Fashion in the 1970s

Article By Alana Kent

Courtesy of Vintage Dancer

The ’70s saw an increase in colours, styles and patterns of clothing. The bright colours that emerged in the 1960s heavily influenced the hippie movement, this is greatly reflected in the psychedelic patterns of the ‘70s. People were still excited by clothing - the use of the crazy patterns and mismatched colours meant that everyone had the opportunity to be individualistic, whether that was subtly or a bold statement. The ’70s was a progressive time, the line between feminine and masculine style was blurred, causing self-expression to be on the rise. The style in the 1970s was heavily influenced by historical movements and events at the time. The civil rights movement lead to people grasping to their right to be individualistic, people felt as if they finally had the opportunity to create their own style. The female liberation movement also meant that women felt less constrained by societal expectations, they said goodbye to uncomfortable undergarments and hello to platform shoes, high-waisted trousers and shaggy hairstyles. People felt free of social conformity. The gay liberation movement lead to a sense of self-determination. There was a high sense of androgyny as men and women wore similar styles of clothing. The oil crisis led to youth looking for clothing that they could adapt to their sense of self creativity, young people had the ability to buy unique items cheaply, causing self-expression to rise.

Courtesy of Glamour Daze

People tended to wear high waisted trousers (whether that was bell-bottoms in the earlier part of the decade, or straight leg trousers, which are still common today, in the late ’70s). Women wore pantsuits as formal wear, and men wore suits with loose legs and fitted bodies. For makeup, women wore bright eyeshadow, with a shimmery shade on their eyelid and mascara on their top and bottom eyelashes, eyebrows were left unfilled and were combed through with clear mascara. A small amount of shimmery highlight was used on the cheeks, bronzer was applied liberally for a healthy-looking glow, and a raspberry or peachy toned blush was applied for flushed, rosy looking cheeks, Lips were shiny, either with a clear gloss, or nude pearl style lipsticks. In short, the 1970s were a colourful, bright and whacky time that screamed personal individuality. The events of the time caused people to dress however they wanted, with some androgynous style sneaking in. 1970’s fashion was unique and unapologetically creative. Some attributes of 70’s style roll back into fashion every once in a while, such as straight leg trousers, button-down shirts, and even flares are still in style today.