In the 1970's women controlled what they wore. They might wear hot pants one day and a maxi skirt the next. The mini skirt wasn’t an essential for the 70s style. Women weren’t restricted to just a short length style for their skirts. There were also maxi skirts, flared trousers, high waist pants and halter neck cat suits. Loose flowing robes and dresses from the mid seventies. Kaftans, kimonos and other styles of African and Asian clothing where translated into designs for the western market, led by designers such as Yves St Laurent.

 In addition to the mini and maxi skirt, mid calf length called midis were worn. Women had the choice of all three lengths. There was Studio 54 inspired clothing with long floaty fabrics with batwing sleeves which were a complete contrast to the tight fitting hot pants worn. Denim developed during the seventies. The styles worn were tight at the top and then flared at the bottom. Levi jeans became hugely popular for both men and women during the seventies. It was important for them to be skin tight at the top.

The jersey wrap dress was designed by Diane von Furstenberg in 1971.It became very popular it could be worn to work, discos and nightclubs as the cut of the dress suited many different figures.

Peasant style clothing was popular in the 70s ,seen in blouses with lace and off the shoulder necklines. Yves Saint Laurent backed the peasant style in 1976 with skirts gathered into tiers and shoulder lines dropping. Floral patterns and prints were fashionable with this trend especially when worn with the peasant style skirt.

Disco fashion developed when disco dancing became more widely appreciated. The fashion consisted of hotpants, tight disco pants, stretch sequin bandeau tops and spandex tops. Disco gave way to dress codes, which meant people needed to dress right in order to gain entry to the clubs. This form of fashion was not acceptable during the day but became almost compulsory in the evenings.

Punk The subcultures of the seventies also included Punk, a trend partly introduced by Vivienne Westwood. Throughout the seventies she introduced new fashion ideas, whilst designing costumes for many bands such as 'The Sex Pistols' and for 'The New York Dolls'. Vivienne Westwood influenced an entire age of fashion.

Menswear Coloured suits became popular for men .Men could mix and match with shirts, large collars, vivid patterns and colours .The three piece suit was a key look for men. Wide legged or flared trousers were worn with high rise waistcoats. For a casual look, long leather jackets were worn with denim. The look was popularised through television shows like Starsky and Hutch. The whole idea was a more feminine look for men.