The best things about life in the ’70s

No doubt you’ll remember the 1970s as the decade of glam, questionable fashion and lots of brown. Our children were running around until sundown and we barely had to worry about that, there was no internet and no social media. It was a great decade for music and movies too. If you’re feeling a little nostalgic for the ’70s, the following might just include some of your favourite memories…

Wide-collared shirts

The fashion in the ’70s was all about freedom, being eclectic, celebrating colour and breaking all the rules. You either loved this era or you hated it. The psychedelic trend of the ’60s had cooled and the 1970s welcomed all those rich earthy tones to the colour palette. We had some serious indulgence in every shade of brown conceivable, creams and khakis, sandy hues and sunflower yellows, reds, denim blues and let’s not forget that orange!

Yet despite the colour, the pattern or even the material, one of the things that was hugely popular in the ’70s was the wide-collared shirt. Together with bell-bottoms and flared pants, the wide-collared shirt was a wardrobe staple. Pull out your favourite shirt and match it with some colourful pants and you were ready to walk out the door.

8-track tapes

Long before there was digital radio and Apple CarPlay, we had the humble 8-track. The 8-track was a magnetic tape sound recording popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and a few other countries. We could quite literally listen to the same song over and over … and over again. What songs were you listening to on your 8-track?

Crazy-coloured kitchen appliances

Who scoffed when they saw the latest range of ‘vintage inspired’ kitchen appliances released in the last couple of years? It was when we were setting up home in the ’70s that those crazy kitchen appliance colour schemes came to life. We needed appliances that were going to match our equally eccentric kitchen colour schemes — avocado green, bright red, tawny gold, white and coppertone!

Our celebrity crushes

For women it was Shaun and David Cassidy, whose music and television careers really took off in the ’70s. For men, it was the women of Charlie’s Angels — Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson.

The Fad Dances

We made our way to The Bus Stop, got ourselves caught up in The Hustle and had just enough time for The Bump… Seriously, who could forget these fad dances of the ’70s?!

Filling out homes with macrame

This is another ‘vintage inspired’ craft that is regaining its popularity. Our houses were hardly homes if we didn’t have a macrame owl hanging on a wall somewhere. Hanging these hand-crafted pieces around the house was all the rage in the ’70s. Our materials varied but generally we made these creations out of rough twine and incorporated large beads and cording. Very fancy!

What were some of the best things about life in the ’70s for you?

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