Three ’70s Trends Made Modern & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #261
I have jumped on the ’70s trend wagon feet first with three different vintage fashions made modern by combining them into one cool contemporary look that is suitable for 2022.
Actually, I hadn’t initially realized that I had combined three different fashion trends from the 1970s. I really just wanted to share this gorgeous plaid poncho that my mother-in-law gifted to me at Christmas. I suppose ponchos are so classically timeless at this point that it is easy forget the history of this ancient garment that went from a practical necessity to a statement-making fashion trend that has remained in style for over 50 years.
Trend #1: The Poncho
The poncho is one of the oldest known garments believed to have originated in South America. There is evidence that ponchos have been used by nearly every ancient culture on the South American continent making it a universal piece of clothing dating back to somewhere between 500 and 1000 B.C.
Traditional ponchos were generally one large rectangle of heavy woven fabric with a hole cut in the middle for the head that provided protection from the elements while allowing the wearer freedom of movement. Before ponchos were ever considered a fashion trend, they were worn for necessity, practicality, and ease by mountain dwellers and soldiers alike.
Ponchos came onto the radar of Western fashion designers and pop culture in 1964 when Clint Eastwood donned one in A Fistful of Dollars. The first changes that fashion designers made to the traditional poncho design were shortening the length to allow for the rest of the outfit beneath it to be visible and changing the fabrics from heavy weatherproof materials to lighter weight, trendier fabrics and prints.
By the 1970s, ponchos became synonymous with the bohemian and hippie countercultures that grew from the anti-establishment movements of the 1960s. And over the last five decades, they have morphed and changed into so many different styles that the poncho has a place in almost any wardrobe aesthetic.
I am a big fan of ponchos and any other dramatic flowy topper piece. My mother-in-law knows my style well. She nails it on every gift giving occasion with a fabulous statement-making addition to my wardrobe!
Trend #2: Denim & Flared Denim
Like ponchos, jeans found their beginning in a place of practicality. In 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis launched the first denim trousers (also known as dungarees, waist overalls, and blue jeans) as a sturdy alternative in men’s durable workwear. Soon after their introduction, dungarees quickly became the uniform for Gold Rush miners at the turn of the century. This garment remained a staple in workwear for miners, cowboys, and laborers through the 1930s.
In the 1930s, Vogue began hinting at the possibility that blue jeans could be the next big fashion trend to hit Hollywood. By the 1950s, blue jeans became an iconic symbol for the bad boys of Hollywood, popularized by celebrities like James Dean and Marlon Brando. Jeans quickly gained popularity among the rebellious and anti-establishment youth who were gaining momentum in redefining American culture through their fashion and other outward statements of nonconformity.
From the mid-1960s into the 1970s, jeans got a major makeover as women became more liberated and started wearing more menswear apparel as an expression of their freedom and equality. This desire for self expression gave birth to the bell bottom, or flared denim, that dominated the fashion of the hippie counterculture in the 1960s and 1970s.
Since the 1970s, it seems that jeans have undergone a major makeover approximately every decade. The 1970s didn’t just give us bell bottoms. Slim fit jeans were born during this decade along with denim skirts, Daisy Dukes (denim cut off shorts), and denim vests. The 1980s ushered in a whole new generation of designer denim from Calvin Klein, Jordache, and Gloria Vanderbilt. Different denim washes starting hitting the runways featuring acid wash and stoned wash techniques as well different silhouettes from skinny cut to tapered ankle styles.
The 1980s also made ripped jeans trendy, now referred to as distressed denim, which has continued in popularity ever since. The 1990s moved away from slimmer cut jeans into the oversized baggy styles of the grunge era, which also popularized denim overalls in both long and short and dress versions. In the 2000s our jeans went low…way too low for most of us to feel comfortable…but they also brought us the more subtle modernized version of bell bottoms with the newly designed flared denim. Skinny jeans came to us in abundance in the 2010s along with various cropped versions of denim.
And now…well now, there are so many different styles of denim that I am pretty certain you can wear whatever the heck style appeals to you most and look fabulously modern.
I just picked up these black denim high waisted flares from Charlotte Russe. They were having a denim sale and I was desperately in need of new jeans that fit. I love the high waisted button fly style and the subtle slash in the knees. They have the perfect amount of stretch for ease of movement and are super comfortable. I also bought them in white and blue denim.
Trend #3: Platform Boots
Shoes with high platform soles were first seen in Ancient Greek theatre as a means to make the actors appear taller than they were. Fifteenth century Italians designed a style of platform shoe with the functional goal of avoiding wet feet when the sidewalks flooded in Venice. High born prostitutes and London courtesans preferred platform shoes during the 16th century followed by a wide spread trend across Europe by the 1800s when platform shoes returned to their functional purpose of keeping one’s feet dry and protected from the urban muck that filled the city streets.
The platform shoe also has similar functional origins in the traditional Japanese geta, which is a raised wooden platform flip flop meant to keep the feet above the ground. Platform shoes were also popular for Lebanese women between the 14th and 17th centuries. In ancient India, platform shoes represented “the footprints of the Gods” and were donned by the elite classes to showcase their status in society.
With such a long history, it is no surprise that platform shoes made their way into modern fashion design. Moving from function to fashion, this style of shoe enjoyed marginal popularity in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe from the 1930s to the 1950s. This was probably the first use of platform shoes that did not stem from a practical purpose. Once this shoe style became favored by the women of Hollywood, it started gaining power as an essential symbol of sex appeal. But it was the 1960s through the 1980s that brought platform shoes into the limelight where they have been recycled time and again into the fickle rotation of fashion trends.
In 1967, a resurgence in popularity of platform shoes took the fashion scene by storm and the trend held strong in Europe and the U.K. until 1976, when the style abruptly went out of fashion. However, the higher the platform, the better for us 80s girls in America. The platform trend continued in the United States through the early 1980s.
In the early 1990s, Vivienne Westwood reintroduced the platform to high fashion, but they did not catch on in popularity until later that decade when the Spice Girls started sporting platforms. The 2000s cemented platform shoes as a regular cyclical trend in fashion as it continues to reappear in new form and design with each decade. The 2010s and 2020s have shown an avid interest in 1970s trends which has brought platform shoes and boots back into the mainstream fashion scene.
I have loved platform shoes since the 1980s and 1990s. They were one of the hottest shoe trends during my college years and the years immediately following. But I never wore them because I was significantly taller than my significant other during those years and neither of us was ever comfortable with me wearing heels.
It wasn’t until I met Jeff, who is significantly taller than me, that I embraced wearing higher heels. So whenever platform shoes start trending, I hop right up on those tall shoes because I like them and I have the confidence to be even taller now. Whereas in my younger years before I knew any better, I tried to diminish myself and appear as small, short, and insignificant as I could.
Platform shoes also offer me the opportunity to wear some kind of heeled shoes in these dreadfully snowy North Country winters. As long as the sole has some traction to prevent slipping, I can generally manage platform heels on icy walkways.
I have shared my new white platform booties from Shoe Dazzle a bunch of times already. I have styled them with faux leather joggers, with jeans and a blazer, with a plaid mini skirt, and with plaid leggings.
After we took photographs of this outfit, we headed to IHOP for a family brunch and we stuffed our faces with pancakes until we could barely breathe. That’s good living, folks!
Featured Favorites
Reader Favorite (Most Clicked): Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
Fashion Favorite: Moumous of La Moumous
Non-Fashion Favorite: Liz of Howling at the Moon
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.
Outfit Details: Coat-Thrifted / Poncho-Gifted from my mother-in-law / Jeans and Turtleneck-Charlotte Russe / Belt-Torrid / Boots-Shoe Dazzle / Hat and Mittens-Wona Trading / Bag-Charming Charlie / Earrings, Necklace, and Brooch-Old
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
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.
56 Comments
Jacqui
Love the whole look Shelbee. Nice one xx
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jacqui! I can picture you wearing something similar!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
That’s good life indeed! What a lovely gift to give so thoughtful and beautiful. I never thought of a poncho as a western item, but indeed. Ponchos aren’t that popular over here. I like them a lot but always have a hard time figuring out when to wear them.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks, Nancy! Ah-ha…I knew it! I knew you were doing blogging things from the hospital! But if it’s giving you a happy distraction, keep at it!
You know I love ponchos, but you are kind of limited with how you can wear them. You can’t really layer anything on top of them making them not so great for the super cold part of winter. I need a coat in these parts! This one is small enough that it fits under an oversized coat, but many ponchos have to be the top layer. I feel like they are best in the spring and fall. I do love the drama of a poncho…similar to my beloved kimonos!
xoxo
Shelbee
Mica - Away From The Blue
That poncho is lovely and I like this monochromatic neutral outfit, you wear neutrals so well! 🙂
Thanks for the link up!
Hope that you are having a good week! First week of school here for the kids 🙂
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so much, Mica! I was really digging all these neutrals together, too. I hope your kids have a great first week back to school! Mine start Winter Break next weekend and I am heading south to where it is warmer for a few days!
xoxo
Shelbee
Pamela Graham
Great look today. A poncho can be difficult to keep in place if it’s just draped and it can overwhelm a smaller figure particularly so I love the way you’ve styled it with a clip, doubled for warmth and so neat.
Pamela
http://www.style-yourself-confident.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Pamela! Actually, the little clip part is attached to the poncho. It is actually a large square blanket scarf folded into a triangle and then the collar is stitched into it and the clip is sewn on. I really appreciated that clip feature because I hate when wraps fall off my shoulders! I think this particular style would work for a petite person because it is not very long or overwhelming. I suppose you could even make your own by cutting down a large blanket scarf into a size that is more petite friendly. Belting this style of poncho also helps lift the length of it if it is too long and overwhelming on a petite frame. I hope you have a fabulous week ahead, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jill
Love the 70’s vibe of this look! Your poncho is such a fabulous topper!
Jill – Doused in Pink
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jill! I definitely felt fabulous wearing this outfit! And that is what getting dressed is all about, right? Haha.
xoxo
Shelbee
Kathrine Eldridge
Love how you combined all these trends into one fabulous look! I think I need to get a pair of platform boots now. Lol! Thanks for the link up Shelbee!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Kathrine! Aren’t these boots so fun?! I wore them again yesterday with a Valentine’s outfit. They are so comfortable and I can manage in the snow wearing them!
xoxo
Shelbee
Kellyann Rohr
I am gla dyou got those jeans in 3 colors – they look fabulous on you! Those platform boots are hot – in fact I love the whole look. Pancakes too? Sounds like the best day!
xo,
Kellyann
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Hehe, thanks, Kellyann! I am glad I got them in three colors, too. I think they are going to be so cute in the spring and summer with a tank top and kimono! And aren’t pancakes just the best?! You can never make them at home the way they can make them on a restaurant griddle!
xoxo
Shelbee
Tamar Strauss-Benjamin
Those boots are so fun!!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Tamar! I just wore them again yesterday to photograph a Valentine’s outfit! I love these boots!
xoxo
Shelbee
Amy
Your poncho is so pretty. You will have to link up this post next week Thursday with Ageless Style as our theme will be “Ponchos and Wraps”.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Amy! Oh, I will definitely link up some poncho and wrap posts! I have a few of them!
xoxo
Shelbee
Rosemary Davis
Great look today, Shelbee🤍
I have a poncho that is very similar!
I am going to pull it out and give it a wear this week.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Rosemary
http://www.distinctlysouthernstyle.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Rosemary, thanks so much! I hope you share your poncho look, I would love to see it!
xoxo
Shelbee
Laura Bambrick
I love how cozy ponchos are! I wish I had the chance to wear them more, but they can be hard to layer under coats! Love the way yours buckles in front. It’s really pretty!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Laura! I am with you on that! Living it where it gets so cold so quickly, we don’t get much time to wear ponchos without needing a coat! I like this particular one because it does fit underneath a coat. But generally, my poncho wearing days are limited to early fall and late spring.
xoxo
Shelbee
jess jannenga
Nailed those trends! I love the flared jeans on you! Great buy! The poncho is pretty and I love that it has a button to close. Very stylish. I always find it interesting the history of fashion and found it fascinating that ponchos are that old and they were used practically Jeans have a long history and it is interesting what styles come back around. Still wearing skinny jeans as well as lots of other styles.
Enjoy your week!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressdandstylish.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Jess! I had fun researching the history of each piece. I hadn’t even planned it and then I sort just made my way there by accident. I am really glad that everyone is enjoying it! I am definitely holding onto to all the different styles of jeans that I have accumulated over the years. I change my fickle mind too frequently to limit myself to one or two styles of denim!
xoxo
Shelbee
Christina Morley
I’m not normally focused on handbags, but it was a standout accessory. I couldn’t pick a winner between the poncho or the coat. And, those platform shoes, superb! Every outfit variation looked so good on you! Thanks for taking us down memory lane in the fashion world.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh wow, Tina, thanks so much! This was fun to research and write and just sort of happened as I started writing it. I am glad that everyone is enjoying the mini fashion history lesson! I found this coat in a thrift shop a few years ago. It was new with tags and retailed for around $280. I think I paid $15 for it and it has been one of my favorite winter coats ever since. As for this bag, I go back and forth with my feelings towards it. I love the look of it but it is super awkward to carry and find things in it. But I am going to keep using it for now because I’m too lazy to switch it!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
This post makes me laugh…I’m a child of the 70s! I don’t remember wearing ponchos much, but I definitely remember the other two trends! I wore bell bottoms that were more like two skirts attached at my hips! I am constantly on the hunt for something reminiscent of them. I also wore platforms like crazy! Since I’m only 5’1″, I need that height. At one point, I was dating a guy who was well over 6′! I had a pair of platforms with wooden soles. Those things creaked as I walked in them. I was always afraid they would break! I wore silver platforms to my Junior prom (with Nigel)! Thanks for the fabulous fashion and stroll down Memory Lane! And, thanks for the link up!
https://marshainthemiddle.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my gosh, Marsha, thank you for taking me along with you on that walk down Memory Lane! What fabulous memories! I love the way you described your bell bottoms…two skirts attached at the hips…with giant platforms, too. Oh my! I love the visual so much! I hope you find similar pants soon because now I might want a pair!
xoxo
Shelbee
ratnamurti
Oh, gosh, memories!! In the young Elton John era (1970s), one of my sisters turned up in the sort of shoes that he was wearing – the base had a high platform,and the heels – wow!! A never to be forgotten moment. She was walking rather slowly and strangely as I recall, though…………
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my goodness, Ratnamurti, what a fantastic memory! Thank you for sharing it with me. I hope I don’t walk strangely in these boots, but I know I definitely walk a little more slowly… especially on the ice and snow. But I do know those ‘70s Elton John platforms you are talking about and the KISS ones, too! I wonder how many people have injured themselves on those things. Fashion related injuries happen all the time, I’m sure.
xoxo
Shelbee
Lizzie
Such a great post! Love that you added the history behind each item too. 70s fashion is so much fun!
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Lizzie! I didn’t even intend to give a history lesson with this post but I somehow ended up in a fashion history rabbit hole and there you have it!
xoxo
Shelbee
Cheryl Shops
I’m so glad flared denim is back, and you kind of have to wear it with platform shoes and maybe a poncho/cape while you’re at it 😉 Love this retro look!
Cheryl Shops | http://www.cherylshops.net
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Hehe, thanks so much, Cheryl! They definitely beg for the platform heels! But I think they will be super cute in the summer with kimonos and flat sandals, too!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
I love everything about this outfit from your cute little poncho to your flare leg jeans and those boots! I am so glad to see flare leg jeans coming back into style as those have always been my favs!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Joanne! I felt really great in this outfit. I actually was never a big of flares, but now I am loving them…clearly! Haha. It’s always good to try new things, right?!
xoxo
Shelbee
Alexandra
What a great poncho! I love that it isn’t too long to hinder being able to do things with your arms.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Alexandra! That is definitely one of its best features! And the little clasp closure to keep it in place.
xoxo
Shelbee
Lovely
This is a great look on you! Love your coat and poncho. Interesting to learn the history of these garments.
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Lovely! I had fun diving into the history of these three items! It wasn’t even my intention when I started writing but I somehow found myself down that rabbit hole so I just rolled with it! I am glad you found it interesting.
xoxo
Shelbee
Liz
Thank you so much for featuring my little blanket!
Your outfit is great! I like the boots especially. Very elegant!
Have a great week!
Liz
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Liz! I adore that little blanket you made! Have a fabulous day!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
This is a fabulous look, Shelbee! I love all of those elements. Ha! Tall women want to be shorter and short women want to be tall. It’s too bad we are not taught to be happy with whatever dimensions our genes dictate. I’m glad you got over it. I have too. Early on, I decided it was ridiculous to waste energy on something there was no way I could change. And then I met my step-daughter, who like me, is 5’2″. She says that we are “fun-sized.” I can embrace that.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Michelle! I am smiling so big right now at this comment! I think we all should try that perspective. It works for any size really…we are all fun sized and that is a fabulous thing!
xoxo
Shelbee
Dee | Grammy's Grid
Thanks so much for hosting! I’m linking up with #73 HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY ALTERED ART and #74 MY VALENTINE’S DAY MIRROR.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Dee! I look forward to checking them out! I hope you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Great look and I see that IHOP was a huge hit. Glad that you enjoyed. Thanks for hosting this great party.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Patrick! I love IHOP! Now I want to go back again this weekend.
xoxo
Shelbee
lauren Sparks
I don’t think I could pull the shoes off, but I love the poncho and the pants! Wearing flares today myself.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Lauren! I am loving all the different styles of flares available right now. I bet you look super cute in them! I have a thing for obnoxious footwear so I generally anticipate that most people wouldn’t wear shoes like mine. I feel like I should be on stage with KISS when I am wearing these boots! Haha
xoxo
Shelbee
Pam
I love this look! You styled it so well. It was fun to read the history of all of these things, too. AND, you brought back so many memories for me because I wore all of these things as a teenager and young adult in the 70s! (Well, I didn’t really wear platform shoes because I was self conscious about my height – 5’9″, which I now appreciate. I used to wear ugly “Earth Shoes.” Also, Dr. Scholl’s sandals, which I still like.) My college roommate, though, had such tall platform shoes, that I was always afraid she was going to fall off of them! That was my favorite era of clothes, and now, when I go shopping, I get waves of nostalgia when I see so much of it come back. It’s fun. Also, pancakes are the best!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Pam, thanks so much for taking me for a walk through your memories! I got the biggest smile out of reading your comment! I love Dr. Scholl’s sandals, by the way. The wooden soles really speak to my hippie heart. I actually had a friend in the late 1990s who fell off of her platform shoe and she broke her ankle clean through. Very scary! The things we do for fashion. And oh my gosh, pancakes really are the best…such great food for the soul.
xoxo
Shelbee
Shelly J Janac
Head to toe so darling! You look so cute in that hat
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Shelly! I really appreciate that. I hope you are well, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Leslie Susan Clingan
Your photos are always delightful and your sense of style is always on pointe. Enjoyed reading the long history behind these 3 fashion staples. I love ponchos on everyone but me…I can wipe out whole bookshelves and grocery aisles with the wings of a poncho!! Such a klutz.
You find the best places for photos shoots. Love the beauty in the bedraggled plants. And the colors in the wall art.
Yay for iHOP and pancakes. I could eat them everyday.
Thanks for joining us for #agelesstyle
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my gosh, Leslie, I just laughed so hard picturing you swiping through the grocery aisles in a poncho taking all the canned goods with you! And now I must share this story from my teen years. I was in a Blockbuster Video. Remember those? Ha. I picked up a video to read the case and when I put it back on the shelf I bumped the one next to it which I tried to grab. As I grabbed for the falling video, my elbow hit the next one and eventually through a domino effect the entire wall of videos came showering down upon me. My older sister was so mortified that she ran out of the store! So I can relate to your klutz status and I also am very careful where I wear ponchos!
xoxo
Shelbee