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, Hey 91 fwv ye mx MM); i f yau 9tk mux Mil 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. fJ$fS&iflfflQfilS to lnlf Wf8lnlllp8fed)8 fPfJ gfiiyfl I 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.