Tell Us About Women's Fashion In The Early 1970s

“In any era, fashion is a reflection of the time and what is going on in the culture politically, socially and economically.”1 The 1920’s witnessed a variety of dramatic changes for women; these changes, such as shorter dresses and stronger attitudes occurred primarily after World War I in spite of the prolonged development of women 's’ rights through 1914 and 1920. With their new hair, fashion styles, and attitudes, women had started what became known as the “Flapper Era”.

Besides hairstyles, makeup was an enormous influence towards Australia's fashion. During the 1960s, makeup changed drastically. Eyes became the main feature of the face and false eyelashes and mascara became popular to use. Eye shadow was also worn mainly in blue, green, and brown and eyeliner was worn in thick and dark colours for a dramatic effect. Lips usually included pale shades of lipstick with glitter. All of these were popular amongst young female adolescents especially after seeing models like Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton using

The first historical accuracy used in the TV show was that fashion was essential to all teens. Growing up in the early 70’s as a teenager in Australia was that fashion was a must have. Clothing such as crop tops, button ups and bootleg jeans were a crucial part of growing up. From being a cool kid, to being a little less

People may say that the true years of fashion began in the late nineteen forties and went on through the early nineteen sixties. If you look at fashion today, its almost repeated the look from sixty years ago. In each generation fashion trends become based on history and/or important events. in the nineteen forties fashion was being modeled by the military wear. World War II caused a drastic change in the way clothes were being made and worn. In the nineteen fifties Americans admired the fashion of movie stars and music artists. Media had a strong influence on the wordly trend. The people of the sixties expressed there personalities and emotions through

This essay will explore the effects social and political changes had on fashion in the 1980’s. This period was chosen because the new romantic fashions were so different to the punk fashions that had been before, this essay will therefore identify the changes that had taken place to influence this change. Primary evidence used to support findings will include interviews and photographs which will show a firsthand account of the period.

In Australia, the fashion of the 1960s emulated the political and cultural changes at the time. This fashion revolution was youth driven and showed their rejection of social standards. For women, the mini skirt came into trend, introduced by fashion icon Twiggy (Leslie Hornby). This above-the-knee skirt came into fashion in a revolt against people telling women how to express themselves and their bodies that came with the womens rights movement and the introduction of the pill. Men wore tunics, capes and more feminine clothing as pants became tighter and they dawned silk scarfs. This shift from masculine clothing to dabbling in the side of feminine, was because of the changing idea of gender and sexuality. Men also tried to recreate the look of the Beatles; in sharp and clean suits due the bands popularity at the time. Nearing the end of the 1960s, hippie fashion came into style. This era of fashion was dominated by bright, swirling colours, tie-dye, paisley prints, loose fitting clothing, flowers, peace signs, etc. This change in fashion was in response to the Vietnam war. People wore their clothes as a political statement, showing their embracement towards love and freedom.

Throughout the 1920s through the 1950s Women’s clothing in America was affected by World War II, which lead to the exploration of different styles, the encounter of new trends and the exchange of ideas and new styles.

While the 1950s stressed conformity, the 1960s gave full vent to those impulses. The 1960s was a period of transformational change, when long-held values and social norms broke down and were replaced with idealism and rebellion. It is also described as ‘’a breakthrough, a fleeting moment of glory, a time when a significant chunk of humanity realised its moral potential and flirted with its neurological destiny’’ . The young people did not want to reform the society, they did however want to overhaul it, remake it and if needed, destroy it . The sweeping social changes and prevailing attitudes of the decade were epitomised through the rejection of conventions and traditions associated with many aspects of life, including fashion. As Coco Chanel stated, ‘’fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening’’ . Many of these changes were prompted by the feminist movement, the space race and the Vietnam War. Evidently, new fashion trends emerged which reflected these new ideals. Some of the most prevalent trends included revealing clothing, space age designs and alternative hippie clothing.

The clothing style in the 1970’s was polyester and bright colors.Men and women would wear

The United States celebrate its bicentennial on July 4, 1976 meaning that they have been a nation for 200 years.In the 70s men wore a lot of double denim because it was fashionable and it was easy to wear. Leather Jackets were also popular because they were well fitted and easy to clean. Men wore cowboy boots, platform boots, and birkenstocks, because they were very comfortable. Womens fashion had suits such as the pantsuit and the leisure suit, women had long hair that was easy to maintain and it would only take a couple of minutes it, skirts and dresses were still relevant because they were comfortable .As you can see most of the trends were more about comfort rather than looks but some had had both. Helen Frankenthaler was an artist in the 70s, she was an abstract artist and she used her surroundings to inspire her art. Robinson’s Wrap was one of the pieces that helen has made, it was made in 1974 and is still being seen today. Helen was born into a rich family with two other siblings both

“ Fashions fade. Style is eternal” - Once said the famous designer Yves Saint Laurent. In the 1950’s marked the era in fashion that people think of as the turning point in fashion. Teenagers would be looked at for their own fashion, and would have sexier outfits. Women would start to wear accessories such as hats, glasses and diamonds (Fashion History). They would show more skin and have tighter outfits. Men would start to wear suits and look more formal. The “cowboy” look would start to play a big role during this time. Many men would wear different colors including pink.

Phillips website offers honest advice on Fashion styles of the 60’s in the Midwest of the United States, Phillips Paul went to Northeastern High School and he received an honors diploma. Later on in his life he went to the university of Memphis and studies sound recording Technology. Phillips Occupation is he is the owner of senzo Multimedia. Paul has many skills he had achieved and some of them are Marketing, IT, Web Design and Development, Apparel, Audio Engineering. The 1960s had the trend of Bright, swirling colors.

The Fight for Equality Can you just see it, the white picket fence that would surround the yard with the golden retriever and children playing in their striped shirts and polka dotted dresses? In the 1950s, the American ideal was to live a secure and stable home with equal and ordinary traits among the citizens. This ideal lead the changes of the cookie cutter model that was shaped during this era. Another factor to the change of ideals would be the lack of equality shown throughout the 1950s. Inequality led to the changes in economics, social and political adjustments of the American ideal in the 1950s.

To accentuate the hips even more, slit side pockets were present (Payne, 256-257). Subsequently, the 1960’s brought the emergence of miniskirts, which was then a public shock for it was not considered tamed. Minis were pioneered by Mary Quant and made trendy by Andre Courreges (Murray, 112-113). Meanwhile, pants suits for women were popularized in the 70’s. They were first introduced as skinny and tailored, leaving little space for legs. Then they evolved into a flared leg style, with a wide opening at the bottom, or bell bottoms (Payne, 261). “Pants appeared in every form imaginable, from divided skirts and culottes to the classic, pleated-front tailored pant and the baggy ‘Fred Astaire’ version.” (Murray, 116)

The Years between the 1950’s and 1960’s was an explosive time in fashion. The 50’s represented an out coming of the new generation. People began to gain their own personal style and appearance, influenced by films and singers (“Vintage Fashion”). Their styles incorporated leather, jeans, corduroy, and the ballet shoes for the girls. Men’s wear began to drastically change. Men would wear a leather jacket, with jeans that narrowed at the bottom, and a simple t-shirt (Peacock 210-211). This was the first time in history that jeans were not just worn by the working class but by all men (“Brief History”). The man’s lust for flesh grew during this time, so women’s skirts began to get shorter and the bikini was invented. Clothes were made to glorify the female body and emphasize every curve. It wasn’t until the Barbie doll was created in the late 50’s that young girls began to have a separate fashion from their mothers. Young girls would wear sweaters with full skirts or pants