What Was the Style in the 70s? | Decade of Bold Looks

Seventies fashion blended bell-bottoms, bold prints, platform shoes, and shifting silhouettes across boho, disco, and punk styles.

For the full breakdown, see our best 70s Style Couch guide.

The fashion of the 70s refuses a single label, which is exactly what made the decade memorable. One wardrobe carried peasant blouses alongside metallic disco dresses and ripped punk denim. Understanding what was the style in the 70s means tracing how the look evolved from hippie holdovers through glam and disco into the DIY rebellion of punk.

The Decade in Brief: From Boho to Disco to Punk

The early 1970s kept the previous decade’s bohemian energy alive. Ethnic and folk influences shaped the wardrobe with peasant blouses, maxi skirts, and earthy or brightly patterned fabrics. Denim stayed central, and the silhouettes ran long and lean.

Mid-decade brought disco, and with it a glamorous shift. Shiny fabrics, glitter, satin, and metallic finishes took over. Jumpsuits, halter necklines, and platform shoes defined the dance floor. The late 1970s then saw punk arrive with a rough, DIY aesthetic, even as mainstream closets leaned into polyester leisure suits and relaxed separates.

The through-line across all three phases was self-expression. People dressed to reflect their music, their scene, and their own tastes rather than following one prescribed uniform.

Key Wardrobe Items and the Rise of Polyester

Women’s fashion in the 70s spanned a remarkable range, and most of it came straight from the era’s cultural shifts. Bell-bottom jeans anchored casual wear, while pantsuits, wrap dresses, and tunic tops covered the dressed-up side. Peasant tops and maxi dresses carried the boho thread, and hot pants brought a playful edge. Designer denim turned a workwear staple into a status symbol.

Men’s closets moved just as boldly. Colorful plaids, wide-collar shirts, and turtlenecks sat alongside flared trousers and platform shoes. The leisure suit became the decade’s signature tailored look, especially after Saturday Night Fever brought late-70s suit styling to the mainstream.

Polyester deserves its reputation as the 70s fabric. It was everywhere because it held creases, resisted wrinkles, and came in vibrant colors. But it was never the only option. Denim stayed a constant through the entire decade, and natural fibers remained present everywhere, particularly in the boho looks of the early years.

Colors, Prints, Hair, and the Androgynous Shift

The 70s palette ran from shameless to subtle. Psychedelic prints, geometric motifs, florals, and Indian-inspired patterns coexisted with earth tones and sherbet-like pastels. Bold color was the point, whether it showed up in a printed maxi dress or a plaid leisure jacket.

Hair followed the same spirit of experimentation. Long hair and shag cuts crossed gender lines, and androgynous styling became genuinely common. Women’s hair moved from straight, center-parted lengths in the early decade to feathered, face-framing cuts by the late 70s. These hairstyles joined the clothing to complete a deliberately crafted overall look.

The era’s gender overlap ran deeper than hair. Men wore flared trousers and pastel suits; women wore tailored pantsuits and sharp blazers. Silhouettes, fabrics, and accessories blurred how the sexes dressed, echoing the broader cultural shifts around gender roles.

Avoiding Common 70s Fashion Mistakes

The biggest error is treating the entire decade as one fixed aesthetic. Fashion history sources like FIT’s Fashion History Timeline on the 1970s stress that the decade shifted dramatically across its ten years. The same decade that started with peasant blouses ended with safety pins and ripped denim.

Other mistakes follow the same pattern. Equating the era only with disco ignores the boho, casual, and punk movements that defined other moments. Overstating the reign of polyester forgets that denim and natural fibers mattered all decade. Ignoring gender overlap misses one of the most progressive elements of 70s style, where silhouettes and garments crossed traditional lines with ease.