The 1970's is a decade that often gets a bad rap .....
..... sometimes described as the decade that style forgot. Harsh, but possibly true.
However like a lot of people I was a young man during that decade, and I don't necessarily recall it so badly. After all, I first fell in love with a girlfriend in that decade: Had my first sex encounter, and learnt to drive, first went into pubs (illegally and legally) etc etc .... in other words, all the things that everyone has done in their teens and young adulthood.
But I have to admit that in some respects it was a strange time. Britain had left behind the 1960's (and its early austerity), and was in a period of mass prosperity, but heading towards a turbulent period politically (after we joined the Common Market). Socialism was proving to be a failure (We were heading towards the winter of discontent, with strikes known as the British disease), football hooliganism was rife, and punk rock emerged signifying a youth in rebellion against the sterile glam rock era.
Clothing was dominated by man made fibres such as Rayon and Bri-Nylon, all in brilliant stay-fast colours .... fabrics that will last undiminished in their brilliance, and un-rotted in landfills, for aeons to come, as civilisations rise and fall. Rich picking grounds for future archaeologists. However all I can remember is that nylon shirts chafed under the arms, and around the neck, as well as making you sweat horribly in the summer, whilst offering no warmth in winter ..... oh and that flared jeans were great (I couldn't afford the super flares of 22 inches aka 'Baggies'). This was also the era of the penny round shirt collar .... often with a matching kipper tie. Putting a tank top over this ensemble was trendy.... ah those were the days.
Of course shoes were also decidedly of the era as well .... many people of both sexes wore platform shoes (sort of two inches on the foot and three or four inches on the heels), but I went for the desert boot look with my corduroy flares. Again poverty held me back from the full excesses of the era.
Driving was a different experience as well .... roads were far less congested and drink driving, whilst not condoned, was common. "Have A Drink, Have A Drive" in the summer time, as Mungo Jerry sang in 1970. British cars were terrible, with most of us spending forever treating rust symptoms on our cars ... if you couldn't fix a car yourself then driving was expensive.
No smart-phones, just land lines and telephone boxes ..... You had to shush your family and drag the phone on a long extension cord to the stairs when you talked to your friends or girlfriend .... ah those were also the days.
TV was restricted to two, then three colour channels only, and few people had more than one TV in the house, with a 9pm watershed for swearing and 'adult' TV shows. Cinema, suddenly showed a lot of nudity after the 1960's, and we saw naked or bikini models on advertising for everything from spanners, to peanuts
Generally it was still a more innocent age ..... whilst we sold nuts with semi naked models, the singers weren't the strippers of today. We took our role models for manhood from The Sweeney and The Professionals, which probably ain't saying much (both still of freeview TV). But then dating usually involved half a lager for 'the bird', and a overcooked pub meal if you were showing off i.e 'serious'. Restaurant food wasn't brilliant either with the fake Tudor beam look of a Berni Inn, competing with the red flock wallpaper of the the then new 'Indian' restaurants for our posh eating.
The backdrop to this social scene was the smell of Brut (as advertised by Henry Cooper, and Kevin Keegan) .... while chopper bikes, and space hoppers were in every garden. Smoking was unrestricted, including in offices, and jobs were comparatively easy to get. Going on the dole (unemployment benefit), was vaguely shameful and a sign of laziness. We didn't calorie count much (if at all), and actually calorie intakes were around 300 per day more than today .... but we did more and burnt it off, so we were way slimmer than today.
So the 1970's may have been uniquely bad as regards clothing (although I loved flares), but it wasn't the complete no-go decade that its often portrayed as today. So I recall the 1970's rather fondly, despite its many faults .... but then which decade is clear of them?
 |
| TOTP - 1970's - Fashion Black Spot |
..... sometimes described as the decade that style forgot. Harsh, but possibly true.
However like a lot of people I was a young man during that decade, and I don't necessarily recall it so badly. After all, I first fell in love with a girlfriend in that decade: Had my first sex encounter, and learnt to drive, first went into pubs (illegally and legally) etc etc .... in other words, all the things that everyone has done in their teens and young adulthood.
But I have to admit that in some respects it was a strange time. Britain had left behind the 1960's (and its early austerity), and was in a period of mass prosperity, but heading towards a turbulent period politically (after we joined the Common Market). Socialism was proving to be a failure (We were heading towards the winter of discontent, with strikes known as the British disease), football hooliganism was rife, and punk rock emerged signifying a youth in rebellion against the sterile glam rock era.
Clothing was dominated by man made fibres such as Rayon and Bri-Nylon, all in brilliant stay-fast colours .... fabrics that will last undiminished in their brilliance, and un-rotted in landfills, for aeons to come, as civilisations rise and fall. Rich picking grounds for future archaeologists. However all I can remember is that nylon shirts chafed under the arms, and around the neck, as well as making you sweat horribly in the summer, whilst offering no warmth in winter ..... oh and that flared jeans were great (I couldn't afford the super flares of 22 inches aka 'Baggies'). This was also the era of the penny round shirt collar .... often with a matching kipper tie. Putting a tank top over this ensemble was trendy.... ah those were the days.
 |
| 1970's Platforms ..... I Never Could Afford Them |
Of course shoes were also decidedly of the era as well .... many people of both sexes wore platform shoes (sort of two inches on the foot and three or four inches on the heels), but I went for the desert boot look with my corduroy flares. Again poverty held me back from the full excesses of the era.
Driving was a different experience as well .... roads were far less congested and drink driving, whilst not condoned, was common. "Have A Drink, Have A Drive" in the summer time, as Mungo Jerry sang in 1970. British cars were terrible, with most of us spending forever treating rust symptoms on our cars ... if you couldn't fix a car yourself then driving was expensive.
 |
| Telephone Boxes Everywhere ...... |
No smart-phones, just land lines and telephone boxes ..... You had to shush your family and drag the phone on a long extension cord to the stairs when you talked to your friends or girlfriend .... ah those were also the days.
 |
| Big D Nuts - Sex Sells .... I Always Hoped The Packet Over The Breast Hid A Nipple! |
TV was restricted to two, then three colour channels only, and few people had more than one TV in the house, with a 9pm watershed for swearing and 'adult' TV shows. Cinema, suddenly showed a lot of nudity after the 1960's, and we saw naked or bikini models on advertising for everything from spanners, to peanuts
Generally it was still a more innocent age ..... whilst we sold nuts with semi naked models, the singers weren't the strippers of today. We took our role models for manhood from The Sweeney and The Professionals, which probably ain't saying much (both still of freeview TV). But then dating usually involved half a lager for 'the bird', and a overcooked pub meal if you were showing off i.e 'serious'. Restaurant food wasn't brilliant either with the fake Tudor beam look of a Berni Inn, competing with the red flock wallpaper of the the then new 'Indian' restaurants for our posh eating.
The backdrop to this social scene was the smell of Brut (as advertised by Henry Cooper, and Kevin Keegan) .... while chopper bikes, and space hoppers were in every garden. Smoking was unrestricted, including in offices, and jobs were comparatively easy to get. Going on the dole (unemployment benefit), was vaguely shameful and a sign of laziness. We didn't calorie count much (if at all), and actually calorie intakes were around 300 per day more than today .... but we did more and burnt it off, so we were way slimmer than today.
So the 1970's may have been uniquely bad as regards clothing (although I loved flares), but it wasn't the complete no-go decade that its often portrayed as today. So I recall the 1970's rather fondly, despite its many faults .... but then which decade is clear of them?
Glam Rock. Tank Tops. Flares and stacks will be back. Kipper Ties, penny rounds and Paisley, all will return!!
ReplyDeleteI really hope not. Thanks for the comment.
Delete