70s Disco Fashions

Wide-collared shirts were characteristic of '70s disco fashion.

Perhaps no decade in the past 50 years has had a more indelible fashion scene since the 1970s disco era. Platform shoes, leisure suits, wide-collared shirts and tight bell-bottom jeans will always be associated with '70s disco fashion and for good reason. The clothes define the era. While the 1970s disco era helped revolutionize the social culture of the United States, the fashion culture was forever changed by the design and styles of the clothing of the decade. With the evolution of fashion changing on a yearly basis, the base of fashion built in the 1970s influences many facets of the ever-changing fashion industry in current times.

1970s Men's Fashion

When it comes to men's fashion of the 1970s disco era, no design was as far-reaching as the leisure suit. The legendary polyester suit worn by men during the era rose to prominence in the disco clubs of New York City. While leisure suits came in a wide array of colors, the white leisure suit much like the one worn by John Travolta in the popular movie "Saturday Night Fever," is typically regarded as the iconic version. In addition to the typical white color, leisure suits were usually accompanied by white belts and white dress shoes.

1970s Women's Fashion

As is typical with most fashion eras, the female fashion trends take precedence when defining the styles of the era. Bell-bottom jeans rose to prominence during the disco era and continued to grow in popularity, and as that popularity grew, the width of the jeans increased. In addition to bell bottoms, women also popularized a style of shirt known as "peasant tops" as well as the iconic shoe of the era--platform wedges. Peasant tops were typically loose-fitting blouses that came in a vast array of colors and prints. Platform wedge shoes were the defining shoe of the era, worn by both men and women. While they varied in height, most averaged around 4 inches high.

Features

The fashion trends of the era certainly redefined the way we thought about fashion in general, but the most dominant feature of 1970s disco fashion has to be color. Rising from the drab colors popularized in previous decades, wild colors and prints rose to prominence during the disco era. Women's blouses were typically adorned with wild prints that would have never been considered for clothing in the past. Men's clothes were not immune from the influx of color either, with bright colors dominating the fashion racks.

Misconceptions

In our haste to leave the past behind us, many people have written off the fashion trends laid in the 1970s disco era as ugly and tacky. Unfortunately, what many of us fail to realize is the influence the fashion trends of the era had on the future of American fashion. Synthetic fabrics such as polyester and rayon rose to prominence in the 1970s and continue to be a major player in the fashion industry of the new millennium. The move away from the traditional, conservative clothing of the decades prior to the 1970s helped reset acceptable standards in women's clothing.

Warning

Just because the fashion trends of the 1970s disco era influenced many of the fashion trends we are living with today, one should be careful before attempting to wear authentic 1970s clothing in today's fashion climate. As with most fashion trends of the past, the clothes themselves tend to have a dated look when comparing them to the more modern clothing found in most retail stores. People wearing authentic 1970s disco era clothing run the risk of being publicly ridiculed or laughed at by people who fail to recognize the long-lasting influential reach of the clothing.