Figure 1.--Fashion designers experimented with many new styles during the 1970s. |
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The 1960s was the decade of the Hippies in America. In the 1970s the hippies put polyester. Major changed occurred in boys clothing in the 1970s. Probably more bizzare chldren's and teen fashions emerged during the 1970s than in any other decade. Bell-bottom jeans were thein thing. While polyester ruled, jeans began to move into the cutural mainstream and became fashionable. The move since the 1920s had been to casual clothing. Casual clothing by the 1970s finally became increasingly acceptable in a variety of social
occasions that one required more formal dress. All kinds of jeans were worn and they emerged as fashion statements. Children eventually demanded designer jeans. Other insisted on buying jeans that looked worn or even torn. The "T" shirt emerged as a major fashion, especially ones with statesments, logos, or athletic or music group images. Boys in the 1970s, no longer dressed up in short pants and kneesocks, except for the very youngest and even younger boys wanted longs by the 1980s. While boys didn't want to dress up in
short pants, they increasingly wanted to wear shorts for casual wear. Many differnt kinds of shorts appeared, cutoffs, runnng shorts, OPs, camp shorts and others. Many boys wore cutoffs that would not wear any other type of shorts. Not only were more boys wearing shorts, but the Bermudas of the 1960s gave way to a popular shorter length.
The 1970s were the era of the designer. Teen agers no longer wanted just jeans, they demanded designer jeans. The 70s were also a time of intense fashion
experimentation, coming at a point when the largest growth in the number of people
buying fashions occurred and manufacturers tried desperately to capture the one-third of the Americanm buying public that was spending two-thirds of the fashion money. Toward the end of the decade, after years of following the tightly fitted clothing styles of Milan and Paris, there was a dramatic turnaround as a number of European designers and manufacturers began biting off pieces of the American style of dress. Brooks Brothers’ baggy garments and button-down shirts, both indigenously American, began to be produced in European versions, for Europeans had suddenly become attracted to the looser, more comfortable style of dress and were eschewing the tight-fitting silhouette they had embraced in the past.
The 1960s was the decade of the Hippies in America. It was in the 1970s that the aging hippies put on polyester. f you could go back in fashion history to erase the creation of the polyester suit, you'd have to time-trip to the '50s. But how can you blame
clothing manufacturers for loving a wrinkle-free fabric? Add to that the
radical free expression of fashion in the hippie '60s and voil'e! You have man-made, politically aware, easy-care style for the masses.
Major changed occurred in boys clothing in the 1970s. Probably more bizzare chldren's and teen fashions emerged during the 1970s than in any other decade. Bell-bottom jeans were thein thing. While polyester ruled, jeans began to move into the cutural mainstream and became fashionable. The move since the 1920s had been to casual clothing. Casual clothing by the 1970s finally became increasingly acceptable in a variety of social
occasions that one required more formal dress.
The U.S. opened diplomatic relations with China in 1972?. Chinese influences appeared in a wide range of apparel and probably led to the fashionability of down or polyester fiber-filled jackets and coats. The energy crisis of 1979 brought long lines at gas pumps and lower temperatures in government offices. Jackets and sweaters helped affected workers to adapt. Consumer magazines contrasted the energy required to manufacture and care for
100 percent cotton shirts versus polyester and cotton blends. Even though these
analyses showed that blends used less energy over their lifetimes, consumers
tended to think of cotton as more environmentally friendly.
Little American boys dressed up in shortalls and Eton suits. Some boys at about 7 years of age would wear short pants suits, but in such clothes were rarely seen on boys
older than 10. Most American boys by 7 or 8 were dressing in suits
little different from their fathers. Mostly they wore casual clothes with
shorts becoming increasingly common. One popular American fashion
was to dress sisters and smaller brothers in matching outfits, but rarely
were brothers and younger sisters dressed alike.
All kinds of jeans were worn and they emerged as fashion statements. Children eventually demanded designer jeans. Other insisted on buying jeans that looked worn or even torn. Jeans came to dominate the fashion scene in America and for that matter around the world. They became increasingly popular for even casual dress where. But
of course it was for leisure that they dominated. Mom proved engenious on how to extend the life of a pair of for ever. You sure can make those jeans last and fix them. But are we talking girls or boys here? and how old? When asked, "Do any of you have any
great ideas on how to repair holes in the knees on kids jeans? I
know I can always cut them off and make shorts. The iron on patches
just peel off and I don't want a tacky zig-zag around them". One
inventive mom replied:
When my kids were little it was a snap. I would get different colors of flannel (plaids for the boys and flowers, geometric designs, anything goes for the girls) and put cuffs around the bottoms and quilted patches on the knees (inside and out ... they last longer this way) and then make a pocket to match on the boys plain t-shirts and maybe ruffles or a design around the neck on the girls plain t-shirts. They looked pretty sharp even if I do say so.. and this also helped on hand me downs ... they usually couldn't wait til it was their turn to wear them. And those cuffs usually added another year for that person to wear the jeans.
A HBC reader tells us, "I wore the regular Levis as well as some other types of jeans in the early 1970s. The two pairs I had were sort of unusal as the pockets and styling were a little different. These jeans were the regular 100 percent cotton and were straight legged. The jeans had two deep side pockets and there was two small flap pockets on the front that were closed by snaps. The waist also had two snap closers one over the top of the other the belt loops were very large--at least an inch wide. The back pockets were long and square they also had snap closed flaps on them. They sort of started mid way on the back side and came down all the way to the upper back of the legs. I would say they were at least 8 inches in lenth. they came in only regular denim blue. They came in boys sizes 8 to 20 and what they called student sizes, waist 28 to 32. Levis also came in shorts. The prices were about $15 a pair for both the longs and the shorts."
A lot of boys in the early 1970s wore bib overhalls. They were not like the baggy ones that you see farmers and industrial workers wear. These were more on the dressy side,they came in several colors: denim blue, gray, and light blue. The legs had a slight flare on them. They had waist adjusters whuch were two snaps on each side and a zipper fly. The suspender straps did not cross in the back but were sewen on to a small 6 inch flap on the back. The front of the strapes had the regular hook type fasterner on the front bib. They had four pockets two on each side and two patch pockets in back. They were made in a half cotton half polyester blend which did not need to be ironed. They were available from
J.C. Pennys, Sears, and I think Wards. The Penny's had a name tag on the inside and the Sears type had a small leather patch on the right hip that had the word "Toughskins" on it. They came in size 8 to 20. A HBC reader tells us, "I wore the bib overalls in the early 70s. Un fact I still have a pair my mom found in a batch of old clothes."
The "T" shirt emerged as a major fashion, especially ones with statesments, logos, or athletic or music group images.
Many differnt kinds of shorts appeared, cutoffs, runnng shorts, OPs, camp shorts and others. American boys seemed to like "cutoffs" and many would not wear any other type of shorts. Some were actual cut-down long pants. Most were bought with a rayed hem so they looked like they had ben cutoff. I'm not sure why this style was so popular, but I think it demonstrated that they were casual shorts. A HBC reader reports, "Cut-Offs were very popular in the 70s, just about the only shorts that boys would wear. They could be jeans, slacks, cords, whatever. Some kids cut a slit in the sides of the legs. They were cut from mid-thigh to a few inches above the knee." Not only were more boys wearing shorts, but the Bermudas of the 1960s gave way to a popular shorter length. A HBC reader reports, "I remember some short pants I wore from Penney's. When my mom got them for me about 1971 or 72, I thought at first they were for girls--which of course I objected to wearing. They were very short with only a 4 inch leg seam, no belt loops, only two front side pockets, a zipper fly, and snap waist closer. They had cuffs on the legs about a two inch one. The colors were light green and light blue. The only way I knew they were for boys was because of the zipper fly. I did wear them and so did a lot of other boys. They were made in a permanent press fabric." Rather short cut OP cord shorts in awide range of colors appeared around 1979.
A HBC reader remembers Levis jean shorts, "I think they wereadvetised as: bush jeans, the shorts! The shorts that they sold at that store were the regular Levi four pocket type cut and hemmed at mid lenth. The sizes were the same as I stated above. The colors were denim blue and ecro white. The name of the store was called the jean shop and was located in the Monroville mall. "
A HBC readervtells us that Wrangler also made jean shorts. They were also very popular in the late 60s to mid
70s. The Wrangler shorts came in size 8 to1 8 for boys and student size 28 to 32 waist . The colors I recall were denim blue, tan white, olive green, and powder blue. They were made of 100% cotton denim, cut mid length and hemmed. There was a slight difference between the boys sizes and the student sizes. The boys sizes had only three pockets two in front and one in the back. The closing was the snap type. The student sizes had five pockets, two in back and three in the front. The extra front pocket was a small watch pocket on the upper right front. The closing was a brass metal button type. All had belt loops and the leather Wrangler patch on the right back pocket. Most boys that I knew wore them for play or causal wear. Although all our shorts back then had belt loops, including the camp shorts, it was very seldom that you saw anyone wearing a belt with shorts. I think the reason for that is most boys thought a belt was to dressy looking for play clothes. Another reason was more comfort and the fact that all the shorts at that time had a more snug fit at the waist. I do recall that a lot of us tried to wear them instead of regular swim trucks for our outings at the community pool, but the pool manager put a ban on wearing those kind of shorts in the pool. He said the dye and pieces of the cotton would clog the filtering system. The Wrangler shorts were sold by Claybors Deparment store, G.C. Murphy, and other department stores in the Pittsburgh area."
Flared pants were very popular and were striped or brightly colored. Most boys ended the decade wearing corduroys when they had to wear long pants.
Knee length tube socks with colored bands at the top were very popular, whether boys wore short or long pants.
Addias, Puma, etc brand sneakers became very desired, replacing the old standards, such as Keds, Converse and the like.
Hair styles had begun to change in the mid-1960s. Short styles declined in popularity and many boys began to wear longer styles. Popular hair styles were quite long and stayed that way until the early 80s. Some of the styles were spectacularly outlandish. The rebels of the 70s and early 80s may remember their glory days in metal-studded collars and spiky, fluorescent hair. For those who missed out, just get the Vaseline ready for styling your Mohawk, mix a faux fur top with a black leather mini and ripped fishnets. Add a row of studs and earrings and you're ready for the punk ball. Many remember feathered hair. Most boys wore less elaborate styles, but longish cuts were very common. Most but not all noys wore their hair down to their ears or even over the ears. Quite a number of boys wore shoulder length hair. Their parents and school administrators were not at all pleased. Boys in primary school tended not to have the longer cuts because their parents were still in control. Tennagers were another matter nd their were constnt test of will between them and their parents and school administrators.
Toughskin jeans and cut-offs sold by Sears were popular for elementary school kids.
The popularity of short pants changed markedly in the 1970s. Boys in the 1970s, no longer dressed up in short pants and kneesocks, except for the very youngest and even younger boys wanted longs by the 1980s. While boys didn't want to dress up in
short pants, they increasingly wanted to wear shorts for casual wear. The change was particularly marked in the northeast, but it was notable throughout the country. A HBC reader in New York ewports that in 1970 none but very small kids wore shorts even in summer. By 1975 they were almost universal in summer for boys through their teens with some kids wearing them as soon as the weather became even slightly warm and keeping them as long as possible. Interesting that a generation (25 years) after boys emphaticaly rejected short pants circa 1950, shorts returned in triumph. The same thing happened with the crew cut a generation after the hair wars of the early 1960s.
The 1970s is known as the "Me Decade". The 70s for most of us, however, generally lack the cultural identity situated between the turbulent cultural change and the 1960s of the 1960s and the Regan and a cultural shift to consevatism of the 1980s. There was no defining political leader nor was there the kind of deep socialmhange experuenced in the 60s. The 70s in many wausas a transitional decade. It was in the 1970s after the fiasco of Vietnam that America began to question itself. Gas lines and a flood of Japanese imports led many to wonder about the American economy. Kids of the 1970s will remember the Dukes of Hazard lunch boxes and the Fonz on "Happy Days". Adults will remember "All in the Family". Some look down on television, but for most Americans, many images of the 70s that are best remembered come from television. 70s are noted for the rise of the "unmeltable ethnics" and the Sun Belt. [Schukman]
One important source of information on the 1970s are theatrical performances, especially movies and television. Here no single program better depicted 1970s styles than "The Brady Bunch" television program showing the children wearing poluester, flared pants, short skirts, and other impotamt 1970s syles. One curious cosuming decission was that the boys almost lways wore long pants. This was despite the fact that many Americn boys by the 1970s were weaing short pants for casual wear, often with tube socks. This was especially true in California.
Carroll, Peter. It Seemed Like Nothing Happenes (1982).
Frum, David. How We Got Here: The 70s--The Decade That Brought You Modern Life, for Better or Worse (2000).
Lemann, Nicholas. "How the seventies changed America".
Schukman, Bruce J. The Secenties: The Great Shift in American Culture, Society and Politics (Free Press), 334p.
Wolfe, Tom. "The me decade and the third great awakening".
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