Daisy Jones & The Six: The styles that ruled the 1970s, and how to wear them now
A new Amazon series is taking us back to the time of disco, tie-dye and feathered hair. To mark the release, we take a look at the sartorial styles of the ‘70s…
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Today, the latest miniseries to eat up our Friday nights drops: Daisy Jones & The Six. The ten-part show takes us back to 1977, when the fictional titular band is on the brink of becoming the biggest in the world. Then, after selling out a show at Chicago’s Soldier Field, they call it quits with no warning. When we meet Daisy Jones & The Six, the members have agreed to reveal what happened in a documentary filmed decades after the event.
Based on the book of the same name (which author Taylor Jenkins Reid has said was inspired by watching Fleetwood Mac on TV while growing up), Daisy Jones & The Six promises a nostalgic jaunt to the heady world of the 1970s, when the rockstar reigned supreme. Expect camper vans, perms, and a healthy dose of fashion inspo.
The ‘70s have been having a revival on runways for a while now. In the grand scheme of things, it was a good decade for fashion (certainly better than its successor, the ‘80s) – you can’t go wrong with a flared jeans/floaty blouse/platform wedges silhouette. Brands like Etro, Zimmermann and Pucci have hinged their entire aesthetic on groovy, ’70s-inspired prints. So, in honour of the timeless styles that the decade gave us, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite looks to help you embody this brand of Janis Joplin-cool.
Boho
The hippie movement, and its fashion, was raging on in the ‘70s, albeit it having evolved into something more subdued than the psychedelics-fuelled style of ‘flower power’ proponents. The likes of Ali MacGraw and Jane Fonda immortalised bohemian style, but no one will ever do it better than Stevie Nicks.
Rixo dress, £325, net-a-porter.com; Chloe bag, £810, matchesfashion.com
Brown
If you had to create a colour palette for the 1970s, it would probably be a winning combination of mustard yellow and brown. It was as though the whole decade was engulfed in a hazy sepia, and nothing said ‘beatnik flower-child’ like a suede or corduroy jacket slung over a peasant-style blouse.
Rixo coat, £585, rixolondon.com; Rixo jacket, £350, rixolondon.com
Flares
Flares – otherwise known as bell bottoms (for when they just aren’t wide enough) – were one of the decade’s most distinctive looks. Flares were a signature of Mary Quant’s, while bands like ABBA and Slade brought them into the mainstream, as did John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever (possibly the most ‘70s thing to come out of the ‘70s).
Acne Studios trousers, £350, farfetch.com; Mother jeans, £270, net-a-porter.com
Headscarves
Six words: Jackie O on holiday in Capri. The former First Lady demonstrated the power of the scarf, but the style wasn’t just for minimalists. A paisley bandana was an essential addition to your boho getup, just as the Studio 54 days saw patrons pairing glamorous jumpsuits with sparkly turbans (cultural appropriation wasn’t a thing back then, clearly).
Saint Laurent scarf, £325, ysl.com; Gucci scarf, £160, net-a-porter.com
Jumpsuits
The jumpsuit’s origin as a blue-collar uniform was turned on its head when designers like Halston began incorporating them into their designs. We know that Cher loved an all-in-one, but the likes of Farah Fawcett and Olivia Newton-John weren’t averse, either.
Caroline Constas jumpsuit, £705, net-a-porter.com; Jenny Packham jumpsuit, £2,675, net-a-porter.com
Mini dresses
In the 1960s, mini skirts and dresses were revolutionary; in the ‘70s, they were a staple. While Mod styles à la Twiggy were still around, the ‘70s penchant for the bohemian produced freer-flowing creations as worn by Goldie Hawn and Raquel Welch.
La DoubleJ dress, £650, ladoublej.com; Taller Marmo dress, £1,340, net-a-porter.com
Platforms
Of all the styles to come out of the ‘70s, the decade is (perhaps unfairly) most often tarred with the brush of disco. Ostensibly, disco = dancing, and in order to dance all night you needed something more practical than stilettos. That said, the craze for (very high) platforms was as much for men as it was women, and it didn’t stop at the Bee Gees. David Bowie, Marvin Gaye, Kiss et al loved a heel.
Russell & Bromley boots, £475, russellandbromley.co.uk; Versace pumps, £1,100, versace.com
Prints
From floral to psychedelic, when it came to prints in the ‘70s, it was the busier the better. They ranged from the casual, all-American style of The Brady Bunch to the motif-heavy creations of Diane von Furstenberg. Even Princess Anne didn’t shy away from patterns in the ‘70s, resulting in some fantastic outfits.
Marni jumper, £632, farfetch.com; House of Sunny bag, £165, endclothing.com; Pucci dress, £1,380, net-a-porter.com
Sunglasses
In the ‘70s, sunglasses were big, literally. One of the biggest advocates for the tinted look was feminist activist Gloria Steinem, who was rarely seen without her signature aviators.
Chloe sunglasses, £255, net-a-porter.com; Gucci sunglasses, £280, farfetch.com
