Ah, the 70's. It was a decade following the most tumultuous social uprisings in the 20th century. There was a real fear of anarchy breaking out from the protests, as well as the continued fear caused by the Cold War.
By the middle of the decade, though, things had settled down to a nice, mellow hum. It was time to boogie!
Polyester clothing was a smash hit in the 70's, and it identified that particular ten-year span as when EVERYONE wore the inexpensive substitute for silk that you could just throw in the washer.
And nothing made the ultimate in a polyester statement like the leisure suit.
Hey, times were too laid back for silly things like neckties. We needed open collars accompanied by shirts that unbuttoned nearly down to the waist, to reveal a shag carpet mat of chest hair that set our gold chains off in high fashion.
Of course, I was too young to have a hairy chest to show off, but I saw plenty of thirty-somethings parading around in gear that they probably hope today that there is no photographic evidence of.
The leisure suit craze found its way into television shows (Starsky and Hutch in particular) and the movies (What would Travolta be without that snow-white beauty?).
Today, leisure suits are viewed with equal parts contempt and ridicule. But hey, they are the exact sort of clothing fad to make an unlikely comeback.
Besides, you can find authentic 70's vintage suits in perfect condition. Polyester lasts forever.
Comments (5)
what about those junior high awful white one piece gym suits for physical education,anyone remember them
Posted by vicki | February 17, 2007 8:03 AM
Posted on February 17, 2007 08:03
Ours were a BRIGHT red. Did so much for the figures of us chubby tweenies. They were only brought home to be washed about three times a year!
Posted by joan | February 18, 2007 1:13 PM
Posted on February 18, 2007 13:13
LOL... leisure suits from the 70's are alive and well right out there in cyberspace.
DressThatMan.com has the best men's vintage clothes site online if you're looking for 70's clothes like those you've described. I love the retro stuff.
I grew up in the 70's and MAN, you could pass out in those suits and look fresh when you woke up. The only trouble was smoking. Most everyone I knew had holes burned in them from seeds popping out of those cigarettes.
:)
Posted by Carl Turner | February 22, 2007 6:15 PM
Posted on February 22, 2007 18:15
What were we thinking with Liesure Suits? Lol! I am a product of this awful outfit! My highschool grad picture in my yearbook for 1977 depicted me in a god awful polyester rust red liesure suit! Complete with (Yes) here it comes, platform shoes, and silk large collar print shirt! Can't forget the shag hairdo! Dad was also into the look too! He was even worse! He wore the lime green lisure suit with a god awful permed hairdo with sideburns. White patent leather shoes. What was he thinking? He sort of look like Mike Brady when he was wearing his hair like that? I am sorry to report! I know I should be thrown into a hole for this, I did go through and enjoyed the Disco period! I am sorry! Especially to the Pink Floyd fans! I like them too! I still own many of these leasure suits! They are stashed in a box! And yes, I do remember those gym outfits in school! Fortunately, we could where our own shorts! Later own, in the early eighties, we went to the preppy look and then the miami vice look! We won't talk about my new wave and punk look! Lol!
Posted by Rivers End | January 6, 2009 11:06 AM
Posted on January 6, 2009 11:06
Leisure suits sure look silly now. But I wonder if it was simply because the only suit the brings respect is the real old traditional suit. Leisure was a lie. No lawyer embraced them for very long, if at all.
What would have happened had lawyers gone nuts over them? I wonder about it all. Fashion can be so fickle. Why did fins go out with cars? They looked good, didn’t they? Square edged box cars of 70s went out but I am glad about that. We came to value aerodynamics, or did we?
Leisure suits are gone and I don’t miss them. But I do wonder why we see some things in a positive light and others not. Why is our world so different today and yet we love the old world of the 60s. Why not be more like the 60s? Some things to ponder as our world changes ever more and ever faster.
Posted by Scott Irv | June 14, 2009 6:04 PM
Posted on June 14, 2009 18:04