1970s
fashion,
which began
with a continuation
of the mini
skirts,
bell-bottoms
and the
androgynous
hippie
look from
the late
1960s,
was soon
sharply
characterised
by several
distinct
fashion
trends that
have left
an indelible
image of
the decade
commemorated
in
popular
culture.
These include
platform
shoes
which appeared
on the fashion
scene in
1971 and
often had
soles 2-4 inches
thick. These
were worn
by both
men and
women. Wide-legged,
flared jeans
and trousers
were another
fashion
mainstay
for both
sexes throughout
most of
the decade,
and this
style has
been immortalized
in the 1977
film
Saturday
Night Fever
which starred
John Travolta.
The "disco
look",
complete
with three-piece
suits for
men and
wrap-around
rayon
or
jersey
dresses
for women,
which the
film launched,
lasted until
it was gradually
replaced
by
punk fashion
and straight,
cigarette-legged
jeans. Platform
shoes gave
way to
mules
and ankle-strapped
shoes, both
reminiscent
of the 1940s,
at the very
end of the
decade.
Early to
Mid 1970s
The decade
began with
a continuation
of the hippie
look from
the
1960s.
Jeans
remained
frayed,
and the
Tie dye
shirts and
Mexican
peasant
blouses
were still
popular.
In addition
to the mini
skirt, mid-calf
length dresses
called "midis"
and ankle-length
dresses
called "maxis"
were also
worn in
1970 and
1971, thus
offering
women three
different
skirt lengths.[1]
In 1971,
extremely
brief, tight-fitting
shorts,
called
hot pants,
were a fashion
craze for
girls and
young women.
In Britain and the urban United States, from 1972-1974, fashions were inspired by extravagantly-dressed glam rock stars such as David Bowie and Roxy Music. [2] Glitter was in vogue. Women wore high-waisted, flared satin trousers or denims, the latter usually decorated with rhinestones, tight lurex halter tops, metallic-coloured lam
and antique velvet dresses, satin hot pants, sequined bra tops, and occasionally they wore ostrich- feather boas draped over their shoulders or turbans on their heads. The 1930s and 1940s look was also popular, and many women bought their clothes at second-hand shops. The short, imitaion rabbit-fur jacket was a hot fashion item during this period. Make-up was garish and glittery, with eyebrows thinly plucked. Bianca Jagger, who often used an ebony walking stick, wore peacock-feathers in her cloche hats, green sequined shoes, transparent blouses, and carried an ivory cigarette- holder, was a fashion icon. [3] The men often wore lam
suits, silver astronaut-style outfits, satin quilted jackets, wide-legged denims or velvet trousers, and rhinestone-studded shirts. Their hair was long and softly layered, or spiky, multi-coloured mullets. Clothing shops which became associated with glam rock-inspired fashion were Biba[4], in London's Kensington High Street, and Granny Takes a Trip in Kings Road, which also had a branch in West Hollywood, California. Both shops had opened in the 1960s.
Platform shoes with soles 2-4 inches thick became the style for both men and women. Men's ties broadened and became more colourful, as did dress shirt collars and suit jacket lapels. Another trend for both sexes was the fitted blazer, which flared slightly at the hip. It came in a variety of fabrics, including wool, velvet, suede, and leather. The buttons were covered and the lapels wide.
For teenage girls and young women the
crop top was often worn, sometimes with a halter neck or else tied in a knot above the midriff.
By the mid-1970s hip-huggers were gone, replaced by the high-waisted jeans and trousers with wide, flared legs. In Britain, they were often referred to as "Loon pants". These lasted until the end of the decade when the straight, cigarette-leg jeans came into vogue.
The dancer's
leotard became an important feminine fashion accessory in 1974. It remained in style throughout the decade.
In Britain and Ireland, in the early to mid-1970s, there was the
bootboy subculture which influenced youthful male attire with the "parallel jeans", which were flared jeans that stopped at mid-calf. These were worn with heavy workman's "bovver" boots, braces, (US
suspenders), and denim jackets. Their hair was usually worn longish by the middle of the decade.
The wrinkled look for women
enjoyed a brief vogue in
1975, as did flared denim
skirts which ended just
below the knee. Trendy colours
were dusty rose, Prussian
blue, bottle green, rust,
and brown. Fashion influences
were peasant clothing, such
as blouses with laces or
off-the-shoulder necklines,
inspired by those worn in
the 17th century.
Yves St Laurent
introduced the peasant look
in 1976, and it became very
influential. Skirts were
gathered into tiers and
shoulder lines dropped.
Camisoles were worn. Clothing
became very unstructured
and fluid at this point.
Embroidered clothing, either
self-made or imported from
Mexico or India also enjoyed
favour. Floral-patterned
prints were in fashion.
Fake-flower chokers and
hair combs were often worn
with the peasant skirts.
In 1977, the ruffled sundress
coupled with a tight t-shirt
worn underneath enjoyed
a brief popularity.[5]
Late 1970s
With the popularization
of disco and the increasing
availability and diversity
of man-made fabrics, a drastic
change occurred in mainstream
fashion, the likes of which
had not been seen since
the 1920s. All styles of
clothing were affected by
the disco style, especially
those of men. Men began
to wear stylish three-piece
suits (which became available
in a bewildering variety
of colours) which were characterized
by wide lapels, wide legged
or
flared trousers, and
high-rise waistcoats (US
vests). Neckties became
wider and bolder, and shirt
collars became long and
pointed in a style reminiscent
of the "Barrymore"
collar that had been popular
in the 1920s. The zippered
jumpsuit was popular
with both men and women,
and clothing inspired by
modern dance (wrap-around
skirts and dresses of rayon
or jersey) also became common.
Neck-scarves were also used.
Skin-tight
Spandex trousers,
tube tops, and slit
skirts were popular for
a while at the very end
of the decade. In 1978,
there was a brief craze
for transparent plastic
trousers worn with leotards
underneath.
Silk blouses,
spaghetti-strapped
tank tops and shirt-waist
dresses were also worn.
Women's shoes began to echo
the
1940s, with high-heeled
lower-platform
mules--"Candies"
made of molded plastic with
a single leather strap over
the ball of the foot or "BareTraps"
made of wood becoming very
popular. With the brief
decline of disco late in
1979, these styles (which
were by then being criticized
as flamboyant) quickly went
out of fashion. Designer
jeans with straight, cigarette-legs,
and painters' pants then
started to come into style.
The top fashion models
of the 1970s were
Lauren Hutton,
Margaux Hemingway,
Cheryl Tiegs, and
Jerry Hall
Custom T-Shirts / Baseball
Jerseys
Short-sleeved t-shirts
of various colors personalized
with
iron-on decal illustrations
or appliqued letters spelling
a name or message were very
popular among teen and pre-teen
boys in the U.S. during
the late 70s. It was also
the trend for teenagers
and young men to carry a
pack of cigarettes under
the sleeve. Also popular
were baseball jerseys or "baseball
sleeves" (white shirts
with colored sleeves worn
under baseball uniform shirts).
These were worn plain or
with applique.
d pictures or words, as
described above.
One-Piece Swimsuits
American actress
Farrah Fawcett, who
starred in the 1970s programme
Charlie's Angels, was
a sex symbol for that time
period. Her poster which
was released in 1976 and
sold 12 million copies,
featured the actress with
her long mane of streaked-blonde
hair, perfect white teeth,
and wearing a one-piece
swimsuit that
launched the trend for the
maillot. This was, when
it resurged in the 1970s,
a sexy, tight swimsuit,
with deep neckline and high-cut
legs, worn by young women
and girls in lieu of the
bikini, although it did
not entirely replace the
latter.
Three-Piece Suits
The 1970s saw a return
to three-piece suits (suits
with matching vests), worn
with the wide-collar shirts
carried over from the 1960s.
Sometimes these were worn
without ties as dance-club
wear, or even in just a
vest and jacket combination
as depicted in the film
Saturday Night Fever.
As formal wear, however,
the three-piece slowly died
out in the early 1980s,
by which time the outfit
had come to be associated
with lawyers.
Hairstyles
Throughout much of the decade, women and teenage girls wore their hair long,
with a centre or side parting, which was a style carried over from the late
1960s. Other hairstyles of the early to mid 1970s included the wavy "gypsy" cut,
the layered shag, and the "flicked" style in which the hair was flicked into
resembling small wings at the temples. This look was popularised by the stars of
the television series Charlie's Angels. Blonde-streaked or "frosted" hair was
also popular. In 1977, punk singer Debbie Harry of Blondie sparked a new trend
with her shoulder-length, dyed platinum blonde hair worn with a long fringe
(bangs). Young men's hair was worn long until well past the mid-1970s. Unlike
the unkempt 1960s, it was often worn styled in soft layers. In California, the
tousled blond, surfer hair was fashionable for teenage boys and young men. In
the early part of the decade sideburns were popular. For Blacks in the United
States and elsewhere, the afro was worn by both sexes throughout the decade. It
was occasionally sported by whites as an alternative to the uniform long,
straight hair which was a fashion mainstay until the arrival of punk and the
"disco look" when hair became shorter and centre partings were no longer the
mode.
Punk
Main article:
Punk fashion
Punk as a style originated
from London from the designer
Vivienne Westwood and
her partner
Malcolm McLaren. Before the Modern world a punk was a person who attacked
someones cherished beliefs, traditional institutions, etc., based on error or
superstition. Due to the harsh economic realities of Europe and Britain in the
early to mid '70s, this movement was a direct reaction to the economic situation
during the economic depression of the period. Punk had at its heart a manifesto
of creation through disorder. Safety pins became nose and ear jewellery, rubber
fetishwear was subverted to become daywear, and images of mass murderers,
rapists, and criminals were elevated to iconographic status.
Punk fashion can be traced to the ripped jeans, torn t-shirts, scrappy haircuts,
and worn and torn leather jackets sported by members of the Sex Pistols. When
they released Anarchy in the UK in 1976,The Sex Pistols were dressed by Malcolm
McLaren, their manager, who owned a clothes store called "Let It Rock" in the
Kings Road, Chelsea area of London. These styles can be traced back further to
New York artists at the Andy Warhol Factory or bands such as the Velvet
Underground, Patti Smith Group or New York Dolls. By the 1980s, punk fashion and
punk bands had shown up in cities across the world. There was a Do It Yourself
quality to the fashion. Some small elements that spoke of a person's punk roots
were safety pins, black PVC or tartan bondage trousers, leopard-print t-shirts,
mohawk, spikes or harshly dyed hair, filthy tennis-shoes, or pointy Beatle
boots. There is an element of a makeshift, thrown together look and a sense of
poverty.
Cosmetics
Cosmetics in the 1970s
reflected the contradictory
roles ascribed to the modern
woman.[6]
For the first time since
1900, make-up was chosen
situationally, rather than
in response to monolithic
trends.[6]
The era's two primary visions
were the daytime "natural
look" presented by
American designers and
Cosmopolitan magazine,
and the evening aesthetic
of sexualized glamour presented
by European designers and
fashion photographers.[6]
In the periphery, punk and
glam were also influential.
The struggling cosmetics
industry attempted to make
a comeback, using new marketing
and manufacturing practices.
References
-
^ Paperpast
Yearbook, www.paperpast.com/html/1970_fashion.html
-
^ The Ziggy
Stardust Companion:
Glam Rock
by Michael Collins,
The Independent,
4 May 1997, retrived
on 9 March 2009,
www.5years.com/glam.htm.
-
^ Christopher
Andersen, Jagger
Unauthorized,
pgs. 247, 255, 284
-
^ www.Vintage-a-Peel.co.uk/dresses/silverbiba.htm
-
^ Paperpast
Yearbook,www.paperpast.com/html/1970_fashion.html
-
^
a
b
c
De Castelbajac,
p147-48.
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