In Glorious Black & White (1972)

 What colours do you imagine when you think of the 1970s?  I see brown and orange, with a dash of olive or avocado green and a bit of murky yellow to liven things up.  In reality, of course, people weren't strictly confined to earth tones during the 1970s.  In that spirit, and in keeping with my recent "colours" theme, I present these images of clothes in classic black and white from 1972.

Lana Lobell, Spring 1972

From Lana Lobell's spring catalogue we have daisy-printed skimmers in black and white.  The dress on the right is in polyester crepe, the one on the left is made of cotton!

Crimplene "Young Originals", 1972

An advertisement for "Crimplene" in the last days before the material moved from the category "fashionable" to the pigeonhole of "dowdy".  The dress is from the Australian label "Lemona" and it is accessorised with very 1970s bright green platform shoes and a matching floppy sunhat.

Style Pattern Book, Summer 1972

Style Pattern 3628 is made up in a white fabric with black polka dots—a fairly simply pattern for a fairly simple look. 

Vogue Patterns, Summer 1972

 

Vogue Patterns also goes for black dots on a white background for Pattern 8355.  "Take the excitement of dots..." the caption begins, 

"Deck that feeling with the season's most significant comback: ruffles.  Trail them all around a wrapped evening dress and stand them at the neck.  At last you can look exactly the way you feel... very romantic, very feminine."

Dots must have been "in" in 1973.  Other photographs in the same section of the magazine shows a black evening dress with white polka dots, and white dress with red!

"Romance In Fashion" (Style Pattern Book, Spring/Summer 1982)

 Oh my!  If the photo on this cover doesn't portray every fashion fad of 1982 it comes close.  

But let's get to the clothes.  We'll start with the knickerbockers, because they were everywhere in 1982.  (The New Zealand Museum of Fashion describes them as "the single most important look of the season".)    Saint Laurent designed them, Princess Diana popularised them and yes, yours truly owned a pair.  

Next, the blouse with the frilled collar (another look made popular by Princess Diana).  It is worn under a brightly striped cropped waistcoat.  The New Romantics (who flaunted a look combining punk with glam rock) obviously influenced this outfit—though it is rather subdued compared to the flamboyant styles which inspired it!   By 1982 domesticated versions of the New Romantic look had emerged from the nightclubs where the subculture originated and made their way to catwalks, mainstream shops and sewing pattern catalogues like this one.

 

Sailors Ahoy! (1983)

 I've just noticed that the 1983 Spring/Summer issues of Simplicity Pattern Book and Style Pattern Magazine have suspiciously similar covers:

 

 

 

 

Simplicity Pattern Book

Style Pattern Magazine

... Both show short-sleeved jackets with sailor collars worn over summer dresses.  The Simplicity jacket is fastened with bows, the Style Pattern jacket with toggles.

Now there was a minor fashion trend for sailor-themed jackets and dresses—inspired, like many other early eighties fads, by Princess Diana.  However, Style and Simplicity Patterns were closely affiliated.  Could there have been some editorial overlap—or even some sharing of design ideas?