If the 1980s was the most ostentatious of fashion decades, the 1970s was the most decadent, and that’s why we return to its influences over and again, especially in times of turbulence like now. Diarmaid Ferreter, professor of modern Irish history at University College Dublin, explains that in Ireland in the 1970s, “there was huge fun to be had. There was festival fever, people had more money...there was a very young population – 50% were under 26 – [there was a] burgeoning youth culture. The Irish music scene was really impressive… There was a great social scene. Even looking at the music listings and cinema listings, you get the real sense that there was a hell of a lot going on… There was great vitality.”

There was an appetite for fashion, and there were unprecedented freedoms, but as costume designer Mark Bridges, whose films include the seventies-based drama Boogie Nights, explained to The New York Times, “We didn’t have the consequences that we do for our actions today. People smoked without pause; you made out with who you wanted to; on all fronts, we were in an experimentation mode. Why not? The stakes weren’t as high.”

With a pandemic added into the mix of political, social and economic turmoil, the stakes feel sky high today, so it’s not surprising that seventies nostalgia crept back onto the autumn/winter catwalks, because fashion can be a soothing balm in painful times. The clothes you own are a tangible reminder of good times that have been had, and those you buy are an investment in a brighter future, a statement of belief in better times ahead.

“I like clothes, but I like what they tell me about a person even more”

— Mario Testino

WHO WEARS IT WELL?

After the 1920s, the 1970s is my favourite style decade, although I’m thinking more along the lines of Ali McGraw than Legs & Co. There are elements of seventies style that translate beautifully into contemporary Parisian chic, such as knee-high boots, blue denim flares, pussybow blouses and blazers. You’ll often see quintessentially stylish French women such as Vanessa Paradis or Jeanne Damas wearing a combination of these items. What used to be called The Decade That Style Forgot has had a revisionist lens shone on it, and today those reimagined pieces encapsulate the kind of sophisticated, effortless style many of us want to build our wardrobes around in midlife.

THE DRESS THAT DEFINED A DECADE

It’s impossible to talk about 1970s style without referencing Diane von Furstenberg’s iconic wrap dress. Described by former Vogue contributing editor André Leon Talley as “the uniform of the ‘70s” in The Wrap, a look-back on the phenomenon of the wrap dress, from its revolutionary early days to its stalwart presence in modern-day dressing, it began life back in 1973.

By 1976, DVF was shipping 25,000 wrap dresses a week to stores across America. It became a symbol of women’s liberation, because it was so easy to slip on and off and it offered women, now heading into the workforce en masse, practicality and sensuality. At the time, the late Karl Lagerfeld said, “Her dresses respond to the needs of the American woman… Diane has logic and common sense.”

ON THE CATWALK…

Hedi Slimane injected his usual undercurrent of rock star glamour into this season’s collection for Celine, but, like last autumn/winter, he anchored it solidly with items reminiscent of the 1970s Parisian bourgeoisie, from pleated skirts and knee-length dresses to culottes and exaggerated capes.

Longchamp offered an unapologetic celebration of the seventies, from chunky embroidered knits to suede culottes and shearling outerwear. Everything looked both day-time glam, and comfortingly cocooning. Given the year that we’ve had, that’s how I want my clothes to make me feel this autumn/winter: warm, cushioned, enveloped, but always chic.

Irish designer Richard Malone, who produces a fully sustainable and ethical collection each year, gave more than a nod to the decade of flares and patchwork, with, among other pieces, an aubergine flared trouser suit with belted waist, and a fabulous pair of brick-coloured split-front bell bottoms. He demonstrated beautifully that you don’t have to be part of a French fashion house to achieve the understated elegance of modern retro style.

“Fashion is all about happiness. It’s fun. It’s important. But it’s not medicine”

— donatella versace

WHAT TO BUY…

Orange knitted wrap top, Diane von Furstenberg, €245 at net-a-porter.com

Denim shirtdress, Conscious, €39.99 at H&M

Light green Lily country check tweed jacket, €231 (down from €385) at Magee1866.com

High-waisted jeans, Boyish Jeans, €174 (down from €218) at farfetch.com

Cable-knit belted knitted vest, €89 at Cos

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Roshin lambswool roll neck, €330 at and-daughter.com

Vegetarian leather platform ankle boots, €595 at Stella McCartney

Dogtooth pleated skirt, Giuliva Heritage x H&M, €34.99 at H&M

STYLE TIP…

Embracing a retro trend, especially one you’ve really fallen for, always carries the risk of descending into costume if you tip the balance too far beyond nostalgia and into imitation. So firstly, keep your hair well-groomed for a smart, contemporary look that’s the antithesis of that 1970s wispy tousled style, and make-up should be modern; go for a matte lip, not a glossy one. Don’t wear the flares, pussybow blouse, blazer and platforms all at once - you’re not on a catwalk, after all. Perhaps try a pair of culottes with a plain knit and blazer, and the pussybow blouse with a pair of understated flared jeans for a nod to the moment, not a pastiche.

Marie Kelly, September 2020.