By Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com
This set of pages looks at pictures of fashion designs from a 1977 dressmaking magazine. The 1970s thumbnail pictures below in the main chart all enlarge to A4 size when printed.
These 1970s images are taken from a 1977 dressmaking pattern magazine of unbranded dressmaking patterns from a weekly paper of the era.
The fashions are typical of the early to mid-seventies rather than of 1977 as the magazine was aimed at Ms. Average rather than Mrs Super High Fashion. They are very suitable as reference for theatre use for fashions from 1970 to 1977.
The 1977 images above reflect the fullness of skirts of the mid-seventies. These were often made from 4 panels based on a circle.
Notice that on these three pages of pattern pictures, there is not one straight skirt line among these patterns. The only way you would see a straighter skirt was as a long empire-line maxi dress. The mini skirt/dress of the 1970s was A-line or fuller.
Anyone who goes to a 1970s fancy dress party wearing a straight-line 1990s mini skirt style has missed the point. The 1960s and 1970s mini skirts were all cut with flare and A-shaped. 1970s skirts were A-line, flared princess seamed or based on a circle with a flip. The A-line was achieved by cutting extra flare on the side panels or building into princess seams.
Princess skirts with inset waistbands were a feature of dresses around 1975. Waistcoat variations were also very fashionable that year too. Very simple easy jersey knit fabrics were used to create flowing jackets.
Sundresses like these with a yoked neck or square neckline bodice were fuelled by the urge to get a tan.
The flare in this rust coat is exactly how I recall coats of the 1970s.
The seventies saw ordinary women wearing long maxi dresses one evening and a mini dress the next. The cerise long dress is almost identical to an evening dress I made for my mother in 1974/5. High necklines were popular on evening wear.
These are dresses and jumpsuits are just like the ones my nieces wore through the 1970s.
For a detailed analysis of the 1970s read the 1970s fashion history page.
Page Added 30 April 2006
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