1970s in fashion explained

Fashion in the 1970s was about individuality. In the early 1970s, Vogue proclaimed "There are no rules in the fashion game now"^[1] due to overproduction flooding the market with cheap synthetic clothing. Common items included mini skirts, bell-bottoms popularized by hippies, vintage clothing from the 1950s and earlier, and the androgynous glam rock and disco styles that introduced platform shoes, bright colors, glitter, and satin.^[2]

New technologies brought advances in production through mass production, higher efficiency, generating higher standards and uniformity. Generally the most famous silhouette of the mid and late 1970s for both genders was that of tight on top and loose on bottom. The 1970s also saw the birth of the indifferent, anti-conformist casual chic approach to fashion, which consisted of sweaters, T-shirts, jeans and sneakers.^[3] One notable fashion designer to emerge into the spotlight during this time was Diane von Fürstenberg, who popularized, among other things, the jersey "wrap dress".^{[4] [5]} von Fürstenberg's wrap dress design, essentially a robe, it was among the most popular fashion styles of the 1970s, would also be credited as a symbol of women's liberation.^{[6] [7]} The French designer Yves Saint Laurent^{[8] [9]} and the American designer Halston both observed and embraced the changes that were happening in the society, especially the huge growth of women's rights^[10] and the youth counterculture. They successfully adapted their design aesthetics to accommodate the changes that the market was aiming for.

Top fashion models in the 1970s were Lauren Hutton, Margaux Hemingway, Beverly Johnson, Gia Carangi, Janice Dickinson, Patti Hansen, Cheryl Tiegs, Jerry Hall, and Iman.

Women

Early 1970s (1970–1972)

Hippie look

• The 1970s began with a continuation of the hippie look from the 1960s, giving a distinct ethnic flavor.^[11] Popular early 1970s fashions for women included Tie dye shirts, Mexican 'peasant' blouses,^[12] folk-embroidered Hungarian blouses, ponchos, capes,^[13] and military surplus clothing.^[14] Bottom attire for women during this time included bell-bottoms, gauchos,^[15] frayed jeans, midi skirts, and ankle-length maxi dresses. Hippie clothing during this time was made in extremely bright colors,^[16] as well as Indian patterns, Native American patterns, and floral patterns.^[17]
• Women's hippie accessories of the early 1970s included chokers, dog collars, handcrafted neck ornaments, and accessories made from natural elements like wood, shells, stones, feathers, Indian beads and leather. All of these replaced standard jewelry. Unisex hippie accessories included headbands, floppy hats, balumba balls, flowing scarves, Birkenstocks,^[18] earth shoes,^[19] authentic beaded and fringed Native American buckskin moccasins, including knee-high boot versions, and sandals, including tire-soled versions and huaraches. The back-to-nature direction of the times meant that there was also a lot of going barefoot.

Glamour

• Although the hippie look was widespread, it was not adopted by everyone. Many women still continued to dress up with more glamorous clothes, inspired by 1940s movie star glamour. Other women just adopted simple casual fashions, or combined new garments with carefully chosen secondhand or vintage clothing from the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s.^[20]
• Glamorous women's accessories of the early 1970s included cloche hats or turbans, pearl earrings, necklaces, bracelets, feather boas, black-veiled hats, clogs, wedgies, cork-soled platforms, and chunky high heels.^[21] Golden chains, gold-button earrings and rhinestone clips started to become popular again in 1973 after several years of homemade jewelry.^{[22] [23]}

Other early '70s trends

• More simple early 1970s trends for women included fitted blazers (coming in a multitude of fabrics along with wide lapels), long and short dresses, mini skirts, maxi evening gowns, hot pants (extremely brief, tight-fitting shorts) paired with skin-tight T-shirts, his & hers outfits (matching outfits that were nearly identical to each other), and flared pants. Pastel colors were most commonly used for this style of clothing, such as mauve, peach, apple green, pink, yellow, white, wheat, camel, gray, and baby blue. Rust, tangerine, copper, forest green, and pistachio became more popularized from 1973 onwards. Sweaters were a huge phenomenon in the early 1970s, often outfits being judged entirely by the sweater. This fragmented into more styles, such as sweater coats, sweater dresses, floor-length sweaters, and even sweater suits. Many of them were trimmed with fur, especially faux. Chunky, shawl-collared, belted cardigans, often in brown and white, were also commonplace. On the feet, platform shoes were widespread in a variety of styles,^[24] including clog-like forms^[25] and sandals, with relatively wide straps. The young paired these with colorful, often brightly striped knee-socks,^[26] some with separate toes like gloves for the feet, called toe socks.^[27]
• In the early 1970s boots were at the height of their popularity, continuing onward from the mid-1960s. Women had boots for every occasion, with a wide variety of styles being sold in stores for affordable prices. Despite the wide variety, the most popular boots were Go-go boots, crinkle boots (boots with a shiny wet look that was wrinkled), stretch boots, and granny boots (1920s style lace-up boots that ended just below the knees).^[28]

Mid 1970s (1973–1976)

Casual looks

• By 1974, the T-shirt was no longer considered underwear, and was by then made in elaborate designs such as slogans, sports teams, and other styles. Around the same time the looser, more flowy shirts of the early 1970s had given way to fitted tops.
• By the mid-1970s, the hippie look had completely disappeared, although casual looks continued.^[29] In the mid-1970s women wore sweaters,^[30] T-shirts, cardigans, kimono, graphic T-shirts and sweaters, jeans, khakis, gauchos, workmen's clothes, and vintage clothing. A denim emphasis continued from the early seventies, particularly strong in 1973 to '75, with denim and denim-look fabrics of various intensities of indigo paired with blue jeans, usually flared, and denim skirts in below-knee lengths.^[31] In 1975, the slim-legged jean style known as the cigarette-leg was introduced, a style that would dominate the end of the decade.^[32] Around 1976, casual fashion adopted a Parisan peasant look. This included capes, turbans, puffy skirts and shirts with billowing sleeves.
• In the mid-1970s, accessories were generally not worn, adopting a minimalistic approach to fashion akin to that of the 1950s. The most commonly seen form of jewelry was a simple, thin, unobtrusive gold neckchain, sometimes in silver, worn under the collar against the skin by both men and women throughout the decade but becoming really ubiquitous starting in the mid-seventies. White pukka shell necklaces were also worn by both sexes. Small leather shoulder bags were worn by women everywhere, and popular shoes included Mary Janes, knee-high boots with rounded toes, including Dingo boots and Frye boots^[33] (often with pants tucked in),^[34] platform shoes and sandals, wedge-heeled espadrilles that often had long cords to wrap around the ankle,^[35] Birkenstocks, Famolares,^[36] and loafers. Despite the lack of accessories, the mood ring was a big fad in the mid-1970s.^[37]

Active wear

• Clean-cut, all-American active wear for women became increasingly popular from 1975 onwards. The biggest phenomenon of this trend was the jumpsuit, popular from 1975 onwards. Jumpsuits were almost always flared in the legs, and sleeves varied from being completely sleeveless to having extremely long bell-sleeves. Other sportswear trends included tracksuits, tunic shirts, crop tops, tube tops, sweatshirts, hip-huggers,^[38] low rise pants, and leisure suits. This continued into the 1980s.
• Accessories were less of an importance during this time, but two very desirable accessories included sneakers and tennis headbands.

Tailored styles

• As the divorce rate rose and the marriage rate declined in the mid-70s, women were forced to work in order to support the nuclear family. The progressive addition of women to the work force altered shopping styles and fashion. Working women shopped on weekends and in the evenings. Feminized men's business suits such as tailored jackets, midi-skirts, and fitted blouses were their go-to choice as to "dress for success."^[39]

• Starting in 1975, women's semi-formal wear became more tailored and sharp. This included a lot of layering, with women wearing two blouses at once, multiple sweaters, pants underneath tunic dresses, and jumpers worn over long, fitted dresses. The 1970s also featured some of the most scandalous dresses worn publicly in American history up to that point. Other clothes worn in this style include suede coats, peacoats, blazers, cowl-neck sweaters, pencil skirts, backless dresses, extremely low-cut dresses, palazzo pants, tube dresses, evening gowns, jacket dresses, and pinstriped pantsuits. Women's dresses in the mid-1970s were dominated by pastel colors, but Asian patterns were also common.
• Accessories for the more formal styles included high-heels (both low and high, mostly thick-heeled), turbans, and leather shoulder bags. Boots continued their popularity in the mid-1970s. This trend expanded to other styles, most notably the wedge heel (arguably the most popular women's shoe of the mid-1970s). Boots became rounder, chunkier, heavier, and thicker, and were more expensive than they were in the early 1970s. Popular boots of the mid-1970s included wedge boots, ankle boots, platform boots, and cowboy boots. The A/W Haute Couture Collection "Opium Collection" by the French designer Yves Saint Laurent was inspired by the Chinese culture and history.

Disco look

• The disco music genre spawned its own fashion craze in the mid- to late 1970s. Young people gathered in nightclubs dressed in new disco clothing that was designed to show off the body and shine under dance-floor lights. Disco fashion featured fancy clothes made from man-made materials. The most famous disco look for women was the jersey wrap dress, a knee-length dress with a cinched waist. Essentially a robe, it became an extremely popular item, as it flattered a number of different body types and sizes, and could be worn both to the office by day, and to nightclubs and discos by night.^[40]
• Disco fashion was generally inspired by clothing from the early 1960s. Disco clothes worn by women included tube tops, sequined halterneck shirts, blazers, spandex short shorts, loose pants, form-fitting spandex pants, maxi skirts and dresses with long thigh slits, jersey wrap dresses, and evening dresses. Shoes ranged from knee-high boots to kitten heels, but the most commonly worn shoes were ones that had thick heels and were often made with transparent plastic.

The Big Look or Soft Look

• The leading high-fashion trend of the mid-seventies,^{[41] [42]} extending from 1973 and 1974 through the first half of 1978, was known as the Big Look or Soft Look,^[43] with big meaning voluminous.^{[44] [45] [46]} This was a loosening and increase in scale of the popular, casual peasant styles of the late sixties and early seventies^{[47] [48] [49]} and a reduction and elimination of internal structure like linings and padding to achieve what was known as an unconstructed look and feel.^{[50] [51] [52] [53]} Introduced by designer Kenzo Takada in 1973,^{[54] [55] [56]} carried further by Karl Lagerfeld in 1974,^{[57] [58] [59]} adapted for the US^[60] by Geoffrey Beene shortly thereafter,^{[61] [62]} and endorsed in silhouette the same year by the most influential designer of the time, Yves Saint Laurent,^{[63] [64] [65]} it came to influence everyone^[66] from Calvin Klein^{[67] [68]} to Mary McFadden^[69] to Givenchy^[70] to Perry Ellis, who was probably the look's biggest US exponent.^{[71] [72]}
• The Big Look relied on loose, billowy, oversized shapes;^{[73] [74] [75] [76]} comfortable, thin, gossamer-weight,^[77] natural-fiber^{[78] [79]} fabrics like cotton gauze, crepe de chine, and challis,^{[80] [81]} often left naturally wrinkled;^{[82] [83]} a mostly neutral or earthtone,^[84] forest-tone, or wine-tone color palette, with prints small, muted, and often floral;^{[85] [86]} layering;^{[87] [88] [89]} drawstrings,^{[90] [91] [92] [93]} wrapping/tying,^[94] and rope-cords^[95] as opposed to hardware like buttons, zippers, and belts;^[96] capes, serapes, and shawls^[97] more than structured coats;^{[98] [99] [100] [101] [102]} oversized, unlined jackets and vests;^{[103] [104] [105]} extensive use of hoods^{[106] [107]} and cowlnecks;^{[108] [109]} full sleeve cuts like raglan, dolman, batwing, and bishop;^{[110] [111]} big, rustic-textured sweaters;^{[112] [113]} blouson tops;^{[114] [115] [116]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: 1970's Revival – Fashion blog. Oxfam GB. 5 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170924001527/http://www.oxfam.org.uk/fashion-blog/2016/09/1970s-revival. 24 September 2017. dead.
2. Web site: Troubled Times: 1961–79. 27 July 2014.
3. Evans . Ell N. . The Emperor's Fall Clothes . The New York Times . 1975-08-24 . 213 . 2022-03-24 . [J]eans have invaded ballet, theater and gallery openings with such assertion that everyone else feels overdressed..
4. Web site: Diane von Furstenberg's Style History In Dresses. Marie Claire. 31 December 2014. Marie Claire UK. 15 April 2023.
5. Web site: Vintage Fashion Guild : Label Resource : Von Furstenberg, Diane. vintagefashionguild.org. 15 April 2023.
6. News: Wrap superstar: Designer Diane von Fürstenberg tells her story . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/wrap-superstar-designer-diane-von-furstenberg-tells-her-story-801189.html . 2022-05-07 . subscription . live . March 27, 2008 . The Independent on Sunday . 13 April 2023 . London.
7. Web site: Leora Tanenbaum. Leora Tanenbaum. Because of Slut-Shaming, the Wrap Dress Still Matters. Huffington Post. 13 April 2023. July 14, 2015.
8. News: Morris . Bernadine . Fashion: Paris Report . The New York Times . 1976-08-15 . 179 . 2022-04-04 . In the late 1960's, [Saint Laurent] watched the student riots in Paris and came up with the pants suit, which everyone is still wearing..
9. Morris . Bernadine . Saint Laurent Has a New Name for Madison Avenue – Rive Gauche . The New York Times . 1968-09-16 . 54 . 2023-04-23 . During the student upheavals in Paris in May [1968], [Saint Laurent] saw the girls and boys behind the barricades dressed...in pants...'They looked beautiful...,' he said...'Fashion is not only couture....Events are more important.'...[In] his last Paris couture collection, shown in July,...[p]ants outfits overshadowed more conventional attire..
10. Book: Embree . Alice . Voice Lessons . 2021 . Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin . Austin, TX, USA . 978-0-9997318-6-4 . 174 . Raising Our Voices: 1973-1979 . In 1970, the women's movement began to take dress down an increasingly informal path. T-shirts, blue jeans, cutoffs, hiking boots, hair flowing freely...Women disposed of bras and freed their breasts under T-shirts or blue work shirts....Relaxed informality settled into the mainstream. In the '70s, political statements moved from buttons to...T-shirts..
11. Book: Heathcote . Phyllis W. . Britannica Book of the Year 1971: Events of 1970 . Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. . 0-85229-158-2 . 324 . Fashion and Dress . 1971 . ...[T]he influence of the hippie movement could not be ruled out. The exotic prints..., the jacquard and patchwork effects, the general look of casual softness with swathed heads and flowing draperies, peasant, gypsy, and 'granny' looks,...bright wool ponchos..., the vogue for fantastic...jewelry, the long hair – all could be traced to the hippie....
12. Web site: Paperpast Yearbook. Paperpast.com. 5 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170830163305/http://www.paperpast.com/html/1970_fashion.html. 30 August 2017. dead.
13. Web site: Fashion in the 1970s . 1 July 2014.
14. Web site: HIPPIES . 3 July 2014.
15. Web site: Gaucho Pants . 3 July 2014.
16. Web site: 1970s Fashion for Women & Girls . 2 July 2014.
17. Web site: 1970s Dresses & Skirts: Styles, Trends & Pictures . 2 July 2014.
18. Web site: Birkenstocks . 7 July 2014.
19. Web site: Earth Shoes . 7 July 2014.
20. Book: Buckley, Cheryl. Designing Modern Britain. 1 October 2007. Reaktion Books. 978-1-86189-322-2.
21. Book: Livingston . Kathryn Zahony . The 1973 World Book Year Book: A Review of the Events of 1972 . Field Enterprises Educational Corporation . 0-7166-0-473-6 . 339 . Fashion . Clogs, wedgies, cork-soled platforms, and chunky, high heels continued to alarm podiatrists..
22. Book: Livingston . Kathryn Zahony . The 1974 World Book Year Book: A Review of the Events of 1973 . Field Enterprises Educational Corporation . 0-7166-0474-4 . 319 . Fashion . 1974 . Unmonumental accessories were the norm: golden chains, gold-button earrings, rhinestone clips....
23. News: 70s fashion icons. 28 October 2014. Glamour. 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141029144322/http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/fashion/celebrity-fashion/2011/03/70s-fashion-style-icons#!image-number=2. 29 October 2014. dead.
24. Book: Howell . Georgina . In Vogue: Sixty Years of Celebrities and Fashion from British Vogue . 1978 . Penguin Books Ltd. . Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England . 0-14-004955-X . 325 . 1972 . Shoes are preposterously high and vivid, the thick platform adding inches to already tall heels. Saint Laurent's rope-soled wedge espadrilles in primary colours lace up...and...there are...corksoled sandals..
25. Book: Sweetinburgh . Thelma . 1973 Britannica Book of the Year: Events of 1972 . Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. . 0-85229-282-1 . 295 . Fashion and Dress . 1973 . ...[C]lumsy wartime clogs, in shades of green, red, yellow, blue, or pink, were popular with the young crowd..
26. Book: Sweetinburgh . Thelma . 1973 Britannica Book of the Year: Events of 1972 . Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. . 0-85229-282-1 . 295–296 . Fashion and Dress . 1973 . ...jeans rolled up to uncover multicoloured striped socks and...bright clogs..
27. Dullea . Georgia . The Youngsters Love Outrageous Socks: 'Why Have Drab Feet?' . The New York Times . 1973-12-19 . 52 . 2022-03-08 . [T]hey parade through the halls of Pleasantville (N. Y.) High School in what look more like gloves than socks. Toe Socks, the girls call them. For $3 a pair they get 10 different colored toes. 'Everybody around here loves them,' says Maria, regarding her rainbow of toes through Dr. Scholl's sandals and confiding that toe socks take getting used to...Mostly they're wearing them under their jeans...Nina Borie, a 17‐year‐old senior there, has swapped those cable knits that mother bought for socks striped in orange, yellow and green..
28. Web site: 1970s Boots for Women: Styles, Trends & Pictures . 2 July 2014.
29. Book: Howell . Georgina . In Vogue: Sixty Years of Celebrities and Fashion from British Vogue . 1978 . Penguin Books Ltd. . Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England . 0-14-004955-X . 329 . 1973 . There is an out-of-uniform uniform for students and school-leavers: floppy-brimmed hat, long straight hair, full-sleeved shirt or smock, and cotton skirt to the ground..
30. Morris . Bernadine . Clothes for Fall: Mostly Casual . The New York Times . 1974-04-21 . 54 . 2022-06-22 . A good portion of the styles are knitted. There are plenty of versions of the standard international daytime uniform: the sweater‐jacket over a flared skirt..
31. Book: Elkins . Ann . The Americana Annual, 1976: An Encyclopedia of the Events of 1975 . Grolier Incorporated . 0-7172-0207-0 . 247 . Fashion . 1969 . The jeans craze continued to mushroom at an unbelievable pace....Denim...was prewashed, brushed, streaked, bleached, studded, and embroidered. Knits or wovens were dyed or printed to simulate denim. Jean stitching and styling on...skirts made them best-sellers. Blazers and shirt jackets, tenty jumpers, and chemises were made in denim....
32. Book: Elkins . Ann . The Americana Annual, 1976: An Encyclopedia of the Events of 1975 . Grolier Incorporated . 0-7172-0207-0 . 247 . Fashion . 1969 . The new jean, labeled the 'cigarette,' was narrow of leg and designed to be rolled up to mid-calf over boots..
33. Klemesrud . Judy . In Pioneer-Style Boots, the Klutzy Look is Chic . The New York Times . 1976-02-17 . 52 . 2022-02-10 . ...[Knee-high] Frye boots are the 'hot boots' this season...They were wide and loose around the ankles....
34. From the Sands of Morocco to the Sidewalks of New York . The New York Times . 1975-12-03 . 56 . 2022-03-08 . You'll find Mademoiselle and Glamour readers wearing jeans tucked into their Frye boots and Vogue and Harper's Bazaar readers wearing their pants with the more expensive Charles Jourdan boots..
35. Crenshaw . Mary Ann . Fashion . The New York Times . 1974-06-30 . 34 . 2022-03-08 . Classic Spanish espadrille is two-toned brown and orange canvas....A covered wedge makes an embroidered denim espadrille into a shoe....Sling‐back espadrille in navy canvas has open toe, platform sole....An acid green espadrille is set on a high, high sole, has leather ties..
36. Jones . Stacy V. . Laboratory Method is Utilized to Test Tires . The New York Times . 1975-07-12 . 31 . 2022-03-03 . Famolare, Inc., is manufacturing 150,000 pairs a month of its Get There shoes. The shoe has a sole trademarked Wave,...a positive shock‐absorbing heel that propels the walker and creates a fluidity of rolling motion. The wavy bottoms have attracted considerable attention in the shoe trade....The sole...has four waves, one under the heel, another under the toe, and two in between..
37. Web site: Mood Rings . 7 July 2014.
38. Web site: Hip Huggers . 2 July 2014.
39. Book: Peacock, John. 20th-century fashion: the complete sourcebook. Thames & Hudson Ltd. 2010. 978-0-500-20402-3. London. 533.
40. Book: Pendergast, Tom and Sarah. Fashion, Costume and Culture. 2004. Thomson Gale. MI, USA. 0-7876-5422-1. 933.
41. Book: Mulvagh . Jane . Vogue History of 20th Century Fashion . 1988 . Viking, the Penguin Group . London, England . 0-670-80172-0 . 305 . 1968-1975 . Designers and public alike grew tired of...classics and the 'big look' was introduced in the mid-seventies – loose, baggy, layered capes, smocks, tent dresses, leg-warmers and balaclavas – combined with the ethnic look..
42. Morris . Bernadine . Will It Be Full Dresses or Narrow – or Back to Living in Jeans? . The New York Times . 1975-03-05 . 23 . 2022-02-18 . [In 1973], the big look was unleashed by Kenzo Takada,...and it soon took the French capital by storm. Within months the avant-garde was turning up in loose dresses and big coats. A year later, Karl Lagerfeld refined it and gave it stature in his collection for Chloe. By last fall [1974], the streets of Paris and other cities in Europe with pretensions to fashion were dominated by loose dresses, big capes and flowing skirts. The voluminous look had arrived..
43. Finley . Ruth . American RTW: The Long, Soft Spring of '75 . Fashion International . 1974-12-01 . III . 3 . 1 . FI Publications, Inc. . New York, NY, USA . 'Soft' best describes the look, soft fabrics, soft silhouettes, soft sleeves, soft details, 'soft' colors..
44. Morris . Bernadine . The Big Look . The New York Times . 1974-08-25 . 285 . 2022-02-10 . [S]tanding in the wings for fall is one of those momentous changes. It involves swashbuckling capes, blouses that blouse instead of cling, swirling skirts, voluminous coats, all wrapped up in acres of scarves..
45. Morris . Bernadine . 70's Fashion: Sportswear at the Summit . The New York Times . 1976-01-01 . 36 . 2022-02-10 . Paris started the 'big look'—voluminous coats, tent dresses, smock tops. Longer skirts went along with it....By the fall of 1974, long skirts, boots and capes were established as the uniform of the chic....
46. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . Fashion Notes . The Washington Post. 1978-01-01 . 2022-02-10 . Fashion punch words from 1977 that carry into spring and summer 1978: softness, easy, loose, light....[I]t means loose fitting clothes in lightweight, unlined natural fabrics..
47. Curtis . Charlotte . Charlotte Curtis . The Midi Laid an Egg in 1970, but It Did Hatch Other Fashions . The New York Times . 1971-01-01 . 33 . 2022-04-04 . ...the already popular gypsy‐ethnic look..
48. Emerson . Gloria . Gloria Emerson . Italian Couture Short on Ideas, Long on Effects . The New York Times . 1969-01-22 . 34 . 2023-07-13 . The gypsy look...means a full, colorful skirt or a flounced one....[T]he gypsy idea is under way everywhere....
49. Morris . Bernadine . Madame Butterfly Look Flutters Through Rome Fashion Shows . The New York Times . 1970-07-13 . 34 . 2023-05-17 . ...[H]ippie girls have taken to long printed peasant skirts..
50. Morris . Bernadine . At Paris Shows, the Fabric is Flowing . The New York Times . 1974-04-03 . 48 . 2022-02-10 . [T]he dresses are so voluminous. The yardage is immense. They're also quite long, baring not much more than the ankles. That's the length most of the clothes are around here....[A]ll inner construction, and practically all seams, have been eliminated. That means no linings, no interfacing, not even any turned‐under hems—the fabric has simply been cut off at the bottom. As a result, the clothes can be piled on top of each other, layer upon layer, without making the wearer look like a moving mountain. A cape, two coats and a dress worn ensemble is not unusual. Instead of cutting up fabrics into little pieces and sewing them torturously together, designers seem to be throwing them against the body and letting them flow..
51. Morris . Bernadine . Fashion is Quiet Now and Some Designers Say That's Just Fine . The New York Times . 1974-03-31 . 56 . 2022-04-04 . 'Young people don't care about seams,' [Calvin] Klein said. 'I stopped caring myself. I keep paring things down more and more. Clothes are less constructed today. That's what makes them more natural'..
52. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . Plunging into a Billowy Spring . The Washington Post. 1977-11-08 . 2022-04-04 . John Anthony insured the light weight of his clothes by developing two machines that eliminate hems, bindings, plackets and even linings..
53. Morris . Bernadine . Fashion's Fresh Approach: Free-Flowing, Elegant and Gay . The New York Times . 1976-02-10 . 32 . 2022-04-04 . ...[T]he new clothes seem natural, as if they weren't designed at all, but just happened. The best of them just flow, moving effortlessly over the body, anchored gently by drawstrings or elasticized smocking..
54. Morris . Bernadine . Kenzo Displays His Imagination With a Fun-Filled Show in Paris . The New York Times . 1973-04-04 . 38 . 2021-12-31 . The models wore big, bulky sweaters over full dirndl skirts in gray flannel, tent dresses and tent coats and pleated dresses with embroidered white petticoats worn under them....[H]emlines ranged from below the knee to above the ankle...These long skirts have a certain kick to them. They're very full, even the flannel ones..
55. Salmans . Sandra . Seventh Avenue . The New York Times . 1974-08-25 . 96 . 2021-12-10 . ...[T]he Big Look...was pioneered in Paris a year ago [1973] by Kenzo Takada...with absurdly large skirts and coats....[T]he look features long skirts, dropped shoulders, dolman sleeves and large armholes, blouson jackets, blowing capes, and loose dresses–all laid on with layers of fabric..
56. Book: Mulvagh . Jane . Vogue History of 20th Century Fashion . 1988 . Viking, the Penguin Group . London, England . 0-670-80172-0 . 337 . 1974 . Kenzo anticipated a major change this winter by creating a full, circular skirt, easily caught by the wind...The replacement of the short, kicky skirt by the longer, fuller style was the most important change in the silhouette...The new coat and cape shapes were also looser, fuller and longer – the hemline was anywhere from 3 inches below the knee to the ankle. This voluminous, unconstructed style was christened the 'Big Look'..
57. Morris . Bernadine . At Paris Shows, the Fabric is Flowing . The New York Times . 1974-04-03 . 48 . 2022-02-10 . The difference with Lagerfeld's things is that all inner construction, and practically all seams, have been eliminated. That means no linings, no interfacing, not even any turned‐under hems—the fabric has simply been cut off at the bottom..
58. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . Paris Looks: Casanova to Puss 'n' Boots . The Washington Post. 1977-03-29 . 2022-02-10 . It was Lagerfeld who first took the shaping and the linings out of clothes...He also removed hemlines entirely to make clothes lighter and more easily layered....'[Y]ou cannot go back to lined clothing, because...clothes today must be light and loose'..
59. Book: Mulvagh . Jane . Vogue History of 20th Century Fashion . 1988 . Viking, the Penguin Group . London, England . 0-670-80172-0 . 300 . 1968-1975 . ...Fendi...employed Karl Lagerfeld to design their fur range and he changed the whole silhouette of modern furs....Lagerfeld insisted that the underside of the pelts be stripped down to the very thinnest layer needed to support the pile, and by softening and treating the underside, made it unnecessary to line the garment..
60. Morris . Bernadine . For Day or Night, Pants are a Way of Life . The New York Times . 1974-05-30 . 28 . 2022-11-07 . The winds of change are rustling through the workrooms of Seventh Avenue, blowing away the skinny, skimpy, body‐clinging clothes of the past ten years. In their place are voluminous tops, widely flaring skirts, longer hemlines..
61. Book: Livingston . Kathryn . The 1978 World Book Year Book: Events of 1977 . World Book-Childcraft International, Inc. . 0-7166-0478-7 . 322 . Fashion . ...Geoffrey Beene was hailed as the father of the Soft Look....Years ago, he perfected an effortless flow of fabric over the figure so that shoulders took the shape of the body, waistlines were formed by a cord, and hemlines fell where they fell..
62. Morris . Bernadine . Coty Awards Go To Halston and Beene . The New York Times . 1974-06-27 . 52 . 2022-04-04 . None of [Beene's coats] are lined and all inner construction has been removed....'[I]n spite of their new bulk, they actually weigh less....It's the first direction of the seventies, I believe,' he said..
63. Book: Livingston . Kathryn Zahony . The 1975 World Book Year Book: Events of 1974 . Field Enterprises Educational Corporation . 0-7166-0475-2 . 328 . Fashion . 1997 . ...Yves Saint Laurent with his beltless Naïve Chemise gave the [Big Look] the stamp of haute couture..
64. Book: Peake . Andy . Made for Walking . 2018 . Schiffer Fashion Press . Atglen, Pennsylvania . 978-0-7643-5499-1 . 113 . The New Ease in Fashion . ...[I]n 1974,...Saint Laurent created a Russian-themed collection....Saint Laurent's collection featured full skirts that fell below the knees, thick sweaters, capes, quilted gold jackets, velvet and satin knickerbockers, long fur coats and matching fur hats, and a new, and very distinctive, style of knee-length fashion boot...loose-fitting....
65. News: Freund . Andreas . The Empire of Saint Laurent . The New York Times . 1976-08-08 . 87 . 2022-02-18 . The noise about Saint Laurent's big silhouette and folkloric look served to enhance his reputation....
66. Morris . Bernadine . Designers Softly Changing the Way Women Will Dress . The New York Times . 1977-04-23 . 48 . 2022-03-15 . An enormous change is taking place in the clothes now being introduced...Not nearly so visible as shifting, by a yard or so, the length of a dress or switching a good proportion of the female population from skirts into pants, the new trend nevertheless has a tremendous influence on the shape of clothes....The significant element is softness, expressed in the character of the fabrics employed and the lack of stiffness in the construction....[I]t is permeating the majority of the collections..
67. Book: Livingston . Kathryn Zahony . The 1975 World Book Year Book: Events of 1974 . Field Enterprises Educational Corporation . 0-7166-0475-2 . 328 . Fashion . 1997 . In the United States, Calvin Klein was cheered for his wearable, toned-down, Americanized versions [of the Big Look]..
68. Donovan . Carrie . Feminism's Effect on Fashion . The New York Times . 1977-08-28 . 225 . 2021-12-10 . A year ago [1976], Klein, who has the ability to sense what women want before they know it, designed a fall collection that...had...a lot of longer, fuller skirts and looser tops. Everything was softer, less tailored..
69. Morris . Bernadine . Spring Fashions: A Little Something for Everybody . The New York Times . 1977-11-10 . 65 . 2021-12-31 . One of the big changes in [Mary McFadden's] current collection is a loosening of the rather strict, austere McFadden silhouette. That means there are more bloused bodices, somewhat fuller skirts and even various layering effects..
70. Morris . Bernadine . Fashion: Paris Report . The New York Times . 1976-08-15 . 179 . 2022-03-18 . Hubert de Givenchy loosened up a bit, turning out a peasant style or two..
71. Duka . John . Fashion Profile . The New York Times . 1978-07-02 . SM6 . 2021-12-31 . Last year [1977]..., Ellis was one of the major interpreters of the 'Slouch Look,' his own name for such designs as loose‐fitting, voluminous tops with raglan sleeves draped offhandedly over tapered pants cut too long so that they bunched at the ankles. He followed this with gutsy, oversized, bulky knit sweaters that hung down to mid‐thigh..
72. Donovan . Carrie . Why the Big Change Now . The New York Times . 1978-11-12 . SM226 . 2021-11-15 . Perry Ellis...turned out some of the most extreme of the layered, piled-on 'big' looks....
73. Book: Mulvagh . Jane . Vogue History of 20th Century Fashion . 1988 . Viking, the Penguin Group . London, England . 0-670-80172-0 . 339 . 1975 . 'Much too big is the right size,' as Kenzo put it. He produced larger-than-life, loose, casual clothes – smocks, tent dresses and huge striped dungarees..
74. Morris . Bernadine . The Closet May Seem Too Little This Fall . The New York Times . 1974-05-09 . 52 . 2022-03-10 . Voluminous. Massive. Wide. Flowing. These are the words to describe the new clothes that are emerging...Voluminous capes. Wide coats and jackets. Big, flowing skirts..
75. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . Thinking Big for Spring . The Washington Post. 1977-10-24 . 2022-02-07 . Everything is very big – jackets, dresses, skirts, blousons, vests, sweaters, tunic, coats...Big dresses are selling, so are all the blousons..
76. Morris . Bernadine . Sunshine from Paris: Billows and Blousing . The New York Times . 1977-10-27 . 69 . 2022-03-16 . Forget about clothes that fit snugly. They simply aren't a part of today's scene..
77. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . The Long and Short (Fat and Thin) of Paris Fashions . The Washington Post. 1977-03-28 . 2022-03-11 . One rule for all the very full clothing is that the fabric must be done in the lightest weight possible..
78. Book: Livingston . Kathryn . The 1978 World Book Year Book: Events of 1977 . World Book-Childcraft International, Inc. . 0-7166-0478-7 . 322 . Fashion . Soft did not mean limp matte jerseys or clingy knits, but...natural fibers...In winter, chenille, challis, chamois, cashmere, and fur blends...In summer,...handkerchief linen, fishnet, burlap, muslin, ramie, eyelet cotton, and both raw and refined silk..
79. Morris . Bernadine . Spring Fashions: A Little Something for Everyone . The New York Times . 1977-11-10 . 65 . 2021-12-31 . ...[Perry Ellis] uses linen, hopsacking and even hemp for his loose jackets, full skirts and big shirts....
80. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . Thinking Big for Spring . The Washington Post. 1977-10-24 . 2022-02-07 . Many of the clothes are cotton, in bantam weights so that they are as un-bulky in all their layers, as cool for hot weather, [and] as see-through and sexy as big and blousy clothes can possibly be..
81. The New Romanticism . The New York Times . 1977-03-06 . 246 . 2022-03-24 . Handkerchief linen is...a favored fabric...[D]esigners are using muslin, ramie, cotton, burlap, eyelet and silk, both raw and refined—all in natural colors or the whitest of whites..
82. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . Fashion Notes . The Washington Post. 1977-06-19 . 2022-03-24 . No one in New York is wasting energy ironing clothes this summer. The look is rumpled, worn fresh from the washer and dryer by both men and women..
83. Book: Larkin . Kathy . 1976 Collier's Year Book Covering the Year 1975 . Macmillan Educational Corporation . 247 . Fashion . ...prewrinkled cotton, prewashed denim, and gauzy and muslin looks in billowing big dresses....
84. Finley . Ruth . Issey Miyake . Fashion International . 1974-11-01 . III . 2 . 2 . FI Publications, Inc. . New York, NY, USA . Issey Miyake...goes 'natural' for 1975, in colors inspired by sand, sky and earth....
85. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . Comings and Goings at Studio 54 . The Washington Post. 1977-11-13 . 2022-04-04 . The best prints are on the fragile side,...like Calvin Klein's rosebud prints, the tiny stripes at Cathy Hardwick and Geoffrey Beene's geometric pin-dots and plaids..
86. Morris . Bernadine . A Parisian Solution for Summer '76 . The New York Times . 1976-08-05 . 50 . 2022-03-10 . In addition to solid color cottons, tiny flower prints are popular....
87. Finley . Ruth . Paris RTW Predicts a Long, Layered Winter . Fashion International . 1974-05-01 . II . 8 . 1 . FI Publications, Inc. . New York, NY, USA . Never have so many layers of clothing marched down so many runways!.
88. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . Thinking Big for Spring . The Washington Post. 1977-10-24 . 2022-02-07 . Everything is lightweight, unconstructed and layered. Starting with the shortest garment, the levels of layering at France Andrevie, for example, build up like this: a vest over a jacket over a tunic over a big skirt over a pair of pants. Wear it all or any combination of parts..
89. Morris . Bernadine . New Designers Add Perspective to Fall Fashions . The New York Times . 1977-06-14 . 48 . 2021-12-31 . Over [a] T‐shirt, [Perry Ellis] will place a cotton shirt, a hooded khaki sweater, and a quilted cotton coat...He likes sleeves rolled up and feels that two pairs of socks, one baggy, give the proper contrast to the flouncy [underskirts]..
90. Morris . Bernadine . Preview What's Coming in Fashion . The New York Times . 1977-04-10 . SM39 . 2022-02-10 . Voluminous is the word for the prevailing shapes, applying to coats, capes and the dominant smock dress. The fullness is gathered in by drawstrings and if you don't happen to have one handy, you can tie a belt or a piece of string around your waist and pull up your dress a bit so it blouses..
91. Morris . Bernadine . On the Sidewalks of New York, a New Silhouette for Pants . The New York Times . 1976-07-23 . 33 . 2022-03-10 . All you need to keep in step with fashion these days is a bit of string. A pair of shoelaces will do. Or a length of wool yarn, the kind used to tie packages or ponytails....You twist your string around the pants just above the anklebone, pull the fabric out a bit so it blouses, and you have it—the new puffy look..
92. Morris . Bernadine . Paris Collections: Everything Seems to Tie in Nicely . The New York Times . 1976-10-28 . 69 . 2022-03-27 . Missoni...uses a series of drawstrings to change the shape of her clothes, sometimes dramatically. Necklines open or close, sleeves are drawn up or left to flutter, halters turn into one‐shoulder designs..
93. Cunningham . Bill . Designers of the World, Unite! . Details . 1 March 1989 . VII . 9 . 201 . Details Publishing Corp. . New York, NY . 0740-4921 . Beene used an actual laundry bag as the prototype for his 1976 collections, tying it at the waist or above the breast as a loose strapless dress..
94. The New Romanticism . The New York Times . 1977-03-06 . 246 . 2022-03-24 . There's also a lot of wrapping and tying. Some clothes look like nothing more than a scarf that's been wrapped around the body...Sundresses often have matching scarves as big as shawls..
95. The New Romanticism . The New York Times . 1977-03-06 . 246 . 2022-03-24 . ...[T]he new shirt...fits loosely and looks freshest when worn over, rather than tucked into, a full skirt and belted with rope..
96. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . Thinking Big for Spring . The Washington Post. 1977-10-24 . 2022-02-07 . It's a bad year for the button makers and the zippers manufacturers since many things pull over the head or wrap loosely around the body..
97. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . A Vested Interest . The Washington Post. 1977-10-30 . 2022-03-24 . ...[W]omen are into buying and wearing shawls as fast as they can be found....
98. Book: Mulvagh . Jane . Vogue History of 20th Century Fashion . 1988 . Viking, the Penguin Group . London, England . 0-670-80172-0 . 336 . 1974 . Capes or shawls were shown in all the fashion capitals, often with Cossack or toggle styling..
99. Nemy . Enid . Shawls: A Most Important Accessory for Fall . The New York Times . 1975-09-22 . 38 . 2022-04-04 . ...[F]ashion's most important accessory this fall—the shawl....In addition to shawls, there's a resurgence of scarves and ponchos ...Whether it be shawl, scarf or poncho..., the news is in the size. It must be big; the closer it gets to a blanket, the more effective it becomes in the fashion picture....[T]he shawls...will add a...layer to the ubiquitous layered look..
100. Morris . Bernadine . At Lagerfeld's Paris Show, the 18th Century Goes Modern . The New York Times . 1977-03-29 . 41 . 2022-03-27 . Coats are not the kind of fashion one hears much about these days...A poncho or a blanket is usually considered sufficient coverage for those who shiver in the show..
101. Fall Signals, A Fashion Essay by Avedon . Vogue . 1977-07-01 . 78 . USA . For coat, read: big poncho, big cape, big shawl, serape, djellabah....
102. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . Uniform of the Day: Class Dress . The Washington Post. 1978-09-03 . 2022-03-01 . [Deeda Blair's winter 1977] 'uniform' was an Yves Saint Laurent costume of a cashmere skirt, wool blouse, cape and shawl,...which she always wore with dark red boots..
103. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . A Vested Interest . The Washington Post. 1977-10-30 . 2022-03-24 . The new [vests] are huge and man-sized, unlined and totally shapeless....Like the vest, the big jacket is shapeless, and often unlined so it hangs very loose. The big vest is often worn under these jackets with an oversized shirt..
104. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . Paris Fashion in the Fall: Big is Best . The Washington Post. 1977-11-01 . 2022-03-24 . Jackets are never neat and trim, but oversized to give softness and a relaxed look with sleeves pushed up, the collar turned up, and a muffler often tied around the neck..
105. Book: Mulvagh . Jane . Vogue History of 20th Century Fashion . 1988 . Viking, the Penguin Group . London, England . 0-670-80172-0 . 359 . 1977 . Perry Ellis presented big, slouchy, unlined tweed jackets, worn with the sleeves rolled up, over brushed-cotton dirndl skirts..
106. Book: Mulvagh . Jane . Vogue History of 10th Century Fashion . 1988 . Viking, the Penguin Group . London, England . 0-670-80172-0 . 353 . 1976 . Miyake...presented a series of nomad's tunics and hooded dresses, as did Basile..
107. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . Saint Laurent: Alive and Well . The Washington Post. 1977-03-30 . 2022-03-24 . The new [cape] is a steal from the Tunisian shepherds with a tasseled hood..
108. Book: Mulvagh . Jane . Vogue History of 20th Century Fashion . 1988 . Viking, the Penguin Group . London, England . 0-670-80172-0 . 339 . 1975 . ...[C]owlnecks completed the loose look..
109. Morris . Bernadine . Seventh Avenue Softens Up . The New York Times . 1977-04-19 . 77 . 2022-03-17 . Dirndl skirts in corduroy or herringbone tweed, velour sweatshirts, cowlneck sweaters and culottes are among [designer Liz Claiborne's] list of clothes....
110. Finley . Ruth . American Fall RTW: The Extreme vs. The Salable . Fashion International . 1974-06-01 . II . 9 . 2 . FI Publications Inc. . New York, NY, USA . ...Bishop sleeves...hang loose and open or are gathered into cuffs....Raglans...unmounted sleeves...dolmans..
111. Book: Sweetinburgh . Thelma . 1978 Britannica Book of the Year: Events of 1977 . Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. . 0-85229-342-9 . 382 . Fashion and Dress . 1978 . ...romantic tops with drawstring necklines and billowing sleeves caught in at the wrist....
112. Finley . Ruth . Born Again Knits are New for Fall '77 . Fashion International . 1977-04-01 . V . 7 . 2 . FI Publications, Inc. . New York, NY, USA . Sweaters are B-I-G, in both silhouette and sales expectations....
113. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . Plunging into a Billowy Spring . The Washington Post. 1977-11-08 . 2022-04-04 . ...textured knit sweaters always very loose with sleeves pushed up or rolled up and very casual..
114. Book: Sweetinburgh . Thelma . 1978 Britannica Book of the Year: Events of 1977 . Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. . 0-85229-342-9 . 382 . Fashion and Dress . 1978 . The basic trend in Paris, London, and New York was the bloused overjacket or blouson..
115. News: Hyde . Nina S. . Nina Hyde . Paris Fashion in the Fall: Big is Best . The Washington Post. 1977-11-01 . 2022-03-24 . Big blousons show up in leather as well as knits and wool....
116. Book: Livingston . Kathryn . The 1978 World Book Year Book: Events of 1977 . World Book-Childcraft International, Inc. . 0-7166-0478-7 . 322 . Fashion . ....