Among numerous decades from the previous century that have regained their rightful place in our wardrobes, the ‘70s seem to have a special place in our hearts. Why wouldn’t they? They were a time when femininity mixed with masculinity, the cuts and silhouettes were incredibly flattering and most importantly, it was a time in fashion when that highly coveted nonchalant chic was an easy feat to achieve.
Hence, if you too have a soft spot for this decade and would be inclined towards building your style around it, stick around, because this will be the ultimate lesson on how to master it.
Obviously, bell-bottoms played a huge role in the ‘70s style. However, for a touch of that Jane Birkin iconic nonchalance, they were usually worn one size too big. Fitted bell-bottoms are a fine choice as well, but if you want to exude those breezy vibes, slightly slouchy bell-bottoms are the way to go.
All the gorgeous dresses
When it comes to dresses, you have a plethora of both cuts, colours and patterns to choose from. First of all, there is the ‘Twiggy’ type of dress – straight yet almost fitted, above-the-knee, sleeveless and with a round collar. This type of dress does justice to a variety of body types, as it doesn’t cling to the body so it can be worn by both curvy and Twiggy-like ladies. If you pair them up with stylish knee-length boots, you will totally get those twiggy vibes, although, given that it’s summer, a pair of ballerina flats or even sky-high platform heels will do the job just as well.
Another type of dress that surpassed the sixties and slid right into the following decade is the one featuring a knee-length ball-gown skirt and a fitted bodice. At times, they were floral and colour-blocked, since those were still one of the most dominant patterns, but muted colours such as burnt orange and mustard yellow are the perfect choice if you want to go monochromatic.
Then, we have the alive and in colour boho dresses with bell-sleeves that are just made for free spirits and vibrant colour lovers. The bigger the bell, the more reminiscent of the ‘70s the dress will be. You can choose from super short to almost ankle-long skirts, as the length was always a matter of personal preference.
Belted A-line dresses like Jackie O used to wear were absolutely mandatory, and are definitely back in style, so when you need to up your game in the classic classy department, this is the way to go.
Finally, the true epitome of the second half of the seventies came in the form of the cult wrap dress, made by no other but the equally legendary Diane von Furstenberg. It took the decade by storm as the wrap made every woman look sexy, powerful and like she had an hourglass figure – there was nothing not to love about it. The patterns varied, but the colours were mostly brown, orange, emerald green, and black-and-white, with wide lapels – obviously. The best part – the dress is now more iconic than ever, so you can easily get your hands on a number of them and always look stunning.
Summertime, and the living is easy
When it came to fun in the sun, all you needed was your boho kaftan under which was almost always a retro one piece swimsuit. Needless to say, the sweetheart neckline was almost always present, as well as the feminine polka-dots, although the iconic stripes weren’t lacking either. The reason they’re still popular is because they do every body type justice and make every figure sultry yet covered up.
The hats were wide-brimmed and the sunglasses, oh, the amazing sunglasses were big and square, sometimes even subtly octagon-shaped, with and without frames, but always larger than life. So, time to ditch the tiny sunglass trend and start browsing for vintage models. Luckily, there are tons of vintage stores, and since a plethora of current runway collections for the spring/summer season emulates the ‘70s, you’ll have no trouble finding them.
Aside from the flannel shirts that were often either tucked into the bell-bottoms or tied to show that incredible waist, the seventies were a very bold time when women loved to get decked out – casually – in little short and fitted tees, usually muted yellow, white and orange – the most popular colours of the era, sometimes with a slogan and other times mono-coloured. It was also a time of the ultra-sexy cute gym shorts, worn mostly in sunny places like California and Australia. Roller-skating was huge back in the day, hence the little skater shorts to show off those legs and get the body tanned. If you wore knee-length socks on top of everything else, you were the living embodiment of the ‘70s casual sexy. All these items can be found in virtually any fast fashion store, so if you want to be a ‘70s girl of summer, go and grab ‘em. Of course, you won’t go wrong with high-rise denim shorts either, especially if you top them off with a bohemian off-the-shoulder top.
In the end, once fall arrives, make sure to lift that trench coat collar, belt it as much as you can, rock a Twiggy-like short skirt underneath and of course – classic knee-length boots with a block heel. If you snag a pair of those sunglasses, it will be a total win. Plaid blazers and wide lapel shirts are another fall must-have, in brown or beige if possible. You don’t want to let Farrah Fawcett down, do you?
