hair feathers.
P
op culture was everything in the 70s. From Hippies to Disco to Punk Rock, the 70s were full of cultural changes that shaped society for years to come. Television, movies, and musicians truly changed the way people viewed fashion, style, and sexuality.
The 80s brought the importance of designer labels and the appearance of affluence. The age of the New Romantics were upon us, bringing occasion wear like cocktail dresses, shoulder pads, and straight skirts. However, dressing down soon meant wearing tight Spandex fitness wear as casual wear. Supermodels didn’t even exist until now, with Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell starting their reigns.
“The once sexy Twiggy Where were you in 1970? Proband Jane Fonda beably not around. It’s so strange to think back in the disco era, and think came the even sexier that our parents were the generation that built fashion into what it is Farrah Fawcett and Bo today. Derek.” Call it independence at it’s fin-
Graphic Design by Kate Roth
est. For the first time, men and women were free to choose what they wanted to wear, and change that style day-to-night, as well as day-to-day. People weren’t expected to wear certain clothing. A woman could wear a floral blouse today, a mini skirt tomorrow, and a lace maxi dress the day after that. Getting into the neighborhood disco was much like trying to get into that hot club in town today... If you’re not wearing a tight halter top with hot pants, you’re just not getting in! Fitted clothing became necessary. Hip huggers for men and women alike. With this drastic change of clothing from the 60s to the 70s, it’s no shocker that the women modeling the clothing also became very different. The once sexy Twiggy and Jane Fonda became the even sexier Farrah Fawcett and Bo Derek.
As mainstream clothing became skimpier, female actresses and models really changed. Models now seem skinnier than ever, with body mass indexes (BMI’s) as low as 15. In the early millennium, the thinner a woman was, the better she looked. While some models are still just as skinny, it has become much less acceptable to look ill. This society is made up of two bodies: the advertising medium and the one you see on the street.The idealist “Hour Glass Figure” is not as sought after. Stars like Adele and Jessica Simpson prove that it’s okay not to be 100 pounds.
The 90s quickly approached with long line jackets, trousers, and petticoats, along with high waisted jeans and short crop tops, a la Kelly Kapowski of ‘Saved By the Bell.’ Lycra became an essential fabric in much clothing, allowing a much tighter fit. Donna Karan was one known for this, by blending this material with jersey to hide women’s body defects. Designers like Calvin Klein began highlighting sexuality to advertise their clothing – a concept that many, many designers adopted and still focus on. Kate Moss became the face of that sexuality. The millennium brought a repeat of all of these eras, and to this day, continues to recycle old ideas. It’s 2012 and the trends are literally a blend of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Mixing 90s crop tops with 70s lace, 90s flannel with 70s hip huggers, and 80s oversized tops with 70s
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