Vintage photos that show why the 1970s men’s fashion should never come back

Day 5,169, 09:02 • Published in Armenia Armenia • by Clark.Kent


Every decade has a reputation and leaves a legacy for future generations. The 1950s were cool because of Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, classy cars, and the economic boom. The 1960s had counter-cultural stuff with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and, obviously, a lot of drugs.

But the 1970s? That decade still had the music, the sex, and the drugs, but those came with ugly hair, bell bottoms, weird color combinations, big collars, strange fashion senses. None of that was cool. Especially men’s fashion, it was all ugly.

The 1970s men’s fashion shown through these vintage photos is so ugly and disastrous. Men’s clothing made from shiny spandex, hip-hugging bell-bottom pants, unmanaged chest hair, bright leisure suits, skimpy short shorts, and questionable underwear choices.

This decade created the shortest of shorts, including some that looked like the guy forgot to wear a pair of pants. And one of the strangest fads of the 1970s was making clothing out of strange (and sometimes uncomfortable) fabrics. Who thought about wearing vinyl as a jumpsuit?



People were not shy to wear bold and daring outfits. Most of them incorporated eye-catching colors and patterns, a silhouette that was tight up top and loose down the bottom, and interesting textures, such as satin, suede, and corduroy.

Essential items for the decade included bell-bottom and wide-leg pants, platform shoes, vests, long collared shirts, tight tees, turtleneck sweaters, and leisure suits amongst many others.

The color was another aspect of this decade’s fashion. Even simple styles were made to look bold with bright colors. The striking hues, which included yellow, orange, blue, pink, red, purple, and green were utilized across almost all fashion groups. By incorporating bright colors in their outfits, gents were simultaneously able to stand out and fit in.

After seeing these pictures, you’ll be relieved that these trends died out as. But there’s a question begging for an answer: “What were they thinking?”. These are some appalling choices that even the designers themselves cannot defend.

Luckily, many of the trends during the 1970s became some of the most unflattering and disliked fashion trends of all time. While often modern designers have drawn on looks from the past to create today’s fashions, it would be somewhat surprising to see current designers draw on anything from these unappealing men’s fashion trends from the 1970s.