40 cringeworthy examples of 70s mens fashion
- Thread starter 47of74
- Start date
Boy are some of these articles ever going to look awkward when leisure suits and flared pants come circling back around. 
(Those plaid slacks the one guy is sporting in the "Slack Power" ad are really just mod fashion. People wear stuff like that today. Notice also the prevalence of knitted clothing, which is coming back in a big way -- mostly confined so far to toques and shawls and sweaters, to be sure, but give it another few years and I wouldn't be surprised to see knitted tunics and ponchos. Indeed perhaps we have already crossed that threshold.)
Obviously those TMP uniforms were influenced by the ascendancy of one-piece leisure suits, of course.
(Those plaid slacks the one guy is sporting in the "Slack Power" ad are really just mod fashion. People wear stuff like that today. Notice also the prevalence of knitted clothing, which is coming back in a big way -- mostly confined so far to toques and shawls and sweaters, to be sure, but give it another few years and I wouldn't be surprised to see knitted tunics and ponchos. Indeed perhaps we have already crossed that threshold.)
Obviously those TMP uniforms were influenced by the ascendancy of one-piece leisure suits, of course.
Last edited:
Most of those abominations can be traced back to one culprit: polyester.
As horrible as a some of those are, just as many look absolutely fabulous.
#5 -- I'd rock any one of those sweaters myself
#7 -- can bond with me any day
#10 -- Left: Sweaters are nice, Right: Y'all just jealous
#19 -- You wish you had the disco balls to rock lamé.
#23 -- Are we sure this isn't some Williamsburg-based band's 2007 album cover?
#24 -- Forget #7, someone please find me the phone number for the black guy in the middle on the left. Please. There is no way he's not still hot.
#33 -- I genuinely love everything about this
#5 -- I'd rock any one of those sweaters myself
#7 -- can bond with me any day
#10 -- Left: Sweaters are nice, Right: Y'all just jealous
#19 -- You wish you had the disco balls to rock lamé.
#23 -- Are we sure this isn't some Williamsburg-based band's 2007 album cover?
#24 -- Forget #7, someone please find me the phone number for the black guy in the middle on the left. Please. There is no way he's not still hot.
#33 -- I genuinely love everything about this
True enough. Also, #27 wouldn't have looked out of place as an American Apparel ad in their recent heyday. And the green slacks in #33 are pretty badass. (Although other elements of that ad... um.)
Were men really into ponchos back in the '70s? I guess this look was inspired by Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Taste.
Has anyone mentioned the big, blow-dried men's hair in that decade? Good Lord! And those long sideburns and porn-star mustaches.
Has anyone mentioned the big, blow-dried men's hair in that decade? Good Lord! And those long sideburns and porn-star mustaches.
Last edited:
No doubt.
"Hey, is that a real poncho, or is that a Sears poncho?"Were men really into ponchos back in the '70s? I guess this look was inspired by Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Taste.
Looking through some old family photographs I could not find any male family members of mine being photographed wearing such things.
Where's everyone's sense of fun? Fashion in general is so boring these days. Black is nice, but it's all anyone ever wears. I prefer this over today's fashion by far.
Okay, I was a teenager in the '70s. Some of this is very familiar to me because I saw it every night on TV. And if you pick up any Archie comic from that era, you'll see the male characters wearing print shirts in the daytime and shirts with frills for evening wear.
But holy crap, I never saw ANY man in that decade or any other wear a knitted/crocheted poncho. The only men I have ever seen wear a poncho at all is Clint Eastwood in his spaghetti westerns And those were woven, not knitted. (I seem to recall that Luke wore a poncho in a couple of the scenes in Star Wars, too)
BTW, those "gender-bending" sleep shirts? They're not "gender-bending" at all. Men wore stuff like that to bed for centuries. Men's pajamas are actually a fairly modern thing.
Some of those knitted tops/tunics were popular with women and teenage girls. Never saw men or boys in them. Not once. The outfit in #2, for example, is one that a woman would wear with no problem. On a man it just looks weird.Boy are some of these articles ever going to look awkward when leisure suits and flared pants come circling back around.
(Those plaid slacks the one guy is sporting in the "Slack Power" ad are really just mod fashion. People wear stuff like that today. Notice also the prevalence of knitted clothing, which is coming back in a big way -- mostly confined so far to toques and shawls and sweaters, to be sure, but give it another few years and I wouldn't be surprised to see knitted tunics and ponchos. Indeed perhaps we have already crossed that threshold.)
Obviously those TMP uniforms were influenced by the ascendancy of one-piece leisure suits, of course.
There's nothing wrong with polyester, as long as what it's made into doesn't look like something weird. Mind you, my definition of "weird" is a bit flexible, considering that I'm perfectly comfortable with walking down the main street in my city wearing an outfit from the 10th century and see nothing wrong with men wearing kilts or anything else from the medieval era. People who spend any significant amount of time in the Society for Creative Anachronism quickly become accustomed to wearing their garb in public, especially if engaged in public demos, as our branch often did.
Some of those Elizabethan getups were bizarre, though.
Some of those outfits are straight out of '70s cop shows, not to mention some of the science fiction shows.
The Brady Bunch and Partridge Family are a good example of what people wore back then:
1) huge floppy lapels
2) bell bottoms
3) big belt buckles
4) cowboy boots as a substitute for dress shoes
5) Shirts with "snaps" instead of buttons
6) Shirts with a zipper V-neck with a round tab on the end.
1) huge floppy lapels
2) bell bottoms
3) big belt buckles
4) cowboy boots as a substitute for dress shoes
5) Shirts with "snaps" instead of buttons
6) Shirts with a zipper V-neck with a round tab on the end.
I have to agree. Modern fashion is either bizarre, obscene, or boring. I like earth tones, but not for everything.
Granted, most accessories go with black (take your choice of gold or silver; both look good). But too much black reminds me of both funerals and the costume dramas I'm currently watching on Netflix. Everyone wears black and the contrasting colors are also dark.
Similar threads
