Bell Bottom Blues

by Pam Ripling

Whether you participated in, slept through it or weren't even born yet, the 1970's happened and there's no refuting the mark they made on fashion. The sixties set up the trends with permissive, bold, "free" design that evolved with the help of a fun-loving media and a daring entertainment industry.

Paisley. Hot pink and orange. Loud anything, sparkles, tight fitting. Think John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever (1977). Goldie Hawn in Rowen and Martin's Laugh In (1968 – 73). Below, she is with Monkees Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz, sporting his own rather eye-catching garb. Platform shoes and disco boots came into their own. Glam rockers made it okay for men to wear shiny metallic spandex jumpsuits and makeup. Unisex garb raged, too. How about hot pants? Bell-bottoms or flaired pants peaked in the mid-70's.

Me? I was just a kid, but I loved the bells and the crop-tops. My favorite fashion faux pas was a brown velveteen hat with a green feather on the side, shaped similar to Robin Hood's famous chapeau. My BFF and I both had this hat, and we wore them everywhere. Our trademark, so to speak. Wish I had a photo.

Some things have not changed. Underground fashion icons of TV's The Mod Squad (1968 – 73) would not look out of place today, really, with the possible exception of Linc's (Clarence Williams III) fabulous Afro. Julie's (Peggy Lipton) long hair is timeless, as are Linc's and Pete's (Michael Cole) classic Levi's. Not sure about the necklaces, though.

Pam Ripling is the author of middle-grade mystery, LOCKER SHOCK! Buy it at Quake, Fictionwise or Amazon today! E-book version now available for your Kindle! Visit Pam at www.BeaconStreetBooks.com.