Fashion Through The Decades: What the 70s Looked Like
The 1970s were an interesting decade. Sure, it was a time of peace and love, but it was also a time of bad fashion — from bell bottoms to big hair. Here is a look at what 70s fashion looked like, and how we can look back at those trends with fondness for the past.
Big Hair
The hippie movement has died down in the 1970s, but the fashion trends stayed alive. Women wore their hair long and straight, parted down the middle. Glam rockers like David Bowie and Freddy Mercury also made their mark on popular culture with their big, teased hairstyles as well.
Today we’re going to look at what the 70s looked like. It’s kind of interesting if you think about it, because the 70s is basically a decade that involves a lot of brown, and yet it’s also a decade that involved bell bottoms and strangely enough, both bell bottoms and brown are back in fashion.
Bell bottoms were all the rage in the 70s, and many people had pairs of Rainbow brand bell bottoms – rainbow stripe on the bottom. Though yes, there are other kinds of bell bottoms too. And let’s not forget about platform shoes either. They were big in the 70s too.
The most popular shoes though appear to have been Earth Shoes – the ones with the slightly raised heel and negative heel technology – which meant they were supposed to help tone your legs while you walked around!
Cowboy boots were very popular as well, and many women wore them as part of their favorite outfit which consisted of either a jumpsuit or overalls (or both).
Men wore tight pants made out of corduroy or denim, though some men wore flares as well. In fact some men wore their pants so tight that they looked like they were painted on.
Everyone wants to talk about the fashion trends of the 70s. Platform shoes, bell bottoms, and flannel shirts were all the rage during this decade. But one fashion trend that often goes unnoticed is cow costumes.
The cow costume trend really got started in the late 60s. People were looking for a way to express themselves and what better way to do so than a cow costume? It was the ultimate statement: all I want is to be a cow.
In this photo we see a woman wearing a classic brown and white cow jumpsuit and headpiece with matching ears. She looks classy but not overly dressed up. Just like her outfit says “I’m here to party” but it still sends the message “I’m responsible enough to put on pants.”
In addition to being worn as an outfit, cow costumes were also used as Halloween costumes, birthday gift wrap, and decoration for small children’s rooms.
The 70s. This was an era of change. A time of liberation and a new found freedom for women to be themselves. It was also a time when men began to embrace their feminine side and the clothing reflected this.
As you can see below, the fashion trends of the 70s were vastly different than the fashion trends we see today. Men wore flared jeans and platform shoes with their hair parted down the middle. Women wore their hair long, straight, and parted down the middle as well. They also wore bell bottom pants and tight, low-cut shirts that showed off their assets and highlighted their femininity.
The styles of the 70s have been brought back in recent times by Lady Gaga, who has become known for wearing bell bottoms and platform shoes with her hair parted down the middle. This is a perfect example of how fashion trends are constantly evolving and being reinvented over time to keep up with the changing social norms.
In the 70s, everything seemed to be going in a more relaxed and freewheeling direction. The same held true for fashion.
The 70s were a time of great change. You’ll notice that the decade began under a conservative president, Nixon, and ended with the maverick Carter. There was serious economic trouble, and by the end of the decade there was an even deeper crisis of confidence with the Iranian hostage situation. But there were also hopeful signs that things were loosening up — see “The Pill” below — and this was reflected in fashion as well.
In general, people were dressing less formally than before. It was okay to wear jeans to work. The leisure suit became popular for men, and women wore more pantsuits as well.
It was also an era of experimentation with ethnic styles from Africa and India, as well as a fascination with far-off places like China, Japan and South America (see Rita Hayworth). This influence is seen in dashikis, peasant blouses and embroidery on dresses.
There was something for everyone in the 1970s!
Do you ever look at old photos of yourself, and wonder what your parents were thinking? After all, the 70s were a fickle time. There was polyester, and platform shoes, and bad haircuts. There was a lot of bad hair in the 70s.
And then there were the clothes: bell bottoms, polyester shirts, even polyester dresses. The clothes people wore in the 70s couldn’t decide whether to be tight or loose, so they ended up being both.
And don’t get me started on the hairstyles. Farrah Fawcett’s famous flip might have been easy to maintain (just blow dry your hair while flipping your head upside down), but it wasn’t very practical for everyday use (most women didn’t actually wear their hair that long).
But don’t worry! If you start feeling nostalgic for those days of disco and big hair and bell bottoms, we’ve got just the thing for you. We’ve found some amazing photos from those crazy days, so you can revel in the nostalgia without having to wear a cow suit.
The 1970s were a time of radical social change. People rebelled against the establishment and fought for equal rights, peace, and environmental protection. This was reflected in the fashion choices of the day.
The disco look was king in the early part of the 70s, with the ‘Saturday Night Fever’ movie and its star, John Travolta, influencing men’s style. The classic white suit and black shirt combo became popular for going out to clubs, as well as bell-bottom pants and platform shoes.
For women, mini skirts were still in style from the previous decade, but another trend that took off was maxi dresses. These full-length dresses were perfect for artists who wanted to make a statement on stage or on television.
In the middle of the decade, the hippie movement influenced clothing styles. Bell-bottoms gave way to flares and loose shirts with tie dyes became popular. This carefree style inspired many people to take up knitting or sewing so they could make their own clothes at home.
By 1979, punk was all the rage. This style was all about being anti-establishment and anti-fashion. Punk rockers had tough looking spiked hair dyed bright colors like pink and blue and wore ripped jeans