The 1970s “Anything Goes Fashion” and Individual Expression
From the late 1960s on wearing clothes was more about individual expression than it was about fitting in. People during some of the years in this decade primarily dressed in ways to please themselves rather than other people.
This does not mean that there was not anyone during this time who did not value high fashion. In fact, the opposite is true. However, even the clothing and accessories worn on the runway were made into more radical designs than in years before.
“Anything Goes” Hippie and High-End Designer Hippie
Individualism and self-expression was important for people during the 1970s, no matter how much or how little money a person made. The largest difference between the types of individualism and self-expression in this era was most likely due to both class and taste.
For instance, there were two different groups of hippies that emerged during this decade. As a result, these could be labeled very generally as the “Anything Goes” hippie fashion group and the designer hippie fashion group.
The “anything goes” group were the ones that would be more likely to wear clashing clothes, tie-dyed t-shirts, bell-bottoms, or ripped jeans. They may also wear outlandish and flamboyant pantsuits made from polyester, rayon, or similar material. Some of these groups of people may even have worn plastic finished pants or jumpsuits.
The designer hippie may have worn some of the same styles as the first group (the “anything goes” group). However, they also usually would co-ordinate their outfits in a way that would be considered more tasteful in the high-fashion world.
Some of the materials used to make clothing worn by the group of people who wore designer outfits include silk, chiffon, satin, and fur. In fact, one of the more upscale fashions of this time was considered fake fur fashions (i.e. leopard skin dresses for women and leopard skin blazers for men, or fake fir trim on blouses).
Some of the “power clothes” worn by working women in the 1970s include lines of suits created by Karl Lagerfield, who designed under the Chloé label. Another working or casual outfit that was created during this time was the tomato red linen suit jacket worn with white silk crepe blouse and soft leather elastic-wasted pants with seams in the knees.
For the evening, designer hippies and/or the upper class women wore simple classic timeless dresses such as a long flowing red evening dress. This dress was designed by Jean Muir.
Men’s fashion between the anything goes and designer groups may be a little less-defined. However, it is evident that men wore either casual or dress clothing of distinct styles. One of the most popular formal wear outfits for a man during this time was the white suit.
One of the prime examples of the white suit is seen worn by John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. It is a full suit with a vest and black collar underneath the vest that appears in one photo to either to come from a black shirt worn under the vest, or to be a collar attached as part of the vest.
Casual dress sometimes included most of the same items for men that are worn by women in this decade. Some of the casual clothing items that are representative of the 1970s decade include some of the items mentioned earlier in this article (bell bottoms or jeans or pantsuits and t-shirts).
Sometimes men in the 1970s also wore black pants with suspenders and a white short-collared shirt with the first two buttons opened. They may have also worn baseball-style jackets, or exotic print shirts.
The “Anything Goes” Group Wins
The line between they group of hippies that wore anything weather it matched or not and the group of hippies who wore designer fashions was often blurred. However, that is the beauty of the overall philosophy of this decade which leaned more towards the first hippie group “anything goes”.
Punk Fashion
Punk/rock and gothic fashion emerged during the 1970s as well, and on into the early 1980s. For instance, some “punkers” wore leather jackets, leopard-skin outfits, and unlaced work boots. They typically also wore loose shirts and oversized suit jackets over a casual collared button-down shirt or blouse.
Other types of punks fashion included safety pins fastened to old and/or ripped and torn secondhand clothing. They often wore clothes made from leather or plastic (anarchy punks) as well.
Another type of people who were referred to as gothic or new-wave punks wore their face painted white, black eye shadow and wore dark lipstick and dark clothing. However, sometimes they wore red lipstick and outfits such as one that Siouxsie Sioux wore.
1970s Fashions People Would Probably Not Wear Today
Fashion “dos” during the 1970s, such as wearing a pair of multi-colored heeled cowboy-like boots with a plain long rayon dress with a satin bow is for the most part a definite “don’t” in 1007. Likewise, seeing a man in a white suit with a print tie and high-water pants would not be seen very often today either.
Not everyone wore fashions that were specifically unique to the 1970s, however. Some people still followed suit with the representations of fashions created by Christian Dior who was no longer living during this time. As you may have read already in other articles, Christian Dior was a famous fashion artist of the late 1940s, on through the 1950s.
These are some of the things you may have seen advertised Below and how much fashion clothes were in the 70's
Down Look Mens jacket $18.99 New York 1979
Ladies Lined fashion Boots $42.90 New York 1979
Ladies Spring coat $24.99 California 1970
Ladies Summer Dresses $8.99 California 1970
Ladies Washable Oxford Sandals $1.22 California 1970
Mens Suit $37.95 California 1970
Puma Athletic Shoes $12.95 Illinois 1978
Slinky Shawls $5.99 Illinois 1978
Summer Ladies Coat $24.95 California 1970
Warm Leather Lined Boots $39.99 New York 1979
Women's Leather Jackets From $49.99 Illinois 1978
Women's Slippers $4.47 Ohio 1971
Wrangler Jeans $9.95 Illinois 1978
Men's shirt, From $12.99 New Jersey 1976
Men's shoes dress From $21.80 New Jersey 1976
Men's sport jacket From $37.13 New Jersey 1976
Women's dress, From $37.00 New Jersey 1976
Women's skirt, From $34.00 New Jersey 1976
From the late 1960s on wearing clothes was more about individual expression than it was about fitting in. People during some of the years in this decade primarily dressed in ways to please themselves rather than other people.
This does not mean that there was not anyone during this time who did not value high fashion. In fact, the opposite is true. However, even the clothing and accessories worn on the runway were made into more radical designs than in years before.
“Anything Goes” Hippie and High-End Designer Hippie
Individualism and self-expression was important for people during the 1970s, no matter how much or how little money a person made. The largest difference between the types of individualism and self-expression in this era was most likely due to both class and taste.
For instance, there were two different groups of hippies that emerged during this decade. As a result, these could be labeled very generally as the “Anything Goes” hippie fashion group and the designer hippie fashion group.
The “anything goes” group were the ones that would be more likely to wear clashing clothes, tie-dyed t-shirts, bell-bottoms, or ripped jeans. They may also wear outlandish and flamboyant pantsuits made from polyester, rayon, or similar material. Some of these groups of people may even have worn plastic finished pants or jumpsuits.
The designer hippie may have worn some of the same styles as the first group (the “anything goes” group). However, they also usually would co-ordinate their outfits in a way that would be considered more tasteful in the high-fashion world.
Some of the materials used to make clothing worn by the group of people who wore designer outfits include silk, chiffon, satin, and fur. In fact, one of the more upscale fashions of this time was considered fake fur fashions (i.e. leopard skin dresses for women and leopard skin blazers for men, or fake fir trim on blouses).
Some of the “power clothes” worn by working women in the 1970s include lines of suits created by Karl Lagerfield, who designed under the Chloé label. Another working or casual outfit that was created during this time was the tomato red linen suit jacket worn with white silk crepe blouse and soft leather elastic-wasted pants with seams in the knees.
For the evening, designer hippies and/or the upper class women wore simple classic timeless dresses such as a long flowing red evening dress. This dress was designed by Jean Muir.
Men’s fashion between the anything goes and designer groups may be a little less-defined. However, it is evident that men wore either casual or dress clothing of distinct styles. One of the most popular formal wear outfits for a man during this time was the white suit.
One of the prime examples of the white suit is seen worn by John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. It is a full suit with a vest and black collar underneath the vest that appears in one photo to either to come from a black shirt worn under the vest, or to be a collar attached as part of the vest.
Casual dress sometimes included most of the same items for men that are worn by women in this decade. Some of the casual clothing items that are representative of the 1970s decade include some of the items mentioned earlier in this article (bell bottoms or jeans or pantsuits and t-shirts).
Sometimes men in the 1970s also wore black pants with suspenders and a white short-collared shirt with the first two buttons opened. They may have also worn baseball-style jackets, or exotic print shirts.
The “Anything Goes” Group Wins
The line between they group of hippies that wore anything weather it matched or not and the group of hippies who wore designer fashions was often blurred. However, that is the beauty of the overall philosophy of this decade which leaned more towards the first hippie group “anything goes”.
Punk Fashion
Punk/rock and gothic fashion emerged during the 1970s as well, and on into the early 1980s. For instance, some “punkers” wore leather jackets, leopard-skin outfits, and unlaced work boots. They typically also wore loose shirts and oversized suit jackets over a casual collared button-down shirt or blouse.
Other types of punks fashion included safety pins fastened to old and/or ripped and torn secondhand clothing. They often wore clothes made from leather or plastic (anarchy punks) as well.
Another type of people who were referred to as gothic or new-wave punks wore their face painted white, black eye shadow and wore dark lipstick and dark clothing. However, sometimes they wore red lipstick and outfits such as one that Siouxsie Sioux wore.
1970s Fashions People Would Probably Not Wear Today
Fashion “dos” during the 1970s, such as wearing a pair of multi-colored heeled cowboy-like boots with a plain long rayon dress with a satin bow is for the most part a definite “don’t” in 1007. Likewise, seeing a man in a white suit with a print tie and high-water pants would not be seen very often today either.
Not everyone wore fashions that were specifically unique to the 1970s, however. Some people still followed suit with the representations of fashions created by Christian Dior who was no longer living during this time. As you may have read already in other articles, Christian Dior was a famous fashion artist of the late 1940s, on through the 1950s.
These are some of the things you may have seen advertised Below and how much fashion clothes were in the 70's
Down Look Mens jacket $18.99 New York 1979
Ladies Lined fashion Boots $42.90 New York 1979
Ladies Spring coat $24.99 California 1970
Ladies Summer Dresses $8.99 California 1970
Ladies Washable Oxford Sandals $1.22 California 1970
Mens Suit $37.95 California 1970
Puma Athletic Shoes $12.95 Illinois 1978
Slinky Shawls $5.99 Illinois 1978
Summer Ladies Coat $24.95 California 1970
Warm Leather Lined Boots $39.99 New York 1979
Women's Leather Jackets From $49.99 Illinois 1978
Women's Slippers $4.47 Ohio 1971
Wrangler Jeans $9.95 Illinois 1978
Men's shirt, From $12.99 New Jersey 1976
Men's shoes dress From $21.80 New Jersey 1976
Men's sport jacket From $37.13 New Jersey 1976
Women's dress, From $37.00 New Jersey 1976
Women's skirt, From $34.00 New Jersey 1976
