A few days ago, I smelled a tea bag someone had. It had a familiar aroma. I thought for a moment and then it came to me. The tea bag reminded me of how our local head shop used to smell. I am not a marijuana smoker, but I frequented the Bullfrog head shop near my home in Shawnee, Kansas to buy records. The guy behind the counter had hair down to his shoulders and talked like a character out of a Cheech and Chong skit. The shop smelled of incense and candles. It was cluttered with beads, t-shirts, bongs, roach clips, shirts, hanging candles, and all sorts of stuff. Marijuana leaves were popular for jewelry and t-shirts. Anti-establishment slogans were also popular.
One thought led to another and I started thinking about the outrageous clothes we wore. The photo below is from 1976 and pretty tame compared to some of the other stuff I wore. Leisure suits were about to make a hit. I had already worn bright plaid bell bottom pants and platform shoes. The list below is pretty exhaustive as it relates to the 70's clothing style.
What new clothes were introduced during the 70s that you can think of? This is a list of all the clothing styles that were popular during the seventies.
• Angel Flight Suits
Coordinated disco suit with jacket, vest, and flared pants. Your shirt had to be a shiny satin with the large collar. • Angel Sleaved Blouses
Loose cut, oversized blouses with "bell bottom" sleeves. All Cotton. I bought my sister one during the height of disco and she never took it off, except to tan.
• Army Jackets
Actual olive-drab army jackets (which could be purchased at an Army/Navy store were very big at my high school, especially amongst the stoner males. They were frequently worn with ripped jeans or jeans that dragged on the ground.
• BASS Shoes
You mentioned GASS Shoes. These would have been a knock-down version of the more expensive BASS label. They looked a lot alike, but the BASS label was the sought after label of the time.
• Bamboo purses
The purse was in a square shape made out of vinyl with a drawstring top. Came in different colors, mostly tan, black, red. (Mine was red.) The outer base and side frames were huge brown bamboo rings. And the strap was made out of smaller brown bamboo rings interlinked together.
• Banana Jeans
Instead of the buckle in the front, it was in the back, right below the small of the back & they were very high waisted, usually denim.
• Bead Chokers
70's version was a bit cheapo looking compared to the chokers now, mostly because they were hand made. Small beads in a elastic cord and knotted so it became a tight necklace around the neck. Circa 1974-75
• Bell Bottoms
Denim tight at the top and baggy at the bottom
• Blue Jean Purses
Old blue jeans made into a purse. Cut off legs, sew up bottom use the extra leg material to make the strap, attach a button to close the purse embroider flower designs and add studs for decoration.
• Blue Jean overalls
Popular - at least in California. Standard overall design but not meant for working.
• Capris
Short cut off jeans about knee length
• Cheese cloth
Shirts, dresses, skirts anything was made from cheese cloth, it was crinkly so you didn't need to iron it. It used to shrink sometimes just on the first wash sometimes with every wash. If it was cream coloured you had to soak it in cold tea after washing to keep its colour.
• Chemin de fer Pants
Some looked like a chastity belt with 6 buttons on each hip..making a flap when unbuttoned. The other style had 4 buttons in the front and the top button was purposely not able to be buttoned...these had a buckle across the back of the pants...quite the statement back then.
• Clip-on Suspenders
Wide, at least two inch suspenders, generally with rainbows or anything way colorful. Silver cheap metal clips. Found first pair in 1974. In Alabama.
• Clogs
Sling-back shoes with a thick heel and sole, made of wood with leather or suede front straps and a metal buckle.
• Corduroy!
Originally known as the "poor man's velvet" on its invention in the 18th century, this fabric is made with the warp higher than the weft, producing an eye-catching look similar to velvet, but much, much cheaper. Corduroy enjoyed enormous popularity in 1970's men's clothes and was made into suits, blazers, leisure suits, shirts, and jeans ("cords"). Popular colors were various shades of tan and brown, burgundy, and bottle-green. I recall that a green, three-piece corduroy suit with flared trousers was one of my favorite formal items when I was a child. The fabric also appeared made into women's skirts, but on the whole it was thought of by designers as a men's material. Corduroy suffered greatly from its association with the 1970's - items made in this fabric vanished after 1981 and have been impossible to find until right now - Fall 2000.
• Crocheted Beer Can Hats
Labels of beer cans were cut into either squares or ovals, and crocheted together to form a hat.
• Dean's Sweaters
Usually cream background with a patterned yoke around the neck, 3-button closure at neck. Very popular with the preppy crowd.
• Denim Jeans Converted Into Skirts
Ripped out the inseam and stitched floral print material in the middle to make it a skirt
• Dingo Boots
About 1977 these were the craze, usually worn with *Gaucho pants( these were just below the knee and usually corduroy) Most of the boots had rubber souls.
• Dittos Jeans
These were the first must-have label jeans. They came in a large array of colors and styles with names like "Hi-rise". They were so popular (at least in southern California). After this, many other "label" jeans/clothing became popular. I would LOVE to get my hands on a pair of these. I keep trying e-bay and other sites.
• Down jackets & Vests
Big, puffy jacket. Made you look huge! Colors I remember were bright green, orange and blue. Nerd city, but tres cool back then! Mine was a cheap version!
• Earth Shoes
Ergonomically correct shoes in which the heels were lower than the front.
• English Flag Shirts
Shirt made with the English flag, Cool with the punk rocker crowd, worn only a short period of time but still part fo the 70s.
• Flame Bleached Jeans
We used to take these bell bottoms and a plant sprayer with bleach in it and make flames go up the sides from the bell bottoms. They were really cool.
• Fringed Suede Vest/Jacket
If you could afford one, a suede vest or jacket with long fringes around the middle and/or bottom made quite a fashion statement!
• Frye boots
Hideously ugly and expensive "cowboy" style boots worn by girls when I was in high school (mid 70s) Often worn with the equally hideous gauchos!
• GASS Brown Shoes
These were brown or different shades of brown leather shoes sold at Kinney shoe store, and had the GASS logo on the bottom (Great American Shoe Store), and we actually sat there and looked at people's bottoms of shoes to see if they were GASS or not!
• Gabardine Pants
Tight, usually corderoy pants that had a belt buckle in the front. Think John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever
• Glitter socks
These were knee-high socks with glitter. I had a pair in the late 70s that were blue striped with silver glitter.
• Goucho Pants
A coulotte type worn by high school girls that went below the knee, usually colorful, sort of a Mexican look. Usually worn with high leather boots that lace up. Early 70's look.
• Granny Gowns
These were long dresses worn mostly by pre-teen girls and most of them had a floral print design.
• Gypsy Tops (England)
A light cotton top, gathered at the neck line and bottom, bright colours. The string at the neck usually had little bells on the end. Worn with a matching midi-length skirt, elasticated waist with a tie cord and beels on to match the top, frilled at the bottom.
• HASH Jeans
HASH blue jeans where bell bottom and had a double-star design and the letters H.A.S.H. stiched in gold thread on the back right pocket. Many teenageres cut-off the pant legs to make shorts with frayed fringes. The shorter the better. I still have a pair that I got from a teenage neighbor for helping her clean her mom's kitchen so she could go out with her boyfriend.
• Halter Necks.
Bright halters or just plain black. Perfect worn with a wrap-around frilled jacket!
• Halter top
Thes shirts were like normal tanktops BUT went around your neck..they came in an array of colors but the glittery disco ball effect was the most popular.
• Hang Ten satin jackets
Pink, blue and maybe green. They were huge in the disco era ( late 70's). They had white and the jacket color stripes around the sleeves and the collar.
• High Waisted Baggy Pants
Slacks that came up nearly to the armpits, and usually had very narrow belt loops, so that you could only fit the requisite pencil-thin belt through them. Loose-legged, with large bell bottoms and huge cuffs. All different fabrics and colors, although plaid was a favorite. Always worn with platform shoes and usually a "midriff" top; a shirt or blouse that only came as low as the top of your trousers.
• Hip Huggers
How quickly we forget. Those bell bottoms with the "waistline" striking just below the belly button. Double front zippers were pretty fashionable,one on each side.
• Hotpants
Very short dressy shorts,usually plush velvet, with a wide,usually white ,belt,to match your white go-go boots.
• Jordache Jeans
Tight jeans, dark blue the best, actually ironing them was a good idea. Late 70's-very early 80's
• Leather Purses with Beaded Fringes
Leather purses resembling a pouch with a drawstring with fringes around the edges decorated with multicolored beads.
• Marshmellows
They were platform shoes, that had white laces and a thick (THICK) white "marshmellow" heel. They came in different colors (light blue, red, pick).
• Maxi Dresses
Full length dresses for parties, etc, like a bridesmaid's dress, worn with choker and crochet shawl, usually a fitted bodice and A-line skirt
• Mood Rings
A ring which was suppose to decribe what mood you were in by your body heat. Ex: Black= Bad Mood!
• Moon Boots
I think these were late 70s, early 80s: winter boots with platforms that look like something Neil Armstrong would wear, except for the colors -- mine had three or four different shades of bright blue, but they came in all colors.
• Narue Jacket
Navy blue double breasted type Jacket/with the big buttons very large pointed collar.
• Oxford Shoes
Oxford shoes made a comeback in the mid to late 70's. The style was to wear them with colored knee socks and jeans rolled up to slightly below the knee.
• Painters Pants
They came in white or baby blue...maybe more colors...a lot of pockets and a loop for hanging (a hammer?) something on the side of one leg....
• Patchwork
Patchwork jean, overalls, shirts, and skirts. sometimes denim, cotton or velvet.
• Peasant Skirt
A trendy knee-length skirt with a swinging movement. The most popular colors were black, white, beige, tawny, tan, pink, blue, red, purple, gray, burgundy( definately bungundy) and pea green.
• Petticoat
White cotton underskirt with broderie anglaise trimmed frill, worn under another skirt but longer and therefore visible. Also trend to trim hem of a skirt with similar decoration to simulate the sae effect. Lasted one season only in 1978
• Pin Striped Pants
Flared material pants with a fine vertical, single or double dotted line running through the pant. Usually in navy bllue or dark brown.
• Platform Shoes
Shoes with a sole of at least 6 or 7 inches high. Made you look taller than you really were.
• Platform boots
Completely different to platform shoes - came up to the calf and were lined with fur. Very comfy - cosy!
• Polyester Leisure Suit
That flashy gleam of synthetic, complete with wide lapels, top shirt-button undone to reveal just the right amount of of chest hair and gold chainage, accompanied by a strong whiff of Canoe. Think Warren Beatty in "Shampoo." This was the uniform of the 70s lothario.
• Pom-Poms
Pom-poms on sweaters on furry hats, maybe even on ponchos were present in the 70s.
• Poncho
A blanket like cloak with a hole in the middle for the head to go through. The patterns were based on American Indian styles, colourful or with alternating coloured stripes. Sometimes made with natural hand spun wool. Some came with tassles at the bottoms or pompons. They were long covering your thighs.
• Prism Necklace, Ring
These were usually in the form of a sphere,sparkled, multi-colored and very, very cool. They hung from a silver ( cheap lol) chain or were worn as a ring, also silver.
• Puka Shells
If you didn't have a set of Pukas (a choker) real or plastic you wern't from the 70s
• Ragcity Blues
We called them zip around pants because it had one one zipper going from one end to another. Another style this company mad were the tie up pants. They had bother ones that tied up in front and ones that were both .
• Rock Concert T-shirts
Ordinary t-shirts with a logo picture of a rock star or a rock band or trademark of rock band.
• Rugby Shirts
They were long sleeve shirts with horizontal wide stripes. They came in a variety of colors . But the most popular seemed to be alternating blue and yellow stripes.
• Safari Shirt
Womens taylored dress shirt with pointed collar,twin botton neck closure,patch pockets,2 botton sleeve all incorporating oversize bottons.Popular 1969 into the early 70's.
• Salt and Pepper Corduroy Pants
Black & white patterned corduroy pants worn at Catholic schools until 1976; available in stores until 1981. Also called 'partridge' print.
• Satin Jackets
They were usually in blue, pink, red, or green, and had stripes or just plain. They were similar to baseball jackets, very sporty, and very cool.
• Shellsuit
Like the racing car drivers suits. Shiny and lightweight in material usually pastel shades and very flattering. A zip had the full length at the front. More seductive if the zip came down to ceavage level.
• Shirt: Nat Charles/California
A shirt revealing black art; abstract drawings of faces surrounded by red, black and green colors. There was also white in all of the faces that seemed to represent the bright rays of a sun. There were words written underneath the images: "Right On", "Soul", "Jive", "Jive Man". But the shirt material was very sensative to daylight and had a tendacy to fade when worn under the sun.
• Sizzle Dress
Short button down dress and underneath matching short pants (elastic around the legs)similar to hotpants. Style was in fashion 71-72.
• Sizzler
Very short dress with matching panties. The dress was suppose to just short enough that you could see the bottom of the panties. I had a brown with with polka dot with a collar that was with with brown polka dots. The panty was the same color as the collar-white with brown polka dots.
• Soul Pipes
Trousers with cone-shaped pipes.
• Starsky Cardigan
As worn by Starsky on the TV cop show "Starsky and Hutch. A handknitted cardigan in a cream colour with a brown horizontal pattern banded around the middle.
• Tank Top
A sleeveless, usually with a low round or v neck, tight fitting jumper worn over a tight fitting shirt with long pointed collar.
• Tartan
the Scottish rock band the Bay City Rollers brought on a fashion for tartan garments that made high school look like the Highland Games for a seeason
• Tiddies
Multi layered sandals....with tubing for staps....started in Pasadena Texas I think....they were originally called something else, I can't recall what...but you could purchase them in your size, with as many layers as you wished. The more the squishier !! Then you could custom fit them by taking the tube fittings apart and shortening them if you needed to. The original logo escapes me as well, but they eventually went to Tiddies....with two, well...obviously...bosoms as the logo ! I never figured out why that was...but I suppose because they were soft and squishy
• Tie Dye
Any shirt or pants or any article of clothing that was put into a tub with colors and was streaked with multipule colors.
• Toe Socks
Socks with pockets for each one of your toes - usually in rainbow colors.
• Toes in Socks
These were a fashion disaster. The socks have toes in them like gloves, only each toe was a different color
• Toughskins
A SEARS brand of jeans that were reinforced at the knees and came in assorted colors. The POORMAN'S Levi's
• Track Shorts
Sports shorts that are really short, with double white stripes at the sides and tiny slits at the sides
• Treds (shoes)
I dont know if every country had these but here in Australia we had 'Treds'. I think that is how you would spell it. They were sort of sandals I suppose but the bottom sole was made out of old car tyres.
• Trench Coats
Coats that are 3/4 length with long sleeves, buttons at the front, two-front pockets, and a belt which ties around the coat.
• Tube Socks!
Don't forget the knee socks with the double row of red/blue/black stripes! Very sporty!
• Tube Top
Basiclly an elastic-like material worn as a top by women (particularly teen girls)it was worn without a bra and coverde the area from just above belly button to the top of the breast leavin midriff, top of back and shoulders bare and the breast prominantly displayed. I was a teenaged boy and during the summer we did nothing but admire the lovely females!
• Turner Shirt
This shirt is assorted with all different colours and lays as tight as possible on the chest. They were usually worn with trenchcoats to keep us warm in the village.
• Velour Windsheaters (Wind Breakers)
Velour tops in a range of single coloured, or ones with multiple coloured strips. Usually with ribbed round the neck line, ribbed at the end of the sleeves and at the bottom waist bend. They felt "very smooth" to touch.
• Waffle Stompers
These were boots (generally dark colored) with intricate waffle iron type soles on them
• Wallabies
They were these shoes that were very popular. The soles were rubbery and would sometimes seem to melt. They were tan and had a lace and two lace holes.
• Window Pane Jeans/ Satin Pants
Window pane jeans were the jeans that had 3x3 raised squares all over them, they only came in bell bottoms no pockets. satin pants to go with your satin jacket, mine had draw strings at the bottom so you could "cench" them together or just wear them flared.
• Wraparound Pants and Skirts
These were so popular in the mid 70's. The pants were made of cotton, in alot of different colors, and they were put on the back of your legs, then somehow wrapped around the front part, and then you tied them, the skirts just wrapped around from one side to the other.
• Yo-Yo's
Platform shoes w/holes in the middle of the soles!
Source: I forgot, but I didn't type this up myself.
Tuesday, March 8, 2005 at 12:01AM 
Another happy birthday to me. At this age, I feel fortunate to feel so well. Both of my parents and my two siblings are still living, AND we are still talking to each other. There have been many ups and a few downs in my 48 years, but as Henley says in his 