The 70's was a time of social movement and ongoing change. The 1960's broke down cultural and social barriers. The 70's was a continuation of that.
The 70's had huge variety of looks that apply to just about any particular taste. It was an era of self expression and self realization. The more popular trends of the 70's fashion's where bell bottoms, sequin outfits, mini squirts, maxi dresses, disco suits and the peasant folk embroidered blouses. Men's clothing became more leisure like and of course how can we forget the famous V neck a popular trend among men. A clear example of this is Saturday Night Fever John Travolta's iconic white suite with a black v neck blouse.
The Idea of making a 70's look came about when I was was introduced to these red bell bottoms pants by my assistant. When I first saw them I was very skeptical since I never really worn bell bottoms before. Last time I worn anything close to it was when I was in elementary school. But I decided to try them on just for fun. Once I saw them on me I like them because they had sense of flare and fun. I then started putting things together and next thing you know I was in the 70's. I decided to pair the bell bottoms with a low cleavage yellow spaghetti strap. I then tied the yellow shirt to show some mid-drift. For the shoes I wanted to used some neutral color chunks to elongate the legs.
For the accessories I used a long gold necklace and blonde wig with bangs and ombre tan glasses. I thought I had the outfit together but then my assistance then reminded me of a paper Chinese umbrella that we had. I didn't think it would add much to the outfit. But once I put everything together it felt complete. To give a bit of the back story the Chinese paper umbrella is a staple to the Asian fashion. Dating back before the Christian era. The most iconic display of the Chinese paper umbrella is Emperor Qin's Tomb. Better known as the world famous Terracotta Army.
For the location I wanted to use a house that I had seen before. It was an abandoned house that had been on the market for a long time. The yard was filled with weeds and overgrown brushes. The paint of the house was fading and the windows where covered with sheets of wood. I really wanted to use this location because you can physically see the effects of passing of time. Everything around the house had progressed and changed except the house. It was stuck in the past unwilling to change and move forward. It is like in our own life we can visit the past but we can't be stuck in it. We have to move forward and embrace change. If there is no change there is no future and if there is no future there is no life. The 70's was a time that embraced that changed. It did not want to get stuck in the past. It was brave enough to look into the future and move forward to it.
In picture above you can see the chest bearing shirt and the wide flare for the pants.
The Three Degrees singing duo, Sheila Ferguson, Valerie Holiday and Fayette Pinkney embraced belly-bearing silhouettes. I love this photo because of how easy and sexy it is.
In this image from Almost Famous you can see the boho 70's style that was also popular. I watched this movie this last summer and one of the biggest takeaways from this movie is the costumes. It displays the other side of the 70's fashion with the long hair, broad collar shirts and aviator glasses.
Penny Lane from Almost Famous in her iconic shearling coat.
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