Fashion in the Seventies

I liked the fashions of the seventies why you ask? Was it the colors of the fabrics? No? Or maybe it was actually the cool flowing styles? Maybe. Or potentially it was that I am a little prohibited in the height department and that those platform shoes were a heaven sent present from the Fashion Gods.

Yes I was the proud owner of a couple of six platforms which, when mixed with a couple of over long flares, took me to new levels of girl pulling, or so I thought. As with all good plans there is always a disadvantage and this was no exception, for after 6 pints of Fuller's London Pride walking was elevated to a completely new skill level. Staggering on stilts was the name of the game and i did manage it to some degree but trying to do the strut and talk at the same time was simply too much. I believe I did manage to get some girl's attention one time when she said it was like watching Norman wisdom, she knew I was going to fall, it was just a matter of when.

can you remember what you were wearing in those sun filled days? Did you stitch on the large greenback patches or polish away on your massive Levi's belt buckle? Was you, like me, the proud owner of a Starsky Cardigan? Well I am hoping to bring back some memories for you here with a strut down the cat-walk of 70's fashion. Here you will be ready to peruse the Hipsters, Flares, Halter-necks etc that made the 70's fashion extraordinary.

So don your Hawaiian shirts and corduroy jeans and start on a journey back to coolness.

naturally if it's's fancy dress ideas that you're trying to find click now for the coolest selection of 70s Fancy Dress you might ever ask for.

Afghan Coat
A knee length sheepskin coat with massive fur collar & trim. Not one to wear out in the rain unless you needed to smell like an old dog ( Early 70's )

Al Capone Hat
Black hat worn with white silk headscarf & jersey smock dress. This was a transitive fashion. No surprise there! ( 1975 )

American Tan Tights
English white legs required the help of tights to get that tan, but they were dark orange! Were oompa loompa legs really the fashion? ( Early 70's )

Bellbottoms
Trousers that flared out from the knee & covered your shoes. The wider the better, with 24 being the last word in cool.

Ben Sherman Shirt
Slim fitting shirt with button down collar & an inch wide pleat down the back with tab. Favored by the shaven head, braces and Dr. Martin brigade.

Blakies
Metal sole protection that you fixed on the heel of your shoes, mostly to make as much noise as practicable tap dancing in the high-school corridor and to make sparks on the pavement as you walked home from school.. Did anyone basically ever buy them to protect their shoes?

Cheesecloth Shirt
A handy item for those folks that hated ironing. I loved these in the mid 70's when established order were in their hey day. Went well with your Levi Jeans and big buckled belts.

Chocolate Brown Tights
Another awful colour to cover pasty white legs! Not quite oompa loompa but just as attractive.

Cowbell Necklace
A little bell hanging from a leather minute budget. Often worn by Hippies and doubtless with not a huge amount else! ( Early 70's )

Crombie
Black or Navy woollen knee length coat with red silk hanky in top pocket. Worn by the same crowd making a lot of noise with their blakies! ( 1972 )

Dinner Plate Sleeves
Blouses or shirts that flared out from the elbow. Not the best item to wear when meeting the boy / girlfriend's elders for the 1st time and eating soup!

Elasticated Nurse Belt
Worn with high waisted skirts, this belt had a 3 clasp metal fastening. Most men had an interest in the full nurses uniform, not just the belt! ( 1975 )

Espadrilles
Woven or canvas wedge shoes / sandals with long ties to criss- cross up the legs! Superb for stopping the circulation, giving you varicous veins and an engaging tan if worn in the sunshine. Never stayed up even with the best scout knot! ( 1977 )

Falmer Jeans & Waistcoat
Denim with three pin-tucks in the back pockets & front of waistcoat. Status quo eat your heart out. ( 1976 )

Flares
Trousers that flared extremely wide at the bottom to utterly cover shoes. Never knew the difference between these and bellbottoms. Does anyone know?

Halter Necks
lovely small backless tops for the girls, which tied up round the neck and gut. Extremely nice in the summer months.

Hotpants
Shorts with bib 'n' brace, quite often made of crimplene! Some had turn ups. Some things have got better over the years. Just ask yourself, who looked better in Hotpants, Babs from Pans folk or Kylie? ( 1971 )

Kipper Tie
Extremely wide tie with large knot! Superb for keeping your shirt clean. ( mid-to-late 70's )

Leather / Suede Waistcoat with tassels
Sometimes known as a jerkin, typically worn by riders or Hells Angels, and really not worn with Hotpants! ( Early 70's )

Loafers
Leather shoes with front tassel. Made you look cool and sound even cooler if Blakies added and worn along with your Ben Sherman, Sta-press trousers and Crombie. (1972 )

Loon Pants
Heavy cotton hipster trousers that changed colour from the knee down. Looked like something that Barbara from the Good Life would run up on her sewing machine! ( 1974 )

Love Beads
miniscule multi-coloured beads threaded onto cotton, worn wrapped around and around your wrist or neck. Never knew if you wore them when you were looking for love, in love or simply had a little bit of love!

Mini, Midi, Maxi Skirt
A-line skirts in 3 different lengths, usually worn with knee-length boots. Doubtless which length the blokes preferred! ( 1972 )

Oxford Bags
Pleat-front baggy trousers with turn ups, usually woollen, checked material. No comment required. How terrible do they sound? ( Mid 70's )

Patches
I used to work on a habidashery stool down Roman road and we used to sell these by the bucket. The big favourite was the US buck. Excellent for sewing on your jean jackets.

Platforms
Chunky shoes ( regularly multi-coloured ) with dangerously high heels and mega thick soles. Ideal for that attractive walk across the floor to impress that chick / guy you had your eye on all night .

Punk
Lots of leather, tartan, safety pins, heavy make-up, chains and anything more you felt like wearing, to get you spotted whilst pogo-ing and to scare your Nan! ( 1977 )

Roundies
giant round toed shoes. Exceedingly comfortable fashion and popular with people who had a width-fitting off the scale at Clarkes!

thin Rib Tops
really tight fitting jumpers to show off all those intended and unintended curves!

Snakeskin Boots
Steve Irwin ( Crocodile Hunter ) will be pleased to note these were fake.An ideal item to be worn with a mini-skirt, according to the blokes!
Starsky Cardigan
A chunky- knit, long length, woollen cardigan with belt. Normally cream and brown and only ever looked good on me and Starsky! A cool bit of clothing which I totally loved.

Sta-press Trousers
Drainpipe trousers with crisp permanent creases. Made from the famous trevira that never needed ironing. No wonder they were so popular .

Suede Patchwork Skirt
Another item of clothing potentially made by Barbara from the Good Life. ( 1973 )

Tank Top
Sleeveless thin ribbed jumper in various colours. Lost all credibility when worn by Frank Spencer in Some mothers Do Have 'Em!

Tartan
No description necessary. What ever occurred to Les, Eric, Alan, Woody, and the other one? ( 1975 )

Teddy Bear Jacket
Short jacket with round collars and front zip, made with teddy bear fur in assorted bright colours. No animals were harmed in the making of these jackets! ( 1971 )

Tonic Trousers, Skirt, Jacket
Woven trevira material that looked 2 different colors when viewed in different directions. Normally the following colours ; green / brown, pink / purple or blue / black. Ideal for those short of cash who wished to cause it to appear like they'd more clothes, so long as they walked backwards sometimes! ( Early 70's )

Wide Collared shirts
infrequently patterned with white collars. The wider the collar the better to show off the hairy chest and medallion. Collars that were wider than your shoulders were truly electrifying. Now back in fashion according to Harry Hill!

Article Source: http://www.seoserviceprovider.com/articles

Before you buy your 70s fancy dress make sure you check out Beau Brock's excellent website www.escape-to-the-seventies.com

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated