Hello "60"! Growing up in the 70's.
To spend time celebrating me is outside of my comfort zone, but one thing I am learning from the Lord, and from really listening to other people is that I am valuable and I have something to give back to the world. Many of you have reached out to me over the years and some of you are regular supporters of this blog and I appreciate all of you. When you have felt invisible most of your life it is hard to get outside of that box and start thinking differently, but I want to think in a way that is accurate to who I am in God’s eyes, and He has called me, Beloved, so it’s time I start acting like it.
My birthday is January 7th, and this year I turned 60. Wow! For six decades God has given me the grace and strength to walk this planet and He has also drawn me closer and closer to Him, showing me more than ever how important it is to be in His word and in fellowship with others who walk in His ways.
My faith is the spring board to everything I do, but the last few years as I have been dealing with illness and the stress and fatigue that comes with it, I have really not been walking and doing with excellence, and I truly believe that is what God wants from us. That doesn’t mean we don’t screw up, get tired or fall of the wagon once in a while, but when we start to use difficulty as a crutch to not show up or to let things slide, then we need to do some self examination.
Once again, I am evaluating where I want this little blog to go and you know what? I am happy to let it keep going the direction its going, but with just a little more effort and planning. This month I just want to celebrate me and the person God has formed me into, so my outfits are going to revolve around that theme.
Today’s look is celebratory. My spouse got us tickets to go to an Abba cover band on Sunday evening. This is not the outfit I wore, but since Abba was big in the 70’s, I thought it would be fun to build an outfit from my memories of that decade. While I was born in the 60’s, it is the 70’s that had the most influence on my clothing, my music and my memories.
The decade of the 70’s saw great changes in the world of music, fashion, and government. With the death of Elvis Presley in 1977, and the official split up of the Beatles in 1974, the music industry continued to look for bands and beats that appealed to people buying albums and listening to the radio. Along with hard rockers like Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, the Rolling Stones carried over from the 60’s and soft rock like the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac appealed to a maturing generation. In addition, disco splashed onto the scene in the form of Abba, the Bee Gees, KC and the Sunshine Band, and others. Rock also took an angry turn in the form of punk with names like the Sex Pistols, the Ramones and the Runaways.
While the United States, much to its’ citizen’s dismay, had troupes fighting in Vietnam, our country pulled out in 1973, leaving South Vietnam to be assimilated into the Communist control of North Vietnam. War found a new front in the form of nuclear threats and posturing between capitalist West and communist East. Did you have to do “bomb” drills in school? I remember doing them when I was in early elementary school, where the alarm would go off and we would have to get under our desks. Things have changed. Now our kids and grandkids just have to worry about school shooters! Ugh!
Fashion continued to influence the world and everyone was looking to music and Hollywood to determine what we would be wearing. Pant legs got wide with wide leg flares and bell bottoms. Clothes were bright, colorful and printed with flowers, animals and our favorite brands and bands. Clothes were made to show movement, and sass. Vests and jackets were often trimed with fringe, and dresses and tops donned crocheted embellishments. Turtleneck sweaters replaced button down shirts under sports jackets, and monochrome sweater outfits with slouchy boots were seen regularly in the work place. Jewelry was bold, and layered.
It has been fun to look back at this decade I grew up in. Of course my outfit might not be exact to some of the trends and styles of the time but I thought each piece gave a shout out to some of the fashion vibes of those years. My kimono was a gift from my younger daughter for my birthday a couple of years ago when she and her sister did a spa day for me at her apartment. That was fun. I think the kimono has that 70’s feel with its bright colors and the peacocks going up the one side in the back.
My wide leg flares, the turtleneck, and the boots were all similar to things I remember people wearing. The pants would have been more likely worn with platform shoes, but I don’t have any of those anymore.
What do you think of this outfit? Does it remind you of the 70’s? What fashion trends do you remember from the 70’s? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I hope you enjoyed this post.
