When it comes to parties or other events where fancy dress is de rigueur, nothing beats retro. The best kind of retro? 70s fancy dress! The 1970s after all was the era of disco, and who doesn’t look great in a skintight white disco suit or an off the shoulder dress with a glittering sequined collar and belt?
Disco stars had big hair and big personalities to go with it. Cilla Black, Marvin Gay,Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, Cher, Tina Charles. David Bowie, Elton John, Bolan and T Rex. Their look is all about glamour.
If you want to dazzle your friends with 70s fancy dress at the next party you attend, here are some disco icons whose looks you should study.
Abba
The Swedish pop group Abba ruled the pop music world in the 1970 with breakout dance songs like Dancing Queen, Waterloo and Fernando, many of which — incorporated into the hit musical – continue to enthrall audiences today. The Abba girls popularised the catsuit with bellbottom trousers, bell-shaped sleeves, a cincher belt and a zipper up the front, generally in silver and a contrasting colour like baby blue or peppermint pink. A variation on this look is the Dancing Queen mini dress in hues like magenta or aquamarine that are the visual equivalent of a pleasurable electrical shock.
The male members of Abba had their own special look with skintight trousers, platform shoes and a zip-up polyester shirt with an oversized collar.
Elton John
Elton John set new sartorial standards for 70s fancy dress during his hay day in that era. The essence of the Elton John look is the distinctive shag hair style, the crazy glasses and the platform shoes. Just about anything else will fly as long as you have those essentials. Our advice if you’re going to go for an Elton John-inspired jumpsuit, particularly if you aren’t going to have a chance to try it on beforehand? Buy it in two pieces rather than one, to make sure your naughty bits don’t dangle where they shouldn’t.
Cher
Cher took the flower child of the 1960s and gave it a glamourous twist. The result? A hippy in glitter! The Cher look is all about the long, straight hair and iconic bangs. Cher’s own hair, of course, was black, but you can do Cher with any hair colour from white to purple so long as you don’t forget the bangs. The outfit can be anything from a latex catsuit meant to simulate leather to gauzy harem pants, a matching midriff-revealing top and a long, trailing fish scale wrap.
These are just a few of the many great looks for 70s fancy dress. Let your imagination be your guide and you’ll be the hit of any party you go to.