The 70s Disco Look

Girl with smooth long hair and shiny 70s jacket
Photo: Aleksandar Todorovic /Shutterstock
Immortalized by the films like ‘Saturday night fever’, the 70’s decade is best known for unleashing the disco era upon the psyche of the nation. With the disco era, in came the disco fashion, which was different from 70’s outside disco fashion.
 
That’s right; not all the disco fashion of those days was acceptable as the regular day wear. In the disco, to be actually part of the proceedings, one needed special costumes. The mirror balls, spotlighting and strobe lights etc created a unique atmosphere that required an equally unique look.
 
So what exactly was the 70s look?
 
Some major hallmarks of the 70’s fashion:
 
• Mini, midi and maxi skirts: The mini skirts didn’t die, they became shorter and turned into micro skirts. Midi skirts up to the mid calf length and full length maxi skirts also became quite popular.
 
• Hipster jeans and bell bottoms: The 70s saw moving away from the 60s hippie look of baggy jeans and instead popularized the hip hugging jeans though retained the bell bottoms.
 
• Flared trousers were equally popular among both the sexes.
 
• The disco-only clothing: The 70’s disco wear was normally based on two things: stretchy material reflecting fabrics which would shine under the disco lights.
 
1. Spandex tops with hot pants were the staple disco wear for the girls.
 
2. Vividly colored shiny disco pants in Lycra with equally dazzling halter neck tops were also quite popular.
 
3. Shiny cat suits that shone in the ultraviolet lighting were also a regular feature on dance floors.
 
• Platform shoes: Another lasting legacy of the seventies is the advent of platform
shoes. Although worn mainly by the ladies, however some more fashionable men
also wore them with equal panache!
 
• Hair and make up styles: The 70’s redefined the ‘natural’ look in make up.
While in 60’s it was the movie stars inspired perfect white complexion that ruled
the roost, in the 70’s it became fashionable to sport a tanned up look.
 
1. A big part of the 70s disco make up was eyeliner, not so bright colors like blue were the order of the day. Nail polish, liquid eye shadows were also a rage.
 
2. Long straight and flowing hair were the general norm in women’s hair. The Afro look was also popular, though more among males than females.
 
• Accessories: Hats, oversized glasses, lots of shiny bling bling jewelry or chunky
beaded jewelry, large handbags, generally woven were some of the hottest 70’s
disco accessories.
 
Now that you have an idea of the basic 70’s disco fashion sensibilities, here are some tips on how to attain that look:
 
• Remember, what might be considered as loud and tacky today was totally fashionable in a typical 70’s disco, so the first step is to shed any inhibitions and proceed with an open mind.
 
• Look for some shiny bright colored cloths in synthetic fibers, like described above.
 
• For make up you can try blue eye shadows with fake eyelashes. Use lots of glitter and transform yourself into a walking talking shiny disco ball.
 
• If you are looking for a shirt, then go for a ‘loud’ printed shirt or one with floral prints. If you can’t find it, get hold of some spray paint and print your own shirt. Pair it with tight flares. Platform shoes would ideal to finish this look.
 
• The 70’s look is the best excuse for you to display your bling side to the fullest. Lots of fake gold jewelry would be perfect!
 
• Finally, any 70’s disco look is incomplete with the proper attitude: “I am the coolest thing in the world and no one can beat me on the dance floor”
 
70’s was the fun decade, when people still didn’t know terms like loud and tacky. In the modern times every fashion trend has come to be defined by its own specifics, any deviation is considered a folly. That’s why we always crave to go back to 70’s when the fashion was all about “staying alive” on the dance floor.
 
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