To dress 70s with normal clothes, fake five things: flared or wide-leg jeans, earth tones like rust and mustard, texture like suede or corduroy, a fitted top tucked into a high waist, and heeled boots or clogs with big sunglasses. Wear two or three of them, keep everything else plain, and you’ll read as 70s without looking like you lost a bet with a party store.
The rest is detail: where each signal hides in an ordinary closet, what to use instead of buying, and three complete looks, one of them menswear. This post belongs to our series on dressing any decade from your closet.
The five 70s signals you can fake
The 70s outline is the 80s flipped over: slim on top, wide at the hem. Add warm colors and a fabric you want to touch, and the decade mostly takes care of itself. One signal will do. Two, and people get it right away.
1. Flares or wide-leg jeans
People spot this one first. If you only do one, do this. Trousers that widen toward the floor say 70s louder than any shirt.
- Flared jeans, if you have a pair. Bootcut counts too. It’s a flare that’s a bit shy.
- Wide-leg jeans or wide trousers, long enough to cover most of the shoe.
- A long, loose skirt, if trousers aren’t your thing.
Length matters more than width. The hem should almost touch the floor over a heel. Cropped flares look like this year, not 1975.
2. Earth tones
The 70s palette looks like a pile of autumn leaves: rust, mustard, chocolate brown, olive, camel, burnt orange and cream.
- One warm piece is enough to start. A rust sweater, a mustard top, a brown jacket.
- Two or three together give you the full palette. Brown with rust. Olive with mustard. Camel with cream.
- Denim is the neutral here.
Closet mostly black and gray? Find one warm piece and let the flares carry the rest.
3. Texture
This was a decade you could feel. Suede, corduroy, chunky knit, crochet, a little fringe.
- A suede or faux-suede jacket, ideally brown or tan.
- Corduroy anything: trousers, a jacket, a shirt.
- A ribbed or chunky knit, a sweater vest, a cardigan.
- Fringe, in small doses. One fringed bag is a nod. A fringed jacket, fringed boots and a fringed bag is a rodeo.
4. A fitted top with a high waist (or a flowy blouse)
Wide on the bottom only works if the top stays close. That’s the whole balance.
- A slim ribbed knit, a turtleneck or a fitted tee, tucked into high-waisted jeans.
- A shirt with a big pointed collar, tucked in, top buttons open.
- Or the softer route: a loose, flowy blouse with full sleeves, tucked in or belted at the waist.
The tuck is the trick. Leave the knit untucked over your flares and it just looks like a regular Tuesday.
5. Heeled boots, clogs and big glasses
Finish with shoes that add height, then one accessory.
- Boots with a block heel, under long hems. Platforms if you own them, but any heel works, because the flare hides most of it.
- Clogs or chunky mules, with wide trousers or a long skirt.
- Big sunglasses: oversized square or round frames, or thin metal aviators, ideally with brown, amber or rose lenses.
- Your everyday glasses, if the frames are large, thin gold metal or tortoiseshell. Next to flares, they already read 70s.
If I could keep only one accessory here, it would be the glasses. They’re on your face, so they’re in every photo.
What to use instead of buying
Most of this already hangs in your closet. The left column is what a party store would love to sell you for one evening.
| Instead of buying | Use from your closet |
|---|---|
| Costume bell-bottoms | Your widest jeans or trousers, worn long over a heel |
| A fringed suede jacket | Any suede, corduroy or denim jacket, no fringe needed |
| A disco shirt with a giant collar | Your shirt with the biggest collar, one extra button open, collar spread over the jacket |
| Platform boots | Any boots with a block heel, hidden under long hems |
| A peasant blouse | Any loose blouse with full sleeves, tucked in |
| Tinted costume sunglasses | Your biggest sunglasses, brown or amber lenses if you have them |
| A braided hippie belt | A wide brown leather belt at your natural waist |
The idea behind every row: you don’t need 70s clothes, just ordinary ones with a 70s shape, color or fabric.
Three complete 70s looks from a normal wardrobe
Each look uses two or three signals, with one doing most of the lifting. All five at once turns into a costume.
Look 1: Flares and a snug knit
Signals: flares, a fitted top with a high waist, big glasses.
- Flared, bootcut or wide-leg jeans, worn long
- A slim ribbed knit or turtleneck in cream, rust or brown, tucked in
- Heeled boots under the hem
- Your biggest sunglasses, gold hoops optional
The easiest look here, close to what plenty of people wear on a weekend. The tuck, the hem and the glasses do the time travel.
Look 2: The open collar (menswear)
Signals: texture, earth tones, heeled boots.
- A shirt with a pointed collar, open at the neck, in brown, rust, cream or a small print
- A corduroy or suede jacket on top, with the shirt collar laid over the lapels
- Straight or flared jeans, or brown cords
- Chelsea boots, or any boots with a bit of heel
- Tinted aviators or thin metal glasses, a thin chain optional
Smarter version: a turtleneck under a brown or camel blazer, wide trousers and loafers. Very film still. You’ll look like you’re about to solve a case or ask someone to dance, and both are good outcomes.
Nothing here is for men only. Men’s closets just tend to hold the collar shirt and the jacket already.
Look 3: The flowy blouse
Signals: a flowy blouse at a high waist, earth tones, clogs or boots.
- A loose blouse with full sleeves in rust, mustard, olive or a warm print (or a wrap dress, and skip the next line)
- High-waisted wide trousers or a midi skirt
- A brown belt at the waist
- Clogs or heeled boots
- Gold jewelry, big round sunglasses pushed up on your head
Warm colors, simple everything else. The blouse and the waist do the work.
Where people get it wrong
Everything at once. Fringe, flares, a headband, a peace-sign necklace, platform boots and tinted glasses, all on one person. That’s a costume. The version that works picks two or three of them and lets the rest of the outfit stay boring. You want “great 70s look,” not “which musical are you in?”
Wide on top and on the bottom. Wide jeans under an oversized hoodie is just a lot of fabric. Keep the top close: tuck it in or swap in a slimmer one.
The wrong decade by accident. Tapered light-wash jeans, big shoulders and bright colors pull you into the 80s, and that party has its own 80s outfit guide. The 70s are a high waist, a long wide leg, warm color and a fabric with texture.
All brown, no texture. Head-to-toe flat brown can look like a uniform. Mix fabrics (suede with knit, corduroy with denim) or add one cream piece to lift it.
Hair and makeup. I left them out on purpose. They’d need a post of their own, and the clothes alone get you to 70s.
Do it in Clottr
Got a reference already? A film still, a screenshot of an album cover, a Pinterest pin of someone in flares and a suede jacket. That’s the job we built Muse for.
Paste it in. Muse picks out the color, silhouette, texture and formality, then builds the closest version it can from the clothes in your Clottr wardrobe. It’s after the vibe, not the exact items, and it leaves the people and brands in the picture alone.
That’s a cozy autumn photo, not a 70s one. Same flow, though, and the rust knit wouldn’t look out of place in 1974.
Next, you see the outfit on you. Virtual try-on renders it on your own full-body photo, so you can check whether the flares and the suede jacket work together before the hallway mirror has to decide. It renders glasses and sunglasses on the same photo too, handy for the big tinted pair. Too much, or exactly enough? You’ll know before the party.
That result, a look Muse titled Minimalist Brunch, came from a different inspiration image, not a 70s one. Same steps.
When the look needs a piece you don’t have, Muse flags it. Sometimes all that’s missing is a brown belt. Nicer to hear that midweek than on your way out the door.
What it can’t do: it won’t turn a closet full of black skinny jeans into 1975 by itself. Muse works with what you own, gets as close as your wardrobe allows and says so when a piece is a stretch. Try-on shows color, proportion and how the whole look comes together on your body. It doesn’t tell you your size, how a garment will fit, or how a pair of frames fits your face or their exact size on it.
Clottr is coming soon for iOS and Android, and the waitlist is open.
Frequently asked questions
What should I wear to a 70s party with normal clothes?
Wear flared or wide-leg jeans, long over heeled boots, with a slim knit tucked in and your biggest sunglasses. Or pick a flowy blouse in rust or mustard with a belt at the waist. Pick two or three signals and keep the rest of the outfit ordinary.
What can a man wear to a 70s party from a normal wardrobe?
An open-collar shirt in an earth tone or a small print, a corduroy or suede jacket, straight or flared jeans and boots with a bit of heel. Add tinted aviators if you have them. For a smarter take, wear a turtleneck under a brown or camel blazer with wide trousers.
What colors say 70s?
Warm earth tones say 70s: rust, mustard, burnt orange, chocolate brown, olive, camel and cream. Wear two or three of them together, with denim as the neutral.
Can I do 70s without flares?
Yes. Lean on the other signals: an earth-tone palette, a suede or corduroy jacket, a fitted top tucked into a high waist and big tinted sunglasses. Wide-leg trousers or a long skirt give a similar line if you own them.
What glasses look 70s?
Big frames look 70s: oversized square or round sunglasses, thin gold metal frames and aviators, ideally with brown, amber or rose lenses. Everyday glasses count too if the frames are large, thin gold metal or tortoiseshell.
What shoes go with a 70s outfit?
Boots with a block heel are the easiest pick, worn under long flares so only the toe shows. Clogs and chunky mules suit wide trousers and skirts, and platforms work if you already own a pair. Skip white sneakers, which lean 80s.
Recreate any look from what you own: grab one 70s film still or pin, paste it into Muse and let it build the outfit from your own closet.
Planning another decade? Start with the series hub on dressing any decade from your closet. Going 80s instead? Here’s how to dress 80s with normal clothes. And to see an outfit on your own photo before the party, here’s how virtual try-on works.
