70's Clothing on 70's People

I never post photos of people wearing clothes, because all these "finds" are from ebay, and it's not worth showing the heads of ebay models even if possible. But I'm not trying to, like, divorce clothing from its original context and intended purpose of actually being worn (though I do like the idea of elevating everyday or overlooked clothing to a museum-worthy setting.) Anyway, probably no one is concerned about this, but the point is, here are some great 70's-era clothing photos. If you read my other blog, you would know I'm really into the 70's, and have spent many hours on flickr finding photos of 70's teenagers.

Cropped colorful printed top with a tight, lean fit, high-waisted a-line skirt, and big platforms. Noet her boyfriend's tight patchworky jeans with crazy printed shirt, tucked in of course.

Macrame, crochet, patchwork, and other handmade crafts were really, really big in the 70's. It was a continuation of the 60's hippie look (I think most decades reject the styles of the years before, but the 60's were so influential that the 70's definitely paid tribute to them, albeit in an updated way.) Her crochet hat, camel-toe bell-bottoms and romantic flowy blouse are an awesome casual 70's look which you could totally wear today. (Minus the hat, maybe.)

I love the psychedelic prints of the 70's, and this tight, stretchy printed shirtdress is a good example.

Halter tops, hot pants, big hair and mega platforms. This is a great summer look!

Towards the later 70's, things got a bit more sporty. This look is kind of like "Little boy whore," with its primary colors, knee socks, and suspenders. They did have hip-hugging, low waisted styles in the 60's and 70's, but the majority of pants were what would now be called "high waisted."

God, she looks sooo cool! I love the suspenders with the high-waist bell bottoms, fro, pendant necklace, and big glasses. All classic 70's signifiers.

More bell-bottoms and halters, even on what appears to be a tween.

Itty-bitty tube tops! It makes more sense to wear a high-waisted pant with cropped shirts, otherwise all your junk is hanging out. This is why I prefer vintage swimsuits, too- they're more flattering, and you don't feel like you're just wearing a pair of panties in public.

30's Kitty Print Dress

Look at the collar! I imagine this was handmade and the woman who made it actually cut those kitties out of the fabric and stitched them on. God, you'd think if fashion wasn't considered "art,", it would at least be considered "folk art," which I guess also is a really patronizing term, even though folk art is the best, and generally a lot more compelling and informative than most "real art."

Eisenhower Jacket

I picture this with rolled up jeans and pincurls, very late 40's/early 50's. Vintage is thought of as being very gendered, but a lot of what young women wore was kind of butch, especially the casual clothes.

Whatta Novelty Print!

Excuse the blurriness of the photos. This was a 1950's adolescent girl's dress by "Chubette"- sequestering larger sizes from smaller ones has a rich commercial history. When clothing was made by hand, I imagine there was far less anxiety about size because everything was made to fit the wearer specifically anyway. As you may or may not know, sizes are a big lie foisted upon women to make them feel bad! Anyway, check out those deer heads hiding in the trees! I think I didn't buy this one because I forgot it had this print and I was like, "Why am I watching this?"

PS: "Chubette" is a good name for a band. Especially a Roxette cover band made up of people who are fat! This idea is free of charge and just waiting to be taken, ladies.

70's Gas Ration Print Dress

I can't believe I lost out on this auction! This enrages me!!! Anyway, this dress (with matching poly panties) is from the 70's, during the first gas crisis- though the seller pointed out that it was once again a timely subject. I really wish it was still easy to find printed fabric with something besides flowers on it- fabric is such a good medium with so many possibilities. Anyway, this is a real artifact. It only sold for like $27.