A 70s party is a fun theme that many individuals choose for all kinds of events, including bachelor and bachelorette parties, friend get-togethers, and birthdays. The 70s is a groovy decade with plenty of distinctive styles and outfits to choose from, so dressing for your next 70s party might feel a little overwhelming if you aren’t sure where to start.
Our article gives you tips and inspiration for how to dress when it comes to representing the 70s with your outfit.
What to Expect From a 70s Party
Parties that are 70s-themed typically pick the most distinctive themes and recognizable items from this decade. You can expect to see disco balls, strobe lights, groovy designs, and bright orange and yellow colors plastered on every surface. Bell bottoms, plenty of flowers, hippie themes, and everything retro are also popular choices for a 70s party.
If your party’s host decides to go an extra step, you may see 70s-themed food. This might include deviled eggs, black forest cake, cheese balls, sliders, and other food items that were popular during this decade.
How Do I Dress for a 70s Party?
Dressing for a 70s party can be confusing, especially if you have never crafted an outfit for this theme before. Fortunately, many of the outfits popular in the 70s are fairly distinctive and easy to put together. Bell bottoms, bright colors, bold patterns, platform shoes, scarves, and vests are all notable clothing items that you could wear.
Below, we give examples of outfits you could wear to a 70s party – these outfits may be suitable for men, women, or individuals who prefer a more gender-neutral appearance.
- Hot pants, bell bottom pants, corduroy pants, jeans with a flare, and tracksuits (polyester for the most authentic look).
- Tighter t-shirts that have big lapels, shirts with deep V-necks, tie-dye shirts, shirts with flared sleeves, flowy hippie-style shirts, and shirts with bold patterns and peace signs. Clothing featuring fringe was also super popular, which you can often find on 70s-influenced cocktail dresses
- Sparkly boots or shoes, platform shoes, or even roller skates if you’re feeling confident (don’t wear roller skates indoors if your host is not okay with this).
- Jumpsuits, including sparkly jumpsuits, brightly colored jumpsuits, or jumpsuits with sequins.
- Complete your outfit with long, straight hair, feathered hair, or a colorful wig that shows off your bright style.
- Utilize long bright socks and bright gold jewelry, headbands, sunglasses, mood rings, bright scarves, and plenty of peace sign necklaces or sparkly accessories to finish off your 70s look.
You can mix and match our suggestions above to craft an outfit that fits your personal style and helps you look your 70s best.
Where Can I Find 70s Outfits?
Fortunately, everything retro is coming back into style these days. This means that you can easily find items like bold, patterned, and brightly colored shirts and bell-bottom pants at local stores.
Shopping online or in malls for these items is helpful. You can visit a costume website if you really need to find specific elements of a 70s outfit that you can’t get elsewhere, like a colorful wig.
Costume jewelry and regular jewelry with peace signs, large sunglasses, and other accessories can all be found in local stores, or you may be able to purchase these items online.
FAQs About 70s Parties
70s parties can be confusing if you have never attended one before. We give you essential answers to frequently asked questions about 70s parties so you are totally informed before you attend your next event.
Do I Need to Dress on Theme for a 70s Party?
Most of the time, when people throw 70s parties, they are hoping for everyone to dress on theme. This is part of what makes a 70s party so fun and interesting.
If you have concerns about your 70s outfit or you really aren’t sure what to wear, check any dress code requirements ahead of the party and speak to the host of the party. They can advise you on the best thing to do in terms of dress code and matching the 70s theme.
And remember, if you’re shy about the 70s theme and don’t want to go all out, you can simply put on a bright tie-dye shirt and a pair of bell-bottom pants. These simple outfits are easily available and fit all gender identities, so you don’t need to stress too much about your 70s outfit.
How Do I Find the Right 70s Style?
There are plenty of iconic styles from the 70s and you might be wondering what the best style for you is.
We recommend doing your research on 70s styles by watching popular TV shows and movies from the 70s to gain some inspiration. Popular 70s shows include Happy Days, All in the Family, and Charlie’s Angels, but feel free to go with whatever speaks to you aesthetically.
You can also look to popular style icons in the 70s to gain some inspiration from their outfits. Popular celebrities of the time period include Burt Reynolds, John Travolta, Farah Fawcett, and Diana Ross.
What Accessories Can I Wear With My 70s Outfit?
Your 70s outfit can be complemented by a number of different accessories, and you may want to capture a more disco look or a more hippie look.
We recommend costume jewelry for bold and bright styles such as peace sign necklaces and beaded necklaces. You can wear headbands, beads in your hair, feathers, and tie-dye items in addition to scarves, large sunglasses, and chunky belts. Everything metallic, brightly colored, boldly patterned, and glittery is a popular option for 70s accessories.
How Should I Do My Makeup for a 70s Party?
Your 70s makeup should complement your outfit and you can do some research on popular 70s makeup styles online to figure out which direction you want to take with your makeup.
We suggest bold, bright, and metallic or glittery colors for eyeshadow. You may want to take your outfit an extra step and use body glitter to get that disco ball effect while dancing the night away.
Dressing Your 70s Best
Attending a 70s party is fun for everyone, and picking your 70s outfit is part of the enjoyment of this type of party. Take inspiration from popular celebrities and the iconic outfits of the 70s. Then, you can craft your perfect 70s outfit with bright colors, bold patterns, bell-bottom pants, and flared sleeves before dancing the night away to disco music.