Sunday 7 – 70s Fashion Trends

Hello!

Welcome to this week’s Sunday 7 where I’m talking all things 70s.

One of my favourite decades given it’s when I was born… all the best people were born in the 70s*.

{*Joking obvs}

When I think of my 70s childhood fashions, I think of big collars, big cuffs, big texture (i.e. corduroy, shaggy furs), big cable knits, big checks (tartan), big block (stack) heels (mum’s footwear, not my little 5 year old self’s shoes!) and big flares.

And of course, brown.

Lot’s of brown.

With a side of mustard.

But don’t be put off by my memories.

After all, we’re talking about incorporating the odd 70s inspired piece into your regular wardrobe.

It’s not fancy dress, ok?

Let’s get stuck in with my 7 pieces, which are a wee nod to the 70s:

7. Topshop – Oversized Check Jumper £39

This sweater isn’t obviously 70s, but the checks give it a retro feel.

As with any oversized knit, wear it with anything and everything, frankly: jeans, pleated skirt, clash the checks with a ditzy print floral maxi dress… you name it, the jumper would work.

In my opinion, obvs.

I’d go for a plain coat and jacket though.

6. Zara – Dark Orange Cord £39.99

Jumbo cord, full length, high waist, wide leg trousers.

The 70s right there, in one piece.

Not to mention the rusty vibes of the Dark Orange colour.

However, there are a lot of women who simply don’t feel comfortable wearing jumbo cord trousers… they can, after all, ‘appear’ to add width… whether to the hips or thighs… but yes, not everyone’s cup of tea.

So instead you could go for…

5. Zara – Double Breasted Cord Blazer £79.99

The coordinating Blazer to the trousers.

But whilst you could wear both together as a suit… hell, even with the Check Jumper under the jacket if you felt daring… the Cord Blazer is an easy, gentle introduction pf the 70s into your wardrobe.

This Zara one is quite pricey at £79, but my mate Susie So So spotted a budget version in Primark a fair few weeks back and had popped it on her Instagram Stories…

…but Primark are not online, so I can’t link to it, and with the speed at which the fast fashion turns-over in the Primark, I’ve no idea if it’s still in stock.

Always worth a look if you fancied one?

4. H&M: Beret (£8.99)

Not a hat style for everyone, and indeed, they don’t actually suit everyone either.

But, by the looks of things, Beret’s were not a passing fad from last year, and are very much here to stay.

It’s a very simple little nod to the 70s though.

Also available in Black, Old Rose and Light Mole.

3. Hobbs – Mollie Knee Boots £299

I’ve deliberately opted for not too high-a-heel brown knee-highs here… probably because I tend to avoid wearing heels full stop, but… given many of you have perfectly normal (ie not granny-worn-down) knees (like my own), I reckon you guys would be perfectly fine in this height of heel.

The price is out of budget for me too.

Way off.

But I liked the look of these boots.

Plus, back in the day, when I had more disposable income to spend on myself, half my ‘shoedrobe’ was from Hobbs.

They make very comfortable, very hard wearing shoes and boots.

2. The Outnet – Iris and Ink Julia Pussy-bow Cotton-Jersey Top £60

Pussy bow blouses always remind me of Jane Fonda in the movie 9 to 5:

Although in this pic, lifted from Google, she’s wearing a sweater with a scarf… but in my head, she was always wearing Pussy-bow blouses in the movie.

Anyway, back to this beauty from Iris and Ink:

 

I adore the simplicity of this blouse: the colour, the fabric.

And the price isn’t crazy high either, considering it’s The Outnet.

How cool would it look with the Zara Cords?

Or under the Zara Cord Blazer?

The blouse is also available in Black.

1. Warehouse – Teddy Bear Faux Fur Coat £89

Not necessarily as shaggy as an actual 70s coat, but still, 70s-ish enough for me.

I love the colour.

The shape,

The texture.

It’s very similar to last year’s Zara Teddy Coat which I very *almost* bought several times, but just didn’t quite bite the bullet.

So, perhaps this might *just* be the one for me this year?

I’d need to try for size first, obvs.

#coataddict

And that’s it for my main 7.

Obviously I couldn’t include *all* of the 70s inspired pieces I would have liked… I only have 7 slots.

But… you will be delighted to see that I have picked a Wildcard this week, so a few more pieces are included in the looks.

And then there’s…

Stinker of the Week: Topshop Chevron Crystal Sweatshirt £69

Not dreadful or terrible…

… just so very not me.

Simple as that!

Wildcard of the Week: Topshop Velour Panel Zip Sweatshirt £39

A velour, zip-up cardi?

In (mainly) shades of brown?

You might think I’ve gone off my rocker!

But just to remind you: the Wildcard is just that… a piece which would push me out of my comfort zone with the challenge of whether or not I could style the piece in 3 ways which might make it more…erm… ‘palatable’?

So here goes…

Look 1 – Sporty Chic:

The Velour Top  already has a sporty vibe, but wearing it with a gold pleated skirt would be an easy, wearable look.

Something like this beautiful gold, knife-pleat Reiss Isidora Skirt (£155) is the perfect contrast to the velour top.

Wear some chunky Zara Sneakers with thick soles (£49.99) and sling a Zara Nylon Belt bag (£19.99) – worn across shoulder/chest).

And you could use a tartan scarf as a wrap (not pictured) if you fancied, something like this H&M Checked Scarf (£8.99), draped around your shoulders, however, if it’s a jacket you’re after, a classic biker wouldn’t fail you here.

Equally, a Trench would work just as well, if not better.

Look 2 – All The Texture:

Team the velour top with some pink jumbo cords.

Something like these Mango Straight Trousers (£59.99) and then you could juxtapose with some super feminine, pointy shoes… or, for me, I think I’d go with boots.

Loving these white Topshop Mission Ankle Boots (£65) as well as this Silver Beaded Topshop Tote (£32)… and I realise it’s all a bit clashy.

But why not, eh?

Finish your look with some Aviators (H&M £6.99)

I quite like this look!

Look 3 – How Now, Brown Cow*:

Go tonal… all the browns:

This rusty New Look Cord Pencil Skirt (£24.99), with some brown Dune Talum Knee High Boots (£70) and this Zara Vinyl Mini City Bag (£25.99) make for quite a cute outfit.

I’d probably opt for a Trench style coat… this H&M Studio Collection Double Breasted Cotton Coat (£149.99) would be perfect.

No doubt – far too much brown for some, but… tonal dressing can be a *thing” right?

{* I must have typed that non-sensical sentence ‘How Now, Brown Cow’ a thousand times or more whilst we were made to take typing lessons at school. The lessons resulted in sitting a basic Pitman Typing test which certified that I could type 24 words per minute. A proud moment indeed.  The Boys’ school down the road from my Girls’ school did not have to take typing tests. What can I tell you? It was the 80s!}

And that’s it for my Wildcard Looks: how’d I do?

To be honest, I can’t help but think how cosy the velour top must be… and that’s quite appealing in itself, right?!

Would love to hear your thoughts: leave a comment and I’ll get back to you!

Thanks

B x