Riding from the past into the future with 70s inspired fashion. Photo: delightfulcycles.tumblr.com.
Fashion observers from haute couture to the New York Times to The Today Show are hailing the return of fun 70s garb in the spring fashion season.
Mini skirts and longer hemlines too, funky bags, clunky bracelets and other throwbacks to the era of polyester and All In The Family are all the rage.
Of course the fashionistas want you to break out cash or credit and shop till you drop to get the old-look-made-new. Support the national economy like a good girl and all that.
But why should you?
Everything old is new again
The great thing about being conservation-minded is that you know there’s already so much in the existing cultural sphere to draw from. That includes the farther reaches of your closet and Aunt Tilly’s attic boxes. So go shopping at home!
The key is the willingness to have a fresh eye, a sense of adventure and a little imagination.
That quirky old straw bag with Acapulco embroidered on the front might look fabulash as is. But not if you’re in the mood to play. How about undoing the embroidery and going minimalist? Or, if you’re skilled with a needle and thread, sew in a contrasting liner from your fabric remnants and voilà, new bag! Time to hit the park.
If you thought those painted-tin daisy broaches were passé, give them another glance. Accessories make the outfit and there’s every reason to pop that funky flower onto a hat, denim jacket, or a bright spring tee and you’re sporting the latest look.
And why not?
I’m into conservation, but I’m not into denying that most women enjoy looking good, trotting out a new find, and having fun with fashion. I’m one of those gals. Which is great for prancing about in rediscovered cork-soled platform sandals inherited from mom, circa 1977.
It’s not about superficiality, of course. You’re deep and so am I. It’s just that your depth looks mahvelous in swingy prairie skirts.
Thrity thrifting
If by chance you didn’t save a wardrobe from every key era of the last half century, fret not. You still don’t have to spend a fortune on new things nor pump your money into high-cost national retailers who source from offshore sweatshops.
Instead, reconsider the merits of thrift stores and consignment shops. There’s no doubt that the 70s are alive and well and living at some local haunt in your neck of the woods. Save cash while practicing the 3Rs.
But more than anything, have fun. Deep down there’s a little Marcia Brady in all of us.
–Lindsay Curren, Lindsay’s List
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