I Remember JFK

« The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour | Main | Picking Up Pop Bottles »

Add to Google

Leisure Suits

John Travolta in his stunning white leisure suitAh, 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.

Recommend I Remember JFK to your friends!

Get emailed notifications of new articles!
NOTE: I will not sell any email addresses I receive, and will not send any unsolicited emails, either. If you sign up for new article notifications, that is ALL you will receive, and you can cancel at any time. You have my word.
--Ron Enderland

Your email address:

Comments (3)

vicki:

what about those junior high awful white one piece gym suits for physical education,anyone remember them

joan:

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!

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.

:)

Post a comment

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)


About

This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on January 13, 2007 12:41 AM.

The previous post in this blog was The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

The next post in this blog is Picking Up Pop Bottles.

Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.