The Ava Style
The style influencer of today’s article is senior Ava Schmoldt. Ava’s style tends to lean towards 70s and 90s-inspired fashion, giving every outfit a whimsical and vintage touch. When asked where Ava gets her clothing, she replied that she mainly gets clothing from the local thrift store “Value World.” Value World is a fan-favorite among people who have been interviewed for The Accessory, and it continues to be one of my all-time favorite thrift stores I have been to in Northeast Ohio.
Statement features of Ava’s outfits include her eyeliner, flare pants (such as bell-bottom jeans, which she has several pairs of), patterned skirts, tights—with different colors to match each outfit—and belts. Colored tights are a great way to add a little bit of uniqueness to an outfit. In the 60s, wearing colored tights under mini-dresses was a popular trend amongst teens. In terms of jewelry, Ava stated that her friends and her mom give her a bunch of jewelry, and she makes her earrings. The online website Cider has contributed a lot of necklaces to Ava’s wardrobe because they go well with her outfits. I’d love to get Ava’s input on what jewelry is best in a future article specific to jewelry and jewelry making.
Switching It Up On You
As I’ve stated with the little blob of information on the homepage of The Accessory’s website page, the 1970s is my all-time favorite fashion decade. Why is this important? Well, instead of covering one specific trend in fashion today, we’ll be following a whole decade of fashion trends and influences. A brief introduction: The 70s is known for its androgynous fashion, which is why it appeals to many people, including myself. Girls were finally wearing pants but still preferred long maxi skirts as staple going-out pieces, and men were experimenting with brighter colors and more patterns. I warn that the rest of this article will be a bit long, but hang in until the end for a surprise.
The 30-Year Rule
Before we dive into the exciting fashion trends of the 70s, there’s something that we need to discuss and establish for future decade-breakdowns of this blog. There is a “rule” in fashion that I, along with many others, call the “30-year rule.” This rule states that every trend in fashion will die out and become popular again within 30 years. Take, for instance, the 80s’ obsession with the 50s. Collectors Barbies were modeled after stars of the 50s, the movie “Back To The Future” (1985) featured time traveling to the 50s from the 80s, and fit-and-flare dresses from the 50s came back into fashion in the 80s. Albeit they were updated for the time with puffy sleeves and shiny materials; nevertheless, they were back. Another example is 90s and early 2000s fashion coming back into style nowadays. Keep this rule in mind as you see fashion influences from other decades in the current era.
Women’s Fashion
Now that we have that established, we can move on with the rest of the article. Starting with my area of expertise, women’s fashion. Hippie styles are probably what you think of when you hear 70s fashion, and I don’t blame you. Women did tend to dress more hippie-esque during the 70s. Breaking away from the conformity and strict societal rules from the 50s, the 60s—and even more so the 70s—included a variety of new and exciting clothing pieces and outfit combinations.
Fabrics in Women’s Clothing
The 70s were known as the “Polyester Decade” because of the rise of synthetically made fabrics that were being hyper-sourced out to clothing producers and fabric stores. That said, polyester was everywhere. From tee shirts to pants, it became the go-to fabric of the decade in both men’s and women’s fashion. Other fabrics commonly used for women’s clothing include silk, cotton, suede, denim, leather, corduroy, flowy fabrics, satin, sequins, and velvet. Corduroy fabric became another well-known fabric in the fashion world at this time. Corduroy pants were sold in big department stores, and corduroy jackets became one of the biggest fads of the decade.
Outfit Detailing in Women’s Fashion
The fashion of the 1970s was many things, but most of all, it was crafty. A resurgence of interest in sewing came back as new and improved patterns marked for the modern era enticed people into making their own creations. Patchwork, crocheted clothing pieces, knitting, and embroidery often made it into most people’s wardrobes in some shape or form.
One of my favorite details of 70s fashion is the longer sleeves you see on everything, including dresses. The most common sleeve types are bell sleeves and bishop sleeves.
Patterns in Women’s Fashion
Patterned clothing became very popular among young adults in the 1970s. The most popular patterns included—but are not limited to—paisley, floral, and animal print.
Silhouettes in Women’s Fashion
There were a couple of different general “looks” that people went for during this decade. Often, you would pair a tight-fitting shirt with looser bottoms, which were most often bell bottoms. This helped to create more rectangular shapes in clothing silhouettes, which added to the androgynous fashion style. Jackets became more popular outside of outerwear, giving the shoulders a broader shape.
Staple Pieces in Women’s Fashion
Now, the part you have probably been waiting for: the staple pieces of the decade. This is what made the 70s the 70s. These are pieces you can wear to replicate the style of the 70s. Prairie dresses, maxi skirts, midi-length dresses, wrap dresses, fur coats, denim jumpsuits, colored corduroy pants, and shirts with bell bottom sleeves are most recognizable for being included in 70s fashion. Honorable mentions, and what’s most included in today’s recreations of 70s outfits, include wrap-tie shirts and bell-bottom jeans.
Brands
You might be wondering where you can find these amazing pieces of clothing to add to your wardrobe. Brands that I’ve encountered out in the wild while thrifting include “Bobby’s Girl,” “Gunne Sax,” and “Bill Gib.” These brands tended to cater more towards high-end fashion with impressive—and expensive—dresses. If you’re looking to thrift some 70s clothes or 70s-inspired clothes, my favorite thrift store in Lakewood has to be “Flower Child.” They have rooms upon rooms of original vintage clothing.
Men’s Fashion
Stepping out of my fashion comfort zone, we will also be covering men’s fashion during the 1970s! Echoes of the ‘60s continued to remain in menswear, giving rise to the “Peacock Revolution.” This “revolution” in fashion made it socially acceptable for men to wear their hair long and wear bolder prints with brighter colors.
Fabrics in Men’s Clothing
Fabrics often seen in men’s clothing were similar to women’s but with a few additional textures. Tweed, denim, corduroy, leather, polyester, and other synthetic materials made up a guy’s wardrobe during the 70s. Just like in women’s fashion, jackets became more of a fashion trend instead of practical wear when it’s cold outside.
Silhouettes in Men’s Fashion
A tall, lean figure was the preferred silhouette for men in the 1970s. This was often achieved by tucking a shirt into a pair of pants. This would cut off the length of the shirt, making the legs appear longer and the torso appear shorter. Flared pants also help because they draw attention to the legs instead of the torso. Wide belts guided focus towards the middle of the outfit instead of the whole outfit, accentuating the legs.
Staple Pieces in Men’s Fashion
Just like women’s fashion, certain pieces of clothing define the decade’s style. Suits, whether mismatched with a different suit jacket and pants, quickly became the first piece of clothing you would grab if you went out to a disco, club, or party. Turtlenecks, slim-fitting shirts, tight-fitting flared pants, sleeveless waistcoats, and sports jackets made up a majority of the popular clothing in men’s fashion.
Conclusion
The consensus of the 1970s is that brighter colors were in, leaner figures were popular, more synthetic fabrics were introduced, creating access to ready-to-wear clothing, and sewing and crafting were resurgent. Thanks for joining me in covering an entire decade instead of just an individual trend this week! If you have any recommendations on what to cover next or want to have a chance to be interviewed, shoot an email to m.twining4084@lakewoodcityschools. I’ll reply as soon as I can!