A decade of increasing freedom and sexual liberty for women, the seventies were not only an exciting time to live in but an exciting time for fashion which reflected these movements. From earthy hues and flowing silhouettes to fringing and crochet details, seventies style was oozing with an effortless cool very different to today.
Twenty years too early for me, I missed my chance to embrace this style the first time around but this year I’ve been given a second shot. It was back in September that the seventies took hold of the runways and now, in the eagerly anticipated release of SS15 collections, we can expect our fair share of flares and fringing.
Whilst some designers evoked a bohemian influence, think flowing white dresses and fringed waistcoats, others revived a chicer seventies with unbuttoned blouses, wide-legged, high-waist pants and thick rim sunglasses.
Kaleidoscope blouses and vibrant bell bottomed pants might not be the easiest thing to pull off on an everyday basis, it really couldn’t be easier or more comfortable to incorporate seventies style into your wardrobe.
Forget about those skinny jeans that suck and tuck you all in and instead embrace flares this season. Opting for a high waist too means not only is their relaxed shape and fit comfortable but gives you a beautiful A-line silhouette too. If you had something a little sleeker in mind, culottes are making a comeback too, creating the same A-line silhouette they are a modern take on the seventies without compromising the comfort of jeans.
As if made for each other, a pair of high waist jeans is completed with a blouse; a seventies staple. Whether featuring embroidery or romantic ruffles, a blouse is a piece that really can be worn every day with a variety of different outfits adding a sense of sophistication to even a simple pair of jeans.
My favourite feature of seventies style has to be fringing. Whether adorning a bag, a jacket or a kimono, I can’t help but love the playfulness fringing brings to an outfit.
The easiest accessory to adopt to immediately evoke the seventies is of course a wide brim hat, or failing that a pair of wide brimmed sunglasses (a little optimistic for Lancaster maybe). There is something so effortless about a wide brim hat that can take any old outfit from casual to chic, thus transforming your wardrobe.
If the rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic of the seventies is more your style, take inspiration from the Rolling Stones and adopt a leather jacket and knee high boots (preferably suede) for a slightly edgier seventies kick.
Suede shouldn’t be confined to footwear though. Especially not when the seventies was an era that used suede as one of its key materials. Used for dresses and tops, its soft and delicate appearance was deemed worthy of much more than footwear thus making it a signature part of an outfit. For a modern approach, think suede jackets and fringed suede bags for a subtle nod to the seventies without travelling back in time.
