Fashions from the '70s: tube tops and overalls, tank tops and cutoffs, sizzler skirts and ponchos, flannel shirts and cords.
When I was a little kid, men wore hats.
I made it look GOOD. It's my understanding that President Kennedy, who rarely -- if ever -- wore a hat, was instrumental in getting men to doff their chapeaus permanently. I can't forgive him for that because I've always thought hats were classy. And, they serve a far more useful purpose than, say, neckties ever have.
Keeping up with fashion was never "a thing" for me. I grew up among neighbors and friends who weren't terribly wealthy, so what we wore was never an all-out competition. And, fortunately when I was a kid, "must have" sneakers didn't cost $250 a pair; a pair of Chucks did just fine.
That doesn't mean, however, that I don't recall the trends of my youth.
In no particular order, I remember a mixture of male and female trends that seemed to come and go almost as fast as the one-hit wonders on the radio. There were tube tops and overalls, tank tops and cutoffs, sizzler skirts and ponchos, flannel shirts and cords (you know, corduroys), platform shoes and earth shoes, flares and ridiculously wide bell bottoms, horizontal and vertical stripes.
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Instyle.com says that '70s fashions are making a comeback. Floral dresses (a la Ali McGraw in "Love Story") and flared pants (a la any of Charlie's Angels), peasant blouses and lace-up sandals seem to be showing up again on runways. Hopefully, men's clothing won't take a turn back to that era; take a look at this collection of fashion ads for men's clothing from the '70s and I think you'll agree
That being said, every era had its own style, tasteful and functional or otherwise. Here's a gallery of what folks wore New Jersey through the years. Can't get enough? Here's a link to last year's gallery.
Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.