says Sofia Goldbaum, 22, who lives in Dix Hills and is studying elementary education at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. “I love color, flared jeans, and funky shoes and cool textures, which are all Beatles-esque.”

I lived through that whole Beatles era … they stayed influential at every stage.

- Ira Banschick, 75

Goldbaum’s go-to shop is the aptly named Penny Lane boutique in Huntington. Other local options for a Fab Four fashion-inspired fix are Penelope, also in Huntington, and The Times Vintage in Greenport.

“Skinny jeans are completely done. It’s all about the bell bottoms and wider legs,” says Penny Lane proprietor Gabrielle Sunshine, 31. She has observed an uptick in a fascination with looks that recall the four lads from Liverpool. “But it’s actually always been strong,” she says.

Odds are that’s because the Beatles wore a range of fashions. Like their music, their looks evolved. Tailored suits, textured vests, newsboy caps, patterned shirts, military-style jackets, and groovy round glasses all beam a Beatles essence.

Elizabeth Sweigart, 33, opened The Times Vintage, her retail haven for retro clothes, music and housewares, 10 years ago. She’s been waiting for Gen Z teens and young adults to fall hard for Beatles styles.

“We have tons of ’60s and ’70s options. Those eras are what the shop specializes in,” Sweigart says. That’s easy to see in displays of retro pieces — shearling jackets, military-style coats, shirts with funky prints. The place screams Beatles louder than a Paul McCartney fangirl.

Showcased in the shop are vintage Yellow Submarine clothes hangers featuring the faces of Ringo, John, George and Paul. They’re draped with velvet jackets, vests with cutouts and fringe and groovy shirts that would make Eleanor Rigby, Sergeant Pepper and Rocky Raccoon all sit up and take notice.

“People love the Beatles,” says Sweigart, and that includes herself. She regards the hangers, a gift from a friend, as her “prized possession. I will never sell them.”

Molly Dauman, 24, a manager at Penny Lane who's Goldbaum’s cousin, grew up in Old Bethpage and now lives in Manhattan. She’s a Gen Z-er who’s into Beatles fashion.

“I’ve always had a different style,” says Dauman, who studied fashion merchandising at West Virginia University. “I never hopped on the skinny jean bandwagon. For as long as I can remember, I wore flair pants.” Lennon-esque spectacles and patterned vests are also part of her wardrobe.

Dauman, like others, sees a natural link between being a fan of Beatles music and fashions. The two logically come together. She credits her dad for fostering her appreciation of the band. Sweigart does likewise. Her father, Michael, the shop co-owner, curates the music department at Times Vintage. The Beatles are in frequent rotation on the record player.

Jordan Donowitz, 23, a jewelry maker, grew up in Port Washington “listening to the Beatles all the time” and still does at home in Delaware. Beatles influences can be seen in denim pieces and flare jeans in her closet as well as peace necklaces. 

Sunshine’s father, Ira Banschick, 75, owns Penelope. He recalls kids ditching school to meet the Beatles on Feb. 7, 1964. That’s when they arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, formerly Idlewild, in advance of their seismic “Ed Sullivan Show” appearance.

“I lived through that whole Beatles era,” Banschick says, adding that their styles became less buttoned and more bohemian over time. “But they stayed influential at every stage.”

Just ask Goldbaum. To beam a fashion statement of peace, love, and happiness, she slips into a casual Beatles emblem tee shirt. “I have 5 million of them,” she says. Her motto: let it tee.