The 1970s was the decade for the woman, capital W. As women’s liberation marched on (in 1970 more than 50,000 people participated in the first women’s equality march, the Women’s Strike for Equality, in New York City), the way women dressed also embraced a bold new course. The fashion of the 1970s also put the female body on show like never before.
Clothes were soft and clingy and worshipped the figure in its natural form, with much of it requiring little to no structure from undergarments. She was liberated! She wore the pants—literally! Pants, suiting, and—by the late 1970s, anyway— designer denim all became fully acceptable for just about any situation. Though bold, 1970s fashion also possessed a featherweight touch.
Metallics reigned but were subtle in Lurex and soft coppery tones; color was ever present but leaned toward sherbert hues—no neon just yet! It was an era of easy-on, easy-off fashions for the disco and jumbo jet. In Vogue ’s January 1970 issue, an article looked ahead at the new decade, decreeing the fashionable verdict: “Shawls, capes, ponchos—anything that can be wrapped, strapped, or rolled around the body is home free in every way.” By 1974, Vogue reached a milestone.
For the August 1974 issue, Beverly Johnson made history as the first Black woman to grace a cover of Vogue. At the start of the decade, hippie culture still had a hold on fashion. While some embraced the folksy spirit of the movement with thrifted pieces and ethnic garb,.
