Womens vintage 70s tops
June 4, 2015The 1970s is really having a moment, so now’s the time to look at getting Womens vintage 70s tops. But which kind?
The early 1970s continued the trends of the late 1960s. Romantic, exotic and eclectic, the swirling art nouveaux patterns combined with strings of beads, Indian fabrics, lace and Victorian style high necks and bodices.
The colours became less acid-bright and more muted. Purples, muddy browns and burnt oranges became the look of the day.
Womens vintage 70s tops
Biba lived on in a giant department store until 1974, and by their closing were selling mens, women’s and children’s wear, as well as accessories, and the building also contained a restaurant and performance area. You could even buy Biba badges and pencils if you wanted to get something from the brand but could afford much. Mary Quants iconic shop had closed by 1967.
The 1970s and 1970s fashion was characterised by experimentation and freedom. Pop stars like the Beatles headed off to India on journeys of discovery and many followed. Designers like Zandra Rhodes and Bill Gibbs were were influenced by ethnic styles, producing free flowing versions of their own.
Victorian Womens vintage 70s tops
Secondhand furniture, second hand clothes, and old houses were interesting, and in London, the trend for rummaging for interesting old clothes on Portobello Road began – women wore original lacy Victorian blouses, military jackets, or many buttoned boots. So your Womens vintage 70s tops may in fact be a Victorian one! Designers also took inspiration from these past sources to create new garments.
Punk Womens vintage 70s tops
By the mid 1970s, Punk had risen up to contend with the romanticism of the early 70s. It was all hard edges and hard attitudes. Clothing was provocatively ripped, not because it was old but but to reveal both the anger and the body of the wearer. Bondage straps, zips , chains and safety pins were to the fore and colours were primarily black and red. Fabrics were rubber and vinyl.
From the bare, natural faces of the hippies, Punks in contrast wore heavy makeup, but unlike the feminine use of kohl in the 60s to create large eyes and baby faces, punks wanted to look sharp and menacing, using exaggerated black eyeliner to draw around and even beyond the eyes.
Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s shop which was initially called Sex and the Seditionaries was the focus for many punks. Their clothing was expensive but many punks made their own versions. The band The Sex Pistols were punk heroes.
Glam rock 70s tops
The second half of the 1970s was characterised by glam rock. The androgynous styles of glitter, feather boas and bright colours were worn by both men and women, and glam rock Womens vintage 70s top sare bright and glittery, perhaps something like an acrylic tank top with lurex woven through. or a form fitting shirt with huge lapels.
The prints on these can be fantastic, with scenes of unicorns or fantasy jungles. Print designers of the decade took all kinds of inspiration – sometimes seemingly depending on what drugs they were enjoying at the time. The results are classics of the decade.
Shop 1970s tops
