My 70s inspired casual look: Bell Bottoms

The retro and vintage style trends keep making its way into our wardrobes this 2020, and it's not all about high fashion and runways. Even some of the most casual trends are making its way back, from the Hippie look of the 1960s to the stylized thin build from the ’70s. Popular pieces include bell-bottom pants, frayed jeans, midi skirts, maxi dresses, Tie-dye, peasant blouses, and statement prints.

If you've seen old pictures of the decade, you have a clear idea of how the 70s casual fashion used to be. Tight printed shirts, high waisted pants with bell-bottoms, and platforms that gave a thin build look. Men and women sported similar styles, introducing androgyny to the streetwear.

The History

Since the 1800s bell-bottoms were part of the U.S. Navy uniform. They entered the fashion world in the 1920s through the innovative mind of Coco Chanel, who was drawn to the loose fit of sailor pants (this was the start point for the iconic “yacht pants”). Bell-bottoms later came back into fashion trough second-hand stores where people often shopped for old military uniforms to re-style. The trend had an added appeal for the youth of the late 1960s and early 1970s, who took this piece and transformed it into an anti-war statement outfit.