70s: The Decade That Style Forgot

A staggering collection of 1970s fashion faux pas, from torso-clinging disco shirts to billowing bell bottoms. Mothers in hot pants, dads in leisure suits, children subjected to cruel knitting experiments… The 1970s brought us many things—some remembered fondly, others with a collective wince. But the true horror of the 70s lies in the many and various crimes against style. Whatever the cause, an almost universal lack of restraint, coupled with a dearth of taste, led to some of the most ghastly and regrettable styles in fashion history. Most people have, of course, set fire to any photographic evidence of their grimmest fashion errors, so the author has had to search far and wide to track down some of the crotch-mangling, buttock-hugging, polyester numbers you find here. So sit back and enjoy this homage to fashion's darkest hour.

A staggering collection of 1970s fashion faux pas, from torso-clinging disco shirts to billowing bell bottoms. Mothers in hot pants, dads in leisure suits, children subjected to cruel knitting experiments… The 1970s brought us many things—some remembered fondly, others with a collective wince. But the true horror of the 70s lies in the many and various crimes against style. Whatever the cause, an almost universal lack of restraint, coupled with a dearth of taste, led to some of the most ghastly and regrettable styles in fashion history. Most people have, of course, set fire to any photographic evidence of their grimmest fashion errors, so the author has had to search far and wide to track down some of the crotch-mangling, buttock-hugging, polyester numbers you find here. So sit back and enjoy this homage to fashion's darkest hour.

Tracey Turner is a writer and book editor. Her previous publications include Do You Come Here Often? A Failure's Guide to Flirting, and Office Wit & Wisdom. She lives in London.