Other Retro clothing includes a whole range of trousers, such as corduroy flares and flared denims, bell bottoms, hipsters and Oxford bags and these are all available for both men and women. Men can also wear Hawaiian shirts, frilly tuxedo shirts, tank tops and denim waistcoats. Girls can choose from a wide range of mini dresses, mini skirts, halter-neck tops, jump suits and hot pants. Dressing up in replicas of the outrageous costumes made famous in the 70s by pop stars such as Marc Bolan, Noddy Holder and Alvin Stardust is great fun for the guys. For girls, you could dress as the Abba singers Anni-Frid and Agnetha, or as members of the dance troupe Pan’s People.

When people first started holding 70s parties back in the 1980s, it was difficult to source authentic seventies fancy dress costumes, so it was necessary to either scour the second-hand shops or make them all from scratch. These days, fortunately, it’s a lot easier as you can pick up some real bargains from eBay or buy top quality fancy dress costumes from online stores. Not only are there loads of outfits to choose from, such as hot pants complete with Gogo boots, but also many are available in different sizes and colours too. In addition, plus sizes are catered for, so it is possible for everyone to find a great costume to wear and join in the fun. It is also possible to hire a costume, such as a jump suit complete with colourful Gogo boots with platform heels, but in view of the price you’re likely to pay, it makes more sense to buy your outfit and then either sell it on eBay or build up a good themed “retro” fancy dress wardrobe ready for the next party.

As we are all aware, fashion is very transient. It is constantly changing and coming up with fresh new ideas. However, it is also very dependent on previous styles. 70s costumes and accessories are very much back at the forefront of fashion at the moment. Even the images of many of today’s biggest rock bands are heavily based around 70s costumes and their music has made a very noticeable return to the guitar based sound that was so popular thirty-odd years ago. Think about groups like Kasabian, Doves and Muse and then compare them with some of the big names of the 1970s such as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, David Bowie and Marc Bolan. There are enormous similarities both with their outfits and their overall sound.

Fashion affects so many different areas of our lives. Some of these are things that are obvious to us all whilst others remained unnoticed for a lot of the time.

Another area to be very influenced by the Retro feel is cinema. You won’t have to think for too long before you realise just how much. We have had a huge amount of remakes in recent years. Some of these are even still set in the time of the original movie, putting actors of today into 70s costumes. If you took away all of the films of the last five years or so that were remakes of 1970s pictures then you would be left with a lot less to watch. Admittedly, it was a time in cinema that was rich in very good quality films. Remember such classics as ‘Get Carter’, ‘The Omen’ and ‘The Omega Man’ - all of which have recently been remade.

Television also had some real gems to offer. Those of us who are old enough to look back on the programmes usually do so with great fondness. There always seemed to be something good to watch on the television back then; whether it was comedy, drama or science fiction. In fact many of those programmes have also been made into feature films as well.

Have a look at the celebrities of today and what they are wearing. So many of them are dressed in 70s costumes that you could be forgiven for thinking that the time machine had finally been invented.

Basically, fashion has gone full circle. Back in the 80s and 90s you would be hard pushed to find anyone wearing ‘bell bottoms’, flowery shirts or ‘loon pants’. How things change. Suddenly it is not just acceptable to dress in 70s costumes but it is actually cool again.

So, have a hunt around in your local charity shop and on the internet. There are plenty of online businesses that specialise in nothing but 70s costumes.

One last thing that is worth remembering… don’t go getting rid of any of your present day clothes as you can be sure that as soon as your children are old enough to wear them they will probably be totally ‘hip’.