page 8 fathom friday, november 30, 1979
70s fashion falls between army and birthday suit
By Gail Stork
'esiener Rudi liernreicn's lasruon
show of the future must have given the
fashion-conscious folks of 1970 quite a
shock. While they were wearing miniskirts
and army fatigues, Gernreich predicted "a
time for physical display, nudity and bald
ness "
But just because his hairless, topless,
belted bikini look hasnt hit the fashion
market this decade, doesn't mean his pre
dictions weren't on target, according to
' Mary Byington, designer ard consultant for
Wren Circle Clothing Consulting and
Design,
She said Gernreich's ideas of body
orientation and unisex looks are exactly
what we've seen in the 70s with jogging
and sports clothes and in the tailored suit
for women.
You can't get much more body oriented
than nudity, but the designs of the 70s
settled for enhancing the bodyr
Robert Hillestad, UNL professor of
clothing, textiles and design, said fashion in
the 70s became an individual reflection,
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rather than portraying social statements of
the 60s.
HE SAID the ungroomed, negligence
theme of the 60s expressed the innovative,
reactionary, anything-to-be-different
mood, Now the body is a factor and the
goal is "to present oneself according to
ones' best assets," " .
Byington designated the 70s as ''a
"decade of copying " citing the retro look,
the return to fashion of the 40s and 50s,
Laria Hovey, co-owner of Porter's Pos
sessions, also characterized the 70s as low
key in the change department.
"There wasn't a big revolution like in
the 60s with the miniskirt, The 70s seemed
so long, there were so many looks. guess
clothes stayed in style longer in the 70s."
Now that we're on the threshold of the
80s, it's prediction time again, According
to these fashion authorities, social condi
tions are back in the driver's seat, with
economy, not special protest navigating,
With inflation leaving little left over
for frivolous fashion, conservative styles
and quality construction will be in
demand, Byington said,
"I'm looking forward to a resurgence of
craftsmanship," she said, advocating for
women well-fitted versatile suits that will
last for years,
HILLESTAD SAID emphasis will be on
developing more combinations for a mini-
mum amount of clothing,
"In good times people just buy without
trying to maximize the good they get from
their clothes," but consumers now are
looking for more mileage from purchases,
"because they don't know how long they'll
be wearing it,"
"I expect an increasing receptivity to
clothing that really means something," He
said clothing was abused in the early 70s
but now "is recognized as a very important
communication as to who one is or where
one wants to go-socially or professional
ly," ,
Byington said the energy problem also
will affect fashion, It signals the beginning
of the end of polyester, a petroleum pro
duct, . The trend will be to more natural fibers
and synthetics that aren't polyester, Pro
gress has been made in. making the new
fibers easier to care for to keep the follow
ing of the wash-and-wear generation, she
said, '
Hemlines are about as unpredictable as
politics and fluctuate with the economy,
usually getting shorter in better times,
Hovey said. And New York is showing
shorter skirts for spring:
"MAYBE THAT'S a good indication,
and maybe it means nothing." Hovey said
the oriental influence already creeping into
the 80s has something to do with United
States relations with China. The Sino
American trade talks may have put that
quilted mandarin jacket under the Christ
mas tree,
Hovey said western fashion is big on the
coasts, but probably will not be accepted
in Nebraska because "it seems too unsophi
sticated when you've been born and lived
here.
Hovey said there is a trend called art as
fashion. Her store features a lot of the
stuff, and she said it's catching on. There is
handpainted silk-Byington's specialty
batik, embroidery, quilting, weaving,
knitting and natural jewelry, all done by
hand. Hovey said these fashion items can
double as treasures tt be kept for years,
Byington also cited art as fashion as
appealing to a segment that sees clothes as
an expresion of art, because clothes are be
coming more dear possessions, Antique
clothes also may be in demand because
they are well-made,
. . Hillestad said hats may become a bigger
fashion item in the new decade as will plain
old social .graces and etiquette-the fashion
intangibles, '
"THESE THINGS have been deempha-s-ized
before and are an experience young
people haven't had," Manners and
etiquette also are a way to maintain selk
respect during hard times, he 'said, looking
at future economy,
Byington said it is hard to see fashion
trends when the pages of fashion magazines
consistently contradict each other as they
do now, This indicates variety in the 80s,
but without the 60s extremes, she said.
"The legacy of the 60s is that never
again will people be chained to fashion,"
The individual will search for personal
styles, she said, :
Even if specific predictions for the 80s
go awry, if the ideas, like Gernreich's, are
correct, the 80s will see a decade of
happily-dressed individuals, whatever
they're wearing.
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By Kim Hachiya
decided the best wav to' cet a cen
eral idea of the fads and trends of the 70s
was to visit a bookstore and check out
what people had written on the subject,
The really biggies, like streaking, pet
rocks and toga parties, didn't have titles in
the New York Times top ten, But it was
pretty easy to discover what was on the
mind of the American public in the 1970s,
One of the biggest sections of the store
was "Diet Books," There are titles which
suggest diets for losing weight, gaining
weight, reducing risk of heart attack,
hypertension and hyperactivity, One begins
to wonder if the American public was
attempting to waste away,
Next to the diet books was a section for
cookbooks. Not just Betty Crocker either,
International cooking seems to be the rage,
Never mind good old American fried
chicken, now its Yak Nepal or Korean
cauliflower. And if international cooking
isn't enough, the cook can now adapt his
or her abilities to food Processor cooking,
microwave cooking, wok cooktng, fondue
cooking or dried food,
One of the biggest sections of the store
was devoted to nostalgia and trivia books,
Old movies, antiques, buildings, clothing,
anything which looks backwards is a eandh
date for someone's nostalgia fetish,
' ACCORDING TO John Berman, UNL
social psychology professor, current inter'
est in nostalgia is not necessarily an
attempt to escape into the past for happi
ness,
"I'd say people are looking to it for
entertainment or diversion," Berman said,
"It takes our minds off our troubles for
a while, but I don't think it's an attempt to
relieve happier times,
"We don't always know why people do
what they do," Berman said. "All we have
is speculation about why fads start and
the hold, , ,
"They are somewhat a function of mass
communications and mobility, Students
get around a lot, They are no longer isolate
ed, Although regional fads were once com
mon, the University of Nebraska is no
longer isolated,
"A fad unique to this or any campus is
probably rare-it probably came from
somewhere and it will probably go some
where too,"
Berman said the media, because it reach
es all cf the public, develops some fads. He
cited the resurgence of toga parties after
last year's movie "Animal House,"
Self-help books also seem to be ex
tremely popular, But according to Berman,
people have always sought ways to ''re
deem themselves,"
"FORMERLY, religion served this purpose-to
help us avoid sin and cleanse our
selves," Berman said, "Self-help groups and
books have a similar psychology, Things
such as vegetarianism and "meditation, ( in
fact regulation of food and drink are com
mon components of self-help groups. They
are also found in conventional religions."
When asked why ,sa many followers of
self-help experts extoll them as gods, Ber
man said much of it is hero worship,
"We look for heroes and superstars in
religion, sports, politics and entertainment.
The idea that someone can transcend, rise
a head and shoulders above the rest is
thrilling and comforting."
Berman said the American public is
creating political superstardom.
"That's why we re depressed nationally,
People are looking for superpeople that
don't exist, We look for someone who is
much smarter than we are, who can give us
superior answers and abilities. Although he
doesn't exist, we still look for him."
Berman said most people follow fads as
a way of gaining acceptance and popular
ity, The human need for acceptance
dictates much of man's social behavior, he
said. He added that countertrends, such as
punk rockers, may have started as a way of
making money and gaining attention for
the group,
BUT MORE and more fans joining the
trend legitimizes and culturalizes it. The
trend is no longer a fad. Jt has become
accepted by society, and rejected by the
"cbuntertrenders" who developed new
ways to be different.
Berman said he has a functionalist view
of why some fads are assimilated and
others fade.
"Those that serve a useful purpose such
as a long-term entertainment value survive.
If it is fun to do repeatedly, it may survive.
If it is valueless, it is rejected," Berman
said,
For example, streaking was fun once or
twice, but it gets old fast-for both the
streaker and the viewer.
Bicycles were real faddish for a while,
but they are also functional-my guess is
with the energy crisis, well see a revival."
If what Berman says is true, perhaps
disco music, roller skates and running, now
being legitimized by the public and the
press, are destined to be around a long
time.