What Fabrics Were 1970s Men's Shirts Made From?
Men's fashion in the 1970s varied greatly from the beginning of the decade to its end. In the early part of the decade, loud prints, three-piece suits and bright colors were a staple of the era in men's fashion. This slowly began to die down closer to 1980. Does this Spark an idea?
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From hippies to disco
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The free-flowing garments left over from the hippie fashions of the late 1960s were traded in the late 1970s for the tight-fitting pants and open shirts of the disco era. The 1970s saw the popularization of styles of men's clothing such as the leisure suit, bell-bottom pants, platform shoes for both sexes and the increased use of western shirts. The 1970s also saw the rise of T-shirts, and more casual clothing came to be more popular among younger men.
In Popular Culture
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While television shows like "Charlie's Angels" dictated the look of women's fashion, films like "Saturday Night Fever" helped define disco-era fashion for the time.
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Moving Away from '60s Style
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Men's shirts in particular saw a dramatic difference from their 1960s counterparts. In the '60s, men's dress shirts shirts were tailored and had a classic look, with small, basic collars. As the decade progressed and the 1970s approached, the collars became wider. Large pockets on the front of shirts also became a feature of menswear in the 1970s. These shirts were either worn alone or with a leisure suit. T-shirts were usually plain or featured slogans for sports teams or musical artists. The styles were often raglan or similar to T-shirts seen today.
Shirt materials
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Men's shirts were normally made of materials such as cotton jersey for T-shirts and silk for dress shirts. Synthetic, man-made fabrics, such as rayon and polyester, were used frequently as well. Cotton plaid fabrics were used for western shirts or dress shirts.
The Polyester Shirt
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The decade is known in particular and best remembered for the polyester shirts that were mass-produced for men. These shirts in particular often part of a disco look. Silk shirts were also used as part of disco style and left open, exposing part of the wearer's chest.
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