70s Fashion as a Freedom of Choice
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70s Fashion as a Freedom of Choice Research Paper
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Updated: Jan 29th, 2022
70s Fashion as a Freedom of Choice
History of 70s fashion and influences
1970s as the Me Decade
Conclusion
Works Cited
70s Fashion as a Freedom of Choice
Fashion is a reflection of the decade. There is no doubt that it is possible to see the most important aspects of the in the clothing that people wore. The 70s fashion was bright, colorful and funky, definitely a celebration of peace and freedom that came after the decade of war and chaos. Furthermore, the fashion changed even in the 10-year period, from the loud flared trousers and fringed tops to suits worn with peasant blouses. With this said, the 70s fashion was not a fashion, it was the freedom of choice. People started wearing what they liked, even if it was different from the expected norm. Thus, the 70s era was the bright era of freedom of choice in fashion.
History of 70s fashion and influences
The fashion industry of the 70s went through an experimental phase, as the times of the psychedelic styles inherent to the 60s were completely over. By the early 70s, a large bulk of the hippie style was transferred to the mainstream society. However, with the end of the Vietnam War, the public and the media lost interest in the hippie style in the middle of the decade, and began to lean toward the mod subculture (Kass 24).
The history of the 70s fashion is also characterized by the appearance of punk and skinhead styles. The decade of the 70s was full of happiness, as the Vietnam War was over, and the society wanted to celebrate. Thus, the disco parties became a crucial part of the culture at that time. was the most prevalent toward the end of the 70s, but it remained the most popular and the most memorable style of the decade (Kass 25).
The 70s decade was the era of the fashion choice. Before, the public was strictly following the rules stated by the designers, while in the 70s designers began to follow what the public wanted. Designer Oscar de la Renta described the 70s fashion the following way: Today, there is no fashion, really. There are just choices. Women dress today to reveal their personalities. They used to reveal the designers personality.
Until the 70s, women listened to designers. Now women want to do it their own way (Granger 151). Nevertheless, there was one designer that managed to capture the hearts of the public, and she is Diane Von Furstenberg. In 1972, she created an explosion in the fashion world with her simple fashion slogan: Feel like a woman. Wear a dress (Granger 151). By the end of the decade, she had managed to sell millions of her famous wrap dresses made from a soft jersey fabric.
1970s as the Me Decade
As the 1970s fashion glorified the freedom of expression and freedom in personal style, the decade was identified as the Me Decade. This meant that following a specific fashion did not mean obeying the set rules. This is why the media shifted its perspective and began to focus less on brands, but onto the customer. The Me fashion was influenced by the 60s hippie fashion that put forward an idea that a person should not follow the popular capitalist fashion, but wear and to whatever one liked. Ironically, the hippies rejection of trends was used by the as well as high fashion in the 70s.
Thus, the hippie spirit alongside with the Me stylistic were the two reasons why there were so many various looks. This variety could often cause confusion and lack of somewhat concrete direction in the fashion industry (Dirix and Fiel 17).
Nowadays the 70s fashion is on trend. No matter what fashion magazine pages you flip through, Vogue or Marie Claire, theres no doubt that you will come across maxi dresses, lace-up peasant blouses or psychedelic prints. The Autumn-Winter 2015 collections were full of the retro-inspired silhouettes that appeared on the catwalk and then passed to the . Nevertheless, there is a difference between the current 70s trends and the way they were executed the first time around. For example, the classic leather jacket and flared jeans combination were worn with a chunky jumper and platform boots while now the trend is diluted with pointy heels and light shirts (Bender 133).
Conclusion
To conclude, the fashion of the 70s was not represented by the strict rules that should be completely followed in order to be accepted in the society. People were free to wear whatever the liked and be whoever they wanted to be. No matter what they wore, a mini skirt, a peasant blouse or a bright suit, it was all in the feeling, very similar to the way people dress today. Moreover, the style of the 70s was somewhat a celebration of the Vietnam War, so the clothing acquired a bright color palette as well as classic funky silhouettes that are popular even nowadays. The fashion of the 1970s helped to stray away from the traditional norms inherent to the prior decades and helped to redefine the acceptable standards for the future fashion.
Works Cited
Bender, Lee. Bus Stop and the influence of the 70s on fashion today. London: A & C Black, 2010. Print.
Dirix, Emanuelle, and Charlotte Fiel. Fashion in the 70s: The Definitive Sourcebook. London: Carlton Publishing Group, 2014. Print.
Granger, Michele. Fashion: The Industry and Its Careers. New York: Fairchild Books, 2012. Print.
Kass, Alison, The 20th Century of American Fashion: 1900 2000. 2011.
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Paper Details
Reading time 3 min
Type Research Paper
Pages 3
Words 846
Subjects Design Fashion
Topics Freedom Fashion
Language
English
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