Vintage Swimsuit Inspiration - 1973

Dots and stripes.  Didn't Barbie have a striped suit like the one on the right?  You can see from today's photos how lycra changed swimwear dramatically.  Both suits by Ungaro Parallele.

Strategically placed cut-out, bracelets, and fabulous sunglasses!  Suit by Nautic
.

Simple black halter suit with a low low low-cut back.  The only accent needed is long straight hair.  Silhouette.
 

Twiggy wears a barely there hand knitted string bikini.  You can just see the openwork knitting on the top.  These teeny handmade bikinis were hugely popular in the early 70s.  Twiggy wears hers with a black wig.

Set off a simple black bikini with a printed head scarf worn around the head and then wrapped and tied at the neck.  Pierre Cardin Diffusion.

Evening Gowns, 1973

My love affair with the 70s continues.  Today, evening gowns from 1973.  Which one makes your heart beat a bit faster?

Lew Prince for Aldrich silk floral

Gina Fratini

Jean Muir

Galitzine

John Bates for Jean Varon

Bill Gibb

A 70s Moment

Kasper for Joan Leslie, 1973

Fashion designers are having a 1970s moment and there was lots of inspiration from the decade on the runways for fall.  I also find myself having a 70s moment and these looks excite me right now.  But there's a catch.  A major portion of the clothing that was produced in the 1970s was made from synthetic fabrics: polyester, nylon, orlon and acetate.  Even high end designers used them. 

Left:  Mary Ann Restivo ivory boucle cardigan and skirt, both sythetic.
Right:  Sibley-Coffee white wool jersey cardigan and skirt.

 Left:  Ole Borden for Rembrandt acetate cream blouson jacket worn over a silk print dress.
Right:  Leslie Fay 3 piece outfit: knit cardigan, polka dot blouse, and brown skirt, all in acetate.

 John Anthony silk blouse worn with Quiana nylon jacket and skirt.

Left:  Herald House knit sweater dress with matching cardigan, all in Orlon.
Right:  Clovis Ruffin 3 piece outfit, bolero jacket, t-shirt, and skirt.  Skirt is wool, other pieces are polyester.

See what I mean?  Lots of synthetics.  What about you?  Will you be wearing 70s looks for fall?  All looks shown from Spring, 1973.

New York Fashion - 1973

You can clearly see here the inspiration for recent runway looks by many designers.  Will you be adding 1970s inspired looks to your wardrobe?  Or will you choose to wear the originals that are now vintage?  Here, fashion out of New York, 1973. 

Oscar de la Renta silk blouse, wool pants and fluffy alpaca cardigan coat, all in pink.  Worn with a long scarf, a pink cloche hat and Herbert Levine platform shoes.

Christian Aujard cream silk trenchcoat, blouse and pants.  Sold for $220 in 1973 (about $1,695 in today's dollar.)  Check out that huge Bottega Veneta clutch purse and the fedora hat by Don Marshall.

Beverly Johnson models a green and white spiral striped acrylic sweater with white polyester pants by Giorgini.  Sold for $98 in 1973 (about $488 in today's dollar.)  Love the Charles Jourdan green and white spectator shoes!

Bill Blass Blassport cotton poplin trench coat and glen plaid pants worn with a Bottega Veneta shetland wool sweater.  Sold for $220 in 1973 (about $1,097 in today's dollar.)

Lauren Hutton wears an Oscar de la Renta vanilla wool suit with a white crepe de Chine blouse.  Sold for $445 in 1973 (about $2,218 in today's dollar.)

The Chignon, 1973

Beginning in the late 1960s and right on into the 70s, every young woman wanted long straight hair. And for evening, the classic chignon hairstyle was a favorite option. There were some wonderful hair accessories available to make a basic chignon even more special. All examples shown are from 1973. Above, a swirled bun-cover.

Here, the chignon is accented with another loop of hair at the back of the neck.

A metal barrette is attached to the top of the chignon.

A fun enameled brooch is used to decorate the hair.

Here a loose chignon is held in place with chopsticks.

If you have long hair, how do you dress it up for evening?

Photos by Patrick Bertand.

Serge Lutens for Christian Dior - 1973

Between the comments here and on Facebook, we had guesses from every decade between the 1920s and 2010 except the 1940s. And Benjamin made an interesting point about the ban on tobacco advertising in 1971 in the US, but this image was published in a French magazine! The decade that got the most guesses was the correct one. This image is from 1973.

In 1973, Serge Lutens designed this look for a series of French advertisements for Christian Dior cosmetics. The ads were entitled, "Les Aventureux de Dior", which translates to "The Adventurous (or Daring) Ones of Dior". The cosmetics, created by Lutens, included smoky eye colors and deep, dark red shades for lips and nails. Angelica Huston, who worked with Lutens in the 1970s, is quoted as saying that it usually took him 4 hours or more to create a look like this on a model's face.

Serge Lutens was born in 1942 in Lille, France. He experimented with makeup and photography as a teen, using his friends as models. In 1962, Lutens moved to Paris and was hired by Vogue magazine to do hair and makeup styling for photo shoots. It was there that he had the opportunity to work with Richard Avedon and Irving Penn. Christian Dior hired Lutens to create a cosmetics line in 1968.

The Dior cosmetics line has become one of the most successful in the world. It was Serge Lutens' styling and photography for the advertisements that helped propel sales in the 1970s. In 1980, Lutens left Dior to work for Shiseido Cosmetics, and he worked the same magic for that company through memorable advertising images.

For "Les Aventureux", Lutens used 1920s style gamine hairdos with very strong eyes and a bold red bow mouth. I find the images arresting and haunting. This isn't makeup. This is art.

In this video, you can watch Lutens at work creating the makeup look for the photo shoot.

Sleek and Supple Jersey Dresses - 1973

The use of knit fabrics in clothing experienced a surge in popularity starting in the late 1960s. Couture designers preferred to work with knits in natural fibers, such as silk and rayon, but synthetic knits in polyester and nylon were also very popular with consumers. There's nothing quite like the fluid and graceful movement of a soft knit as it hugs your body. Here, some examples of supple, sultry, and slinky jersey knit evening dresses from 1973.

Yves St. Laurent rayon jersey

Bill Blass

Halston silk and rayon matte jersey

Morty Sussman for Mollie Parnis Boutique orlon jersey

Shannon Rogers for Jerry Silverman dacron jersey

Photos by Bob Richardson for Bazaar except #2 which is an ad from the same magazine.

Going Braless - 1973

One would think by looking at an issue of Vogue from 1973, that we women let it all hang out. I can remember going without a bra when wearing a darker colored shirt or sweater that didn't allow things to show through, but I never wore my blouses unbuttoned to the waist. And I didn't go braless when wearing t-shirts or other garments made from thinner fabrics. While these photos are titillating, they don't represent the everyday woman of the time, but that is often true of images in Vogue.

St. Laurent Rive Gauche pink silk crepe de chine blouse, unbuttoned and untied. Sold for $135 in 1973 (about $693 in today's dollar).

St. Laurent Rive Gauche black silk jersey blouse, unbuttoned, and skirt. Set sold for $355 in 1973 (about $1822 in today's dollar).

Missoni rayon knit blouse, unbuttoned, with elastic waist was available in white or navy.

Black poly/rayon crepe tunic, unbuttoned, and wide leg pant pyjama by Leonard Fashion. Set sold for $300 in 1973 (about $1540 in today's dollar).

Blassport black wool gabardine one-button suit worn with nothing underneath. Sold for $200 in 1973 (about $1027 in today's dollar).