bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge

The Magnificent 8 in “The Year You Were Born”

July 31, 2024 / 28 Comments
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge

A short while back, I presented the idea to style outfits inspired by the year we were born to the wonderful ladies of this Magnificent 8 group. I thought it would be a fun sartorial challenge for a collaboration that consists of women born across 7 or 8 different decades.

If you have been following my blog this year, you probably already know that I have recently celebrated a big milestone birthday. I was born on Thursday, May 30, 1974, at 7:47 a.m. in Easton, Pennsylvania, 50 years, 2 months, and 1 day ago.

So let’s kick it back to 1974 and see what kinds of things were happening in the word when I entered it.

In 1974, the world population was 4.378 billion people (today’s world population is 7.951 billion people) and the population of the United States was 213.9 million people (today’s U.S. population is 342.0 million people).

My given name, Michelle, was the third most popular baby name for girls born in the United States in 1974. Jennifer and Amy were the first and second most popular baby girl names that year. The top 3 baby boy names in the United States in 1974 were Michael, Jason, and Christopher. England and Wales listed the top three baby girl names of 1974 as Sarah, Claire, and Niccola and the top 3 baby boy names were Paul, Mark, and David. In Canada, the names were ranked respectively as Jennifer, Michelle, and Lisa for girls and Jason, Micheal, and Christopher for boys. And Ireland listed the top baby girl names for 1974 as Mary, Catherine, and Margaret with John, Michael, and Patrick topping the boys’ list.

I share my birth month of May 1974 with Adam Richman of Man vs. Food (May 16, 1974), Major League Baseball player Nelson Figueroa (May 17, 1974), actress Fairuza Balk (May 21, 1974), politician Majorie Taylor Greene (May 27, 1974), and NHL hockey player David Wilkie (May 30, 1974),

My favorite movie of all time, Young Frankenstein, was released on December 15, 1974, and became the fourth highest grossing film of the year. Blazing Saddles was the number one, top grossing film that year. Barbara Streisand’s “The Way We Were” was voted by Billboard as the number one song of 1974. And All in the Family was ranked as the number one primetime television series in the United States.

There was no Pulitzer Prize awarded in the fiction category in 1974 but the New York Times bestseller list includes 4 books that reached number one that year: Burr by Gore Vidal, Watership Down by Richard Adams, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carré, and Centennial by James Michener. I have not read any of those books. But I did read every work of fiction that was awarded a Pulitzer Prize from 1918-2011. Then I quit that reading project because I got bored and started having babies.

In politics, United States President Richard Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, in the wake of the Watergate scandal. The Israeli Prime Minister also resigned that year in response to the high number of casualties caused by the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In Europe, North Cyrus was invaded by Turkey, the Carnation Revolution was happening in Portugal, and the Chancellor of West Germany resigned following an espionage scandal.

On October 30, 1974, the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion George Forman lost by knockout in the 8th round to Muhammad Ali in a match dubbed The Rumble in the Jungle in Kinshasa, Zaire, in front of 60,000 spectators. It was one of the most watched televised events at the time and can arguably be called the greatest sporting event of the 20th century. Also in October 1974, the Oakland Athletics won the 71st Baseball World Series, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 in a best of seven games series. Super Bowl VIII was held in January 1974 and saw the Miami Dolphins defeat the Minnesota Vikings in a 24-7 win to become the 1973 National Football League champions. Super Bowl IX which was held in early 1975, determined the 1974 Super Bowl Champions as the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 16-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge

In the world of fashion, the 1970s was the era of new synthetic textiles that made fashionable styles available at any price point. The runways saw styles inspired by early prairie dresses influenced by hippie fashion, flashy party wear geared towards to discos and nightclubs, and the rise of athletic wear as the decade moved to the much more casual 1980s. The 1970s were a decade of fashion exploration as women began to really push the boundaries of personal style.

As the fashion world moved from the more conservative 1960s, it retained the hippie styles that began surfacing in the latter part of that decade, with bell bottoms, high waists, cropped tops, patchwork, crochet, embroidery, bright colors, and bold patterns dominating the sartorial scene in the early 1970s.

These eclectic bohemian styles that became representative of the 1970s are where my personal fashion preferences seem to firmly fit. So I styled today’s outfit with a bright, bold, bohemian polyester princess aesthetic in mind.

I bought these big bell bottomed crazy clown pants (that’s what my kids call them) in Asheville during my annual road trip to North Carolina in February. When I returned home, it was much too cold and wintery to wear them so they were closeted until spring. I really thought that I would struggle with styling these statement pants but surprisingly I have worn them four different times with four totally different tops and I have felt jubilant in each iteration.

To really capture the year 1974, I opted for a cropped sleeveless sweater underneath one of my trademark long flowy robes in a burnt orange color. My fringed clogs were the obvious choice of footwear although I never really wear these clogs because they are truly hazardous. I have twisted my ankle numerous times wearing them so they, too, have been closeted, only making occasional appearances for playing dress up.

I really wanted to incorporate something crocheted in this look so I wore my crocheted sunflower earrings and a crocheted slouchy hat which both epitomize 1970s fashion in my opinion. My rainbow straw bag and layered necklaces including my Shelbee mala beads, a crystal cage necklace, and a preloved multi strand seed bead necklace complete my 1974-inspired outfit.

I loved every part of this outfit so much that I have quite forgotten the other three stylings of these trousers. But I am certain I will remember when I want to wear them again and you will certainly see them restyled here at some point in the future.

bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge

Now let me introduce the ladies of The Magnificent 8 so you can see how their outfits were inspired by the year they were born.

The Magnificent 8 is a collaboration among 8 stylish women, each in a different age bracket, ranging from 20’s to 80’s. The mission of this collaboration is to show you just how ageless style is, how we can each dress however we’d like and in ways that make us feel fabulous. There are no age restrictions on style. So wear what you want, when you want, add a smile, and strut your style with confidence. 

Every quarter, we choose a theme and each create an outfit that suits our own personal tastes and fashion choices and we post them on the last Wednesday of every third month. So be sure to go check out everyone’s posts for lots of style inspiration at any age! 

bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge
bell bottoms, 1970s boho style, bright colors, bohemian summer style, orange kimono robe, Shelbee on the Edge

What year were you born? Do the fashions from that era inspire your personal style?

Be sure to join us again on October 30, 2024, for our next collaboration of magnificently ageless style! 

Keeping it on the edge, 

Shelbee

Joining these Fabulous Link Parties. 

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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