The 1970s had a style all its own. Clothes were louder, hairstyles were bigger, and people seemed much more willing to experiment with what they wore and how they looked. Bell-bottoms, platform shoes, tie-dye, and colorful patterns were everywhere, while music helped push fashion in new directions.
Disco brought glitter, satin, and flashy outfits into the spotlight, while punk offered something completely different. Punk musicians and their fans leaned into ripped clothing, leather, bold hairstyles, and an intentionally rebellious look.
From everyday clothing to hairstyles and accessories, the decade gave people plenty of ways to stand out. Here are 12 trends that had people crushing hard in the ’70s.
Bell-Bottoms
Few pieces of clothing are as closely associated with the 1970s as bell-bottom pants. The style featured legs that flared dramatically from around the knee, creating the unmistakable shape people still associate with the decade.
Bell-bottoms had been around before the ’70s, including versions worn by sailors, but they became a mainstream fashion favorite during the decade. They showed up in denim, corduroy, colorful fabrics, and patterned materials.
People paired them with everything from fitted tops to flowing blouses, making them easy to dress up or wear casually.
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High-Waisted Jeans
High-waisted jeans were another major part of ’70s fashion. Sitting above the natural waist, they were often paired with tucked-in shirts, blouses, cropped tops, and short jackets.
The style became closely associated with celebrities and fashion icons such as Farrah Fawcett, who helped bring the look to an even wider audience through television, movies, and magazines.
High-waisted denim also worked well with the decade’s flared silhouettes. The higher waist created a defined shape while giving people plenty of room to experiment with different tops and jackets.
Tie-Dye
Tie-dye fit right in with the colorful, creative side of the 1970s. Bright swirls and unusual color combinations turned ordinary T-shirts into something personal.
Music festivals helped push the look further into mainstream fashion. Tie-dye was also easy enough for people to make at home, which added to its appeal. A plain white shirt, some dye, rubber bands, and a little patience were enough to create a one-of-a-kind piece.
The technique itself is much older than the 1970s. According to North House Folk School, forms of tie-dyeing date back to China in the fifth century and Japan in the eighth century, where it is associated with Shibori.
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The Afro
The afro became much more than a popular hairstyle during the 1970s. For many Black Americans, wearing natural hair was tied to pride, identity, and self-expression.
Public figures such as Angela Davis and Jimi Hendrix helped bring the style into the spotlight. Afros appeared in music, television, movies, magazines, political gatherings, and everyday life.
The hairstyle could be worn in different shapes and sizes, but its message was hard to miss. It challenged traditional beauty standards and became one of the most recognizable looks of the decade.
Corduroy
Corduroy was everywhere in the ’70s. Its distinctive ridged texture made it easy to recognize, while its durability and comfortable feel made it practical for everyday clothing.
The fabric showed up in pants, jackets, skirts, shirts, and even accessories. Brown, rust, mustard, green, and other earthy shades fit right in with the colors that dominated the decade.
Corduroy also worked for people who wanted something casual without reaching for denim. It was comfortable enough for everyday wear but could still look put together.
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Circular Sunglasses
Round sunglasses had a major moment during the ’70s. Some featured oversized frames, while others had colorful or mirrored lenses that gave them an even more dramatic appearance.
John Lennon had already made round glasses closely associated with his look, while Elton John became known for wearing bold and often oversized eyewear. Their influence helped turn unusual sunglasses into a major fashion statement.
The style also carried some of the individuality associated with the counterculture movement of the previous decade. For many people, round sunglasses were an easy way to make an ordinary outfit feel much more distinctive.
Platform Shoes
Platform shoes added inches of height and plenty of personality. Some platforms had relatively modest soles, while others were several inches thick and nearly impossible to overlook.
The shoes became popular with both men and women, helping blur some of the traditional lines between men’s and women’s fashion.
Musicians such as David Bowie and Elton John were known for wearing dramatic platform styles, helping cement the shoes as part of the decade’s flamboyant look. Platforms could be worn with bell-bottoms, jumpsuits, dresses, or just about anything else that needed a little extra height.
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Large, Floppy Collars
The bigger the collar, the better seemed to be the rule during parts of the 1970s. Oversized collars, sometimes called disco collars, became especially popular on men’s shirts.
They were often worn with colorful patterns, bold prints, and synthetic fabrics. The wide collar was meant to be seen, particularly when worn with an open shirt or a jacket.
John Travolta’s look in Saturday Night Fever helped cement this style in popular culture. The exaggerated collar became one of those small details that instantly made an outfit look like it belonged to the disco era.
Puka Shells and Love Beads
Puka shell necklaces brought a relaxed, beach-inspired look to ’70s fashion. The small shells were strung together to make necklaces, bracelets, and other accessories.
The word “puka” comes from a Hawaiian word meaning “hole,” referring to the naturally occurring opening found in many of the shells.
Surf culture helped popularize the look, and puka shells fit perfectly with the decade’s casual clothing. Love beads offered another popular accessory choice, often worn in layers and paired with loose shirts, flowing dresses, and other relaxed styles.
Feathered Hair
Feathered hair became one of the most recognizable hairstyles of the decade. The cut featured layers that were brushed away from the face, creating that soft, flipped-out appearance that seemed to be everywhere.
Farrah Fawcett became one of the biggest faces associated with the style, particularly after Charlie’s Angels premiered. Her feathered hair became so recognizable that countless women brought pictures of her hairstyle to salons hoping to recreate it.
Celebrity hairstylist Allan Edwards has been credited with creating the famous style, according to Formulate.
Hot Pants
Hot pants were among the boldest clothing trends of the 1970s. These extremely short shorts appeared in fashion magazines, on television, and in nightclubs, giving people another way to show off the decade’s more daring side.
Designer Mary Quant helped popularize short hemlines in fashion, and hot pants soon became associated with youth, confidence, and changing attitudes toward clothing.
They weren’t universally loved, though. The revealing style sparked plenty of debate at the time. Still, hot pants became a memorable part of ’70s fashion and reflected the decade’s willingness to push traditional clothing rules.
Underground Punk
Punk offered a completely different sound and look from the polished disco style dominating much of the decade.
Bands such as The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, and The Clash became major names in the punk scene. Their music was fast, loud, and often deliberately rough around the edges. The fashion followed the same attitude, with leather jackets, ripped clothing, safety pins, boots, graphic shirts, and unconventional hairstyles becoming part of the look.
Punk also grew through small clubs, independent record labels, and homemade fanzines. New York City’s CBGB became a major meeting place for the American punk scene. According to Sound of Life, punk in the United States reached a particularly important stage in 1974 at CBGB in New York City.
The result was a style that felt very different from mainstream fashion. While disco encouraged people to dress up and hit the dance floor, punk gave people another outlet for standing apart from the crowd.
The 1970s may be remembered for disco balls and bell-bottoms, but the decade’s fashion was much broader than that. From natural hairstyles and handmade tie-dye to towering platforms and punk’s ripped-up clothing, people had plenty of ways to show off their personalities.
Many of these trends have made their way back into fashion over the years, proving that some of the most memorable ’70s styles never really disappeared.
