70's style | Polo necks, chunky heels and coloured tights.

Styling the 70's look, over 40. Getting seduced by trends.

Can we really tap into the 70's trend (over 40) without looking like a sad, old, has-been who is stuck in a time warp?
The jury is out on that one, but I thought I would give it a try anyway!

To be honest, I had every intention of avoiding the 70's trend this Winter.
I am a little tired of the endless boho maxi dresses, and crochet waistcoats, of the summer that now seem to have transformed into kick flares, fur waistcoats, felt hats and chunky heels.

The 70's is absolutely everywhere.
In every newspaper and magazine.
In every shop window.

Did the trend ever really go away?

Can I avoid it any longer?

Will you be styling the 70's this Autumn/Winter?

I was dismissing any thoughts of the 70's for two main reasons:

1. I was born in the 70's and I don't remember the clothes being that great, lots of nylon {remember nylon sheets!?} and fabrics that generated too much static electricity.
2. I assumed that the 70's look could only be pulled off by those women who still have their long hair. Mine was chopped last year... no good for this look. Long hair and the 70's go hand in hand, don't they?

Then I remembered the golden rule of period (or vintage) dressing.
Keep everything else modern and style your hair from a different era.

I decided that because my hair is not very 70's (okay, you could argue the case for Mia Farrow's crop in Rosemary's Baby, but that was 1968) I could hit the trend head on.... well, that it my excuse and I am sticking to it!

I wanted to start with a full-on colour palette of mustard, rust, camel and teal.
What screams the 70's more than mustard and rust?
My mum had cushions in these colours.

Once I had chosen my rust tights {bad girl for buying more tights} the rest of the outfit just fell into place.
I did already have orange tights (bright orange ones, see them here) but the denier was too high for this look. Sometimes a lower denier suits the mood better.

I wanted to go for a little geek-chic meets the 70's, so I layered a polo neck under my dress.
What better colour than mustard to keep the 70's vibe going?

This dress was an impulse buy.
It was in the shop on a 'seconds' rail.
In the close up photograph (below) you can see the colour-run that had slashed its price tag from £50 to £10.
I swithered a little, but felt that the fit was so good that this run did not really matter that much.
Does anyone really study us that closely in real life?

We all know the 70's would not be the 70's without adding little brown to the mix.

The closest I had to that rich brown was my chunky tan brogues.

Not quite the right colour, but close enough (and really comfortable).

See how I wore them here, here and here.

Then I reached for my camel coat.

I have to tell you about my coat.

This is my bargain of bargains, and an absolute luxury item.

About 8 years ago I was in a local shop that used to buy overstock, fire damaged and closing down stock from other businesses.
A real mess of a place. A damp and dark jumble sale.
Certainly not a slick retail experience but, I do love a rummage so I used to pop in now and again.

On this day, in amongst the jumble, was this beautiful coat.
One solitary size 8.
I touched it and wow!
Incredibly thin and incredibly soft.
It would be rude not to try it on....after all it is in my size.
Perfect!
What could it be made of?
I checked the tag....100% cashmere...swoon....with a £800 price tag to boot.
Gulp.

I casually asked the owner how much he wanted for the coat.
£160, a fifth of the ticket price. Very fair but too much.
He said he would let me have it for £120.
Now, at the time I was pretty short of money (Read: totally skint) and had other priorities for my cash.
Such a shame.
I thanked him, left the shop and began the walk home.
I had walked for 20 minutes when I suddenly stopped in my tracks.
What was I doing!!!??
I was a fool to let this slip by.
When would I ever get such an opportunity again?
100% quality cashmere, classic shape, top craftsmanship, a perfect fit!
I am an idiot.
I turned and ran back.

I did have to go without a few luxuries for a month or two, but my goodness it was worth it.
I love this coat.
It is a dream to wear.
A classic.
I almost let it go!

Anyway, back to this outfit...
My finishing touch was this fab red bag that was a gift from a good friend.
I last wore it (do you wear a bag, I wonder?) here with an all red ensemble.

I really needed it today to lug around my ridiculous amount of "stuff".
Sometimes the day requires a bigger bag,  don't you think?

Coat: Unknown (the labels were snipped) but I like this one. Only 5% cashmere though! :o(
Tights: Gipsy 40 denier
Bag: Bogner (this one is nice)
Dress: Ness
Shoes: Clarks (these are nice)
Top: Redoute 
Necklace: Vintage silver sixpence (this one is nice though...and super-cheap!)

What do you think of the 70's trend?

Do you have any major bargains in your wardrobe?

Or a sad story about an item you missed out on?

Please let me know in the comments.

I love hearing your thoughts!