I recently (begrudgingly) accepted the invitation from my sister to shop at a local mall. Between the uptick in mall-related violence and the prevailing hatred I had for inflated prices, it wasn’t something that particularly thrilled me at the idea. Instead of completely dragging myself through the place, we were both impressed to find many semblances to an era before us both speckling store windows with all sorts of vibrant patterns and funky garments.
We were impressed store after store by 1970s throwbacks and a carefree theme that took over the entire lot of shops. Bellbottoms, platform sandals, crop tops, crochet granny square blouses and fringe, mini dresses, psychedelic print polyester pants, bandeaus, bandanas, and embroidered patchwork jeans: oh my!
It was almost like a groovy time warp situation. Never in a million years would a millennial expect to see high rise bellbottoms be en vogue again, let alone be found on a mannequin of a name-brand store with a crochet super-cropped crop top with a bow between the boobs. Despite having appreciation for dressing like a hippie on weekends and warm-weather days, it doesn’t seem like most of these trends have yet permeated the surface of the workforce. Usually we try to make these posts uplifting and supportive of retro trends, but it may require some tweaking. Let’s keep in mind, as a young-ish woman in a rather liberal field of work, it shouldn’t be an issue to wear flamboyant things on the clock. Here’s a few things to consider in an effort to mainstream the groovy 70s looks again.
The material of the clothing in question is often seersucker (polyester) and lighter colors tend to overshare your underwear. If you want a solid wide bellbottom, you’ll likely be stuck paying for a thicker material. Regarding feminine blouses at least, same thing goes- it’s difficult to justify a barely-there crochet top with a very bare midriff in a professional setting. Layer up or try something over another modest shirt..? It’s always a challenging balance to strike between being a professional and wanting to be a flowery hippie princess.
Some stores participating in the Woodstock groovy revival include but are not limited to: Cotton On, Macy’s, PacSun, Garage, Aerie, Aeropostale, Hollister, and Forever21. There are also a variety of online resources if you want to avoid the crowds: ModCloth, UV, Etsy. Shein, and similar affiliates.
Ready to get your groove back?
Retro Curious Rebellious: The Revival 