For some, the 1970s was the decade that taste forgot. Men left the sack suit and button-down collar for platform shoes, bell bottoms, and polyester leisurewear. For others, the same clothes represented a certain free spirit. In some ways, fringed edges and plush fabrics perfectly encapsulated the era’s sense of outré glamour and languid sexuality. Plus, given all the cultural changes in that decade – from the breakdown of gender norms to the fight for economic equality – it’s hard to imagine how you would have kept men in strapped inside gray flannel suits.
The ‘70s was also a great time for a kind of workwear that straddled the line between good and bad taste. This was, after all, the first decade casualwear really took over men’s wardrobes, blurring the distinction between weekday and weekend attire. And much of that wardrobe consisted of blue-collar staples worn in creative ways. Streaky-looking bleached denim was paired with classic work shirts and military gear bought at surplus stores. In his essay about how the army jacket became a civilian staple, Troy Patterson once wrote in The New York Times:
[A]s a youth revolt emerged around the world, anti-authoritarians pressed the army jacket into subversive service. Country Joe at Woodstock, John Lennon at Madison Square Garden and Jane Fonda on the Free the Army road show all treated costume as commentary. The counterculture kid in Army gear could razz the warmongering machine that had endowed the jacket with symbolic power, and he could honor boys destined to die in their boots, and he could also effectively affect a bohemian pose.
Patterson’s use of the word bohemian here perfectly encapsulates what I love about ‘70s workwear. The focus was less on historical accuracy and more on self-expression. The outfits celebrated the democratic sensibility inherent in work clothes, but still felt independent (and authentic to the wearer, who was often more bourgeois than blue collar). See how Neil Young, for example, combines a straw hat with beaded necklaces and an Army jacket above, or how Bob Dylan is shown below wearing colorful ranch coats and velvet sport jackets with slim-fit jeans. If there was suede, it was never precious; if there was denim, it was often patched. The outfits combined the hippie vibe of the flower child era with the rugged sensibility of mid-20th century work clothes.
Some brands are perfect for this sort of thing: Visvim, Kapital, Chimala, Kaptain Sunshine, Engineered Garments, and Dr. Collectors. They can be worn with slightly more basic pieces, such as 3sixteen jeans, Indigofera flannel shirts, and Levi’s Vintage Clothing tees. Antonio Ciongoli, formerly of Eidos, is working on a new label called 18 East, which is inspired by East Indian clothes. I suspect it’ll be perfect for this ‘70s bohemian look. I also like certain stores, such as Unionmade, Blue in Green, Pancho & Lefty, The Bureau Belfast, and Blue Button Shop. And while No Man Walks Alone (a sponsor on this site), isn’t strictly a workwear boutique, they carry so many great things they’re always worth checking out (their Kanata cowichans would be great for this ‘70s vibe).
For shoes, I almost only wear side-zips and work boots for this style, although Converse’s 1970s Chuck Taylors are a good, affordable alternative. Kapital’s side-zips are particularly great if you want something rugged. Margiela’s Campus boots are a little more refined, and vaguely look like platform shoes without being actual platform shoes (mercifully). Division Road, another sponsor on this site, has some really nice service boots from Viberg, which would be staples in almost any workwear wardrobe (’70s inspired or otherwise). I also think it helps to incorporate a bit of unusual texture, such as fleece zip-ups and shearling liners, as well as discrete jewelry – rings from Self Edge, African necklaces, and stuff from Article 22.
The idea here is less about recreating an actual ‘70s look, which would be counter to the spirit, and more about taking creative liberty with how things can be worn. Men in the ‘70s probably wore workwear best, even if the decade wasn’t known for producing the style’s classics.
