Retro Clothing Ideas
'Retro' is one word that has come to describe a diverse list of items from the variant fields of fashion, music and culture. Retro fashion and clothing styles are making a big comeback, with bags, hairstyles, and clothes from different eras, being used creatively by a number of designers nowadays. From classy cocktail dresses to bell bottoms, from psychedelic batik to gritty punk, a whole range of retro clothing ideas and designs are discussed here.
Styles Over the Ages
Nowadays, the term 'retro' connotes anything that is from the past and is a shift from the banal and expected. The styles vary from the short hairstyles and dresses of the twenties, to the glitter and flare of the 70s. Below is a simple classification of common styles in the past to help you get more ideas.
1920s: The 20s, a time of great social upheaval in the U.S. that saw a number of new styles emerging as a result of the economic boom. The most important factor in determining the fashion of the 20s was the empowerment of women in society and a change in their tastes as they became more independent and preferred new comfortable trends in clothing than before. Though this change took a little time to become popular, by the late 1920s a lot of women preferred skirts with receding hemlines and short hairstyles. A lot of them also started wearing sportswear and sweaters that were more comfortable and loose as opposed to earlier Victorian fashion and trends with constricting corsets and detailed crinolines and bustles. The men too started wearing more comfortable ensembles. For instance, the tuxedo and waistcoats were preferred over archaic formals such as the tailcoat. Sweaters and shorts also became popular. Cloche hats for women and top hats, flat caps and fedoras in men were an integral part of daily wear.
1930s - late 1940s: The 1930s saw a return to more conservative fashion in women with longer dresses that highlighted the feminine curves. Gloves were also an essential accessory of this period. Shoulder pads became quite common. Men usually wore "drape cut" suits and bold wide neckties. Casuals were preferred to sportswear.
1950s: The 1950s saw clothes being mass manufactured allowing even common folk a greater access to fashion. The women preferred to look smart and chic, and had tailored dresses that included pencil skirts, shirt dresses and halter-necked dresses. Children's clothing and maternity wear also became a part of fashion clothing due to the baby boom in the '50s. Men in the '50s wore lighter suits. Hats lost their popularity. Rock and roll icons such as Elvis made a huge impact on fifties fashion and inspired the use of tight trousers, leather jackets and gelled hair.
1960s: Hippie culture and fashion dominated major parts of the 60s. It was in this era that major revolutions in fashion trends including bikinis, mini skirts, bell bottomed jeans and fabrics with psychedelic prints including tie and dye and batik saw the light of day. Stilettos were introduced in this decade. Present day fashion, as is obvious, is hugely influenced by this era. Sleeveless dresses were also popular as hippie clothes during the '60s. Men preferred donning the casual attire and wore bell bottomed trousers and bright colorful shirts and t-shirts. The trends were generally unisex where both men and women wore similar clothes.
1970s: The early 1970s' fashion trends consisted of disco fashion including the use of three piece suits by men and flared trousers and tube tops in women. Platform heeled shoes had become quite the rage at that time. Common casual wear included baseball jerseys and tees. Tight jeans with flares were popular too. The later part of the 1970s saw the rise of the punk culture which included the use of spike hairstyles, studs and leather jackets and skirts and a sense of customization with minimum resources, in an effort to defy the accepted norms of popular culture to shock or offend people.
1980s: In the 1980s emerged the miniskirts and shoulder pads for women and colorful t-shirts and Hawaiian motif shirts with trendy suits for men. The impact of television in the 1980s cannot be denied and a lot of the 80s' clothing trends were inspired from popular television sitcoms and music videos on MTV featuring artists such as Madonna and Michael Jackson.
Today's Retro Clothing
For Women
There are a number of ideas available for women who would like to create and wear retro clothing and look stylish in them too. You could first choose what type of look you are going for. Some of the ideas you could try are:
- The 20s' Look: For a 20s' look you could try low waist dresses, preferably of knee length with a short hairstyle such as a bob cut. Complete the look with a cloche hat.
- The Late '60s San Francisco Look: This is a common and easy look to create. All you need is a colorful long sleeves shirt with psychedelic prints, bell bottomed jeans, sandals or bare feet work fine, a colorful headband and don't forget to wear some flowers in your hair.
- The '70s Glam Rock Look: To get the best '70s glam rock look include a glittery crop top with high-waisted jeans or trousers and platform heeled shoes. Glitter is in and the more shiny the make up, the better.
Given here are some ideas for retro costumes for men's fashion:
- Suave Gentleman of the 1930s Look: This look is all about the aristocratic suits with the London 'drape cut', that uses a lot of padding for the chest and shoulders making them look bigger. Also there are wider lapels. Couple this suit with a large necktie and if you want to, a fedora hat, which would complete the look.
- The Sleek 'Greaser' Look: This is a pretty simple look to create and is just like John Travolta's look in the cult classic Grease. It includes wearing a leather jacket with a tight fitting tee shirt and tight jeans. An important part of this look is the well 'greased' hair, that is associated with 'greasers'. Inspired from icons such as Elvis and James Dean.
- The 80s' Metal Head Look: The late 1980s saw a growth in popularity of metal bands, giving rise to heavy metal fashion, including ripped jeans and t-shirts, which were inspired from earlier punk acts of the '70s. Acid washed denim jackets with sunglasses can be added to help create this look. Keep hair as puffed up and messy as possible for this look.
