There's no hesitation in saying that past fashion is trending now. Has the modern world run out of originality? With that, fast fashion brands are butchering what exactly past fashion was. We’ve seen brands like Shein, Fashion Nova, Nasty Gal, etc ruin then paint this tainted image of seventies fashion. They’ve taken away the thought behind the entirety of it all.
The seventies was an exploration and expression in fashion, women found themselves in styles of bell bottom pants, frayed jeans, midi skirts, maxi dresses, tie-dye, peasant blouses, prairie dresses, and ponchos threaded to the disco world. It was labeled the “polyester decade” because of its balanced sense between hippie and disco.
The seventies was when women first began dressing with free will, their wardrobes were not as inflicted by designers in NYC or Paris. This was so nonchalant and executed in a way of ease that had a beautiful meaning and effect. Tie-dye was seen in protests which became a symbol of freedom and courage, it was an easy outlet of creativity that in which today can seem tacky. Now with the empires of fast fashion brands, we are knocking off old culture in cheap ways.
Thrift stores hold any and all potential to attain this sense of freedom and independence that cultivated seventies fashion. It takes time and dedication to find such pieces but it’s attainable. Spots in Brooklyn like L train, Beacon’s closest, and Other Peoples’ Clothes and great places to start. There’s also a huge market online; like Poshmark or Facebook marketplace. In the long run, the quality of clothes back then is better than the quality of clothes now.
So with the rise of seventies fashion again we should take advantage of this popularity in thrifting and the reselling market online.
Written by Frank McHugh
Photography and Modeling by Frank McHugh