Development And Substantial Innovations In Fashion Industry In The 1970s

The most substantial innovation in women’s fashion in 1973 was irrelevant to clothes and outfits. However, it was mainly about hair styles. For instance, short, shoulder-length page boy were the new trending hair styles. Further, short hair made hats very popular. On the other hand, men’s fashion leaned towards comfortable. Neutral colors and standard fabrics made up the lion’s share of the new trend. Suits and blazers were also an outfit of choice. Year 1973 has witnessed “The Battle of Versailles”; an extraordinary Franco-American experiment where five fashion designers from each country would show collections at a runway spectacular in a historic collaboration.

Storied designers Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, Marc Bohan for Christian Dior and Hubert de Givenchy represented the French, while Seventh Avenue superstars Burrows, Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Anne Klein and Bill Blass became Team America. The night was also a watershed moment for people of color in the industry with African American models and one African American designer giving the Battle of Versailles. Oscar de la Renta was elected in the City Hall of Fame. In 1974, designers tended to alter clothing to looser styles rather than tight-fitting. The Big Look, also known as The Droop, was the new silhouette in that year. Designers thought that by using this method they would send costumers back to the stores looking for dresses. Hopefully to fix the damage caused by the midi-skirt disaster, which forced many shops to close due to poor sales. Berets, muffling scarves and high-heeled, baggily crushed boots were essential at the time. Leather belts, slender neck chains, delicate rhinestone ropes, lace-edged chiffon kerchiefs, silk flowers all proved to be worthy ornaments.

Geoffrey Beene and Halston were elected to the Coty Hall of Fame in 1974. Year 1975 was known for layering, which added a richer look, with double blouses, multiple sweaters, jumpers over dresses, hoods under hats, and shawls over everything. The scarf added the ultimate layer. New shapes leaned toward the body and their fullness was tamed. Calvin Klein’s reefer coats and Yves Saint Laurent’s tube dresses were in high demand. Denim, the familiar blue-jeans material, moved into fashion respectability as young and old alike flocked to wear it in a variety of ways. Lean-cut, All-American active wear for women became increasingly popular from 1975 onwards. The biggest phenomenon of this trend was the jumpsuit, popular from 1975. Jumpsuits were almost always flared in the legs, and sleeves varied from being completely sleeveless to having extremely long bell-sleeves. Other sportswear trends included tracksuits, tunic shirts, crop tops, tube tops, sweatshirts and low rise pants. Nevertheless, the Vietnamese war ended in 1975. This event had a big influence on the fashion industry since it began in the 1960’s. Geoffrey Beene received a Coty Award and Calvin Klein and Piero Dmitri were elected to the Hall of Fame. In 1976, the fashion split into two very different directions. One was the Parisian peasant style, which used capes, turbans, rich fabrics, glowing colors, billowing skirts and puffy sleeves.

On the other hand the clean-cut All-American look that borrowed stylings from classic sportswear. The professional uniform of the year was a blazer, cowl-neck sweater and slimmed-down skirt. Bill Blass, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren all used tweeds, plaids, corduroys and flannels in tans, grays, browns and muted greens. Pinstriped pant suits with bow-tied blouses became women’s tuxedos at night. Pants were cuffed to blouse at the ankles, mid-calf or knees, depending on the height of the boot. Braving the 1976 wilderness were woolly lumberjack shirts, hunter’s red jackets, trapper’s down-filled coats and earth-toned ponchos.

Menswear enjoyed unprecedented freedom as designers mixed styles, textures and colors like never before. The vest became more relevant again. It wasn’t uncommon to see a man at the office wearing a plaid jacket, a checkered vest and solid flannel pants. Velvet jackets, cut like tuxedos, were worn over casual pants, giving a note of elegant informality for more formal evenings. In 1977, fashion took on a softer, looser attitude. Designers let clothes fall where they fell and instead chose to twist, tie and gather fabrics instead. The importance of the soft textile in 1977 cannot be understated. In winter, almost all clothing was made of sensuous fibers such as chenille, challis, chamois, cashmere and mohair. That didn’t stop design houses from running with the style, however.

Gianni Versace and Giorgio Armani brought glamour and attention back to Italy with high fashion success. But the most wearable of the new fashions came from Calvin Klein and Bill Blass, whose drawstring tops perfectly complemented a full dirndl skirt. Bold gold, shiny satin and bareness of skin made up for the lack of body hugging clothing. Shirts were left unbuttoned, sleeves were rolled up and tops were often lacy, see-through and strapless. The scarf was the accessory of the year, but it was not used to cover the hair. People let their hair grow naturally — tousled, curly, frizzy or straight. Women would adorn their heads with colorful flowers or golden combs. Men’s shirts had smaller collars in 1977 and quilted-down ski vests were worn over almost anything, anywhere. It was fashionable to fasten only the lowest button on a double-breasted suit.

Ralph Lauren was elected to the Coty Hall of Fame in 1977. Fashion took a dramatic turn midway through 1978. The casually loose, free-flowing silhouettes suddenly trimmed down. The tearing away of volume meant a clearer definition of the figure. Broad shoulders loomed above belted waists, hip-rounding skirts and pegged pants. The shape was that of an upside-down triangle. Shoulder pads were resurrected as were the tailored suits and tilted hats of the 1940s. Sultry black worn with elaborately rolled upswept hairdos, silver-fox boas, braceleted gloves and spike-heeled sandals summed up the mood of nostalgic glamour. The “Retro Look” was best pulled off with a touch of humor by young people dressed for disco dancing. Also revived in 1978 were strapless tops, bust darts, midriff seams, cummerbunds, waist cinchers, obi wraps as designers zoomed in on the body. Many retailers were cool on the new curvier clothes, but the fashion industry was convinced that the narrow, sensuous silhouette was the next direction because of womens’ renewed interest in exercise.

In Italy, Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace sent models marching down runways in militaristic, bold-shouldered outfits of leather and khaki. The fervent customer acceptance of pencil-slim separates by Perry Ellis and Calvin Klein pointed the way back to the body. A new selection of handsome coats included reefers, reversibles and three-quarter or seven-eights length garments tailored in melton, alpaca and tweed. Textures were mixed with reckless abandon — the more the merrier. Several neutral shades were jolted with an electric streak of color. Gold chiffons, whipser-weight lames, sequins and bugle beads added dazzle. The feeling was more relaxed for men. Tweeds dominated suits, jackets and coats. The raglan-sleeve coat gained new adherence as opposed to the fitted coat. Trousers were much less flared than before and in some cases not flared at all. Lapels, ties and shirt collars narrowed. The single most important men’s accessory was the scarf worn outside the jacket. In 1979 the tailored suit dominated daytime and evening wear.

Quickly vanished had the days of casual sportswear, which had been so popular throughout the 1970s. People were tired of the casual look and had gotten back into businesswear. By 1979, fashion that was known as “seventies” fashion had fully transformed into what people now would think of as eighties fashion. As the eighties approached, the fashion world seemed to have gotten a head start. With an increased emphasis on formality, blazers and pants skirts became much more easily mixed and matched. The trend of heavily padded shoulders first hit the scene in 1978, which borrowed and somewhat exaggerated the 1940s look, had surged more visibly into the mainstream in 1979. The eccentricity that highlighted early 1979 gave way to a more powerful and respectable look by fall. Fashion designers had to promptly react to the fact that there were an unprecedented number of women in the workforce. Design houses had gotten used to spending the bulk of their time creating clothing for women who were at home or at parties, not in the office. But times were certainly changing and the most successful designers saw this opportunity for a new market, they adapted, and capitalized. The Executive Woman owned at least one tailored suit. The jacket could be either short and shapely or long and lean. The straight skirt was knee-length and could possibly have a front or side slit that put a subtle emphasis on the legs. To offset the more traditionally masculine look of “business suit style”, women were experimenting with hats, high heels, ruffles that peaked out from the jacket and large jewelry to keep a confident, yet feminine, look in tact.

Beyond the suit, the novelty sweater was the second most important item in a 1979 wardrobe. Thick, hand-knit styles popularized by Perry Ellis, Geoffrey Beene and Ralph Lauren were flying off the shelves. Sweaters were decorated with a wide array of sequins, ribbon trims and other designs, sometimes asymmetrical, to modernize the look of classic angora, alpaca, wool and cashmere. Women’s sweaters often had metallic thread woven into natural yarns. The most popular color combinations in 1979 were red and black, black and white, and white and red. Deep dark grays (think charcoal) were also popular, as were earth tones in about any combination you can imagine. If a splash of color was desired, some derivative of purple was usually the preferred choice. For men, Giorgio Armani was hailed as the most creative new designer. He displayed courage when trying out bold new colors that had not been seen in menswear in years, if ever. Physical fitness was important to the general public in 1979, and thus dictated trimmer waists, slimmer suits and smaller shirt collars and ties. In the south, mid-west and west, the “Western Look” was still going strong. Flannel shirts sold extremely well. Halston and Calvin Klein created a stir by refusing to accept their Coty Awards. Mary McFadden was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Special awards were given to Barry Kieselstein-Cord for jewelry, to Gil Truedsson for men’s shoes and Conrad Bell for men’s furs.