So, if you want to dress up in a way that is linked to the decade of the 1970s, whether this is for a Seventies themed costume night or simply for Halloween, you will need some ideas for costumes to wear.

First, what sort of things do the 70s bring to mind that can be used for costume ideas? Popular culture is a good source for 70s costume ideas, so consider music and films from that decade. Here are some suggestions.

During the 70s there were a number of music trends that had distinctive fashion and dress styles linked to them that can provide ideas for costumes. Disco, love it or hate it, was a big part of the period as were its associated fashions. For women, disco fashions tended towards long flowing Halston (by the designer Roy Halston Frowick) dresses and for men an outfit which consisted of shiny polyester Qiana (a faux silk artificial fibre) shirts with pointy collars, usually open to the chest in order to show off medallions and necklaces, double knit polyester shirt jackets with matching trousers, these being what was known as the leisure suit. Colourful quad roller skates were also popular from their part in roller discos, although this is one 70s costume idea you’d probably better not use if you can’t roller skate.

Glam rock, also known as glitter rock, was a music style first made popular in the UK in the 70s, featuring artists such as David Bowie – in his Ziggy Stardust persona – and T. Rex. Costumes were fairly extreme, with platform soles, extensive use of glitter and makeup, extreme hairstyles and generally androgynous and outrageous clothing. Glam rock costume ideas would incorporate a lot of facial makeup and extravagant clothing that would make it hard to determine what sex the person wearing it is.

70s punk rock style covers a wide range of possible clothing styles. Motorcycle jackets, t-shirts and jeans were at the less extreme end. Later fashions started to incorporate safety-pins fastened to the clothing, tattoos and body piercings – it’s not really recommended to get either permanent versions of these for a costume, although temporary tattoos or stick on fake piercings will work – and clothing became metal studded, with shirts and blazers covered in slogans and patches, often controversial. Hairstyles evolved to the Mohawk or skinhead at the extreme end – again, fake versions of these are recommended for a costume.

One of the most well known films of the 70s, and indeed of all time, was Star Wars and therefore one 70s costume idea is to dress up as characters from Star Wars. Another influential film of the period was Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta, which was heavily influenced by disco. Take a look at some of the outfits worn in the discos in the film for inspiration.

Consider these specific outfits from the above topics:

Get a leisure suit, polyester shirt and medallion for that disco look.

Be the glam rocker David Bowie in his androgynous Ziggy Stardust persona – this works easily for both men and women.

Dress up as one of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols such as Johnny Rotten or Sid Vicious, or as Siouxsie Sioux from Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Dress up as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia or Darth Vader from Star Wars.

Buy a John Travolta costume as he appeared as Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever.

Hopefully this will give you an idea for outfits you can dress up in for your Seventies event.

Look here for more detailed ideas:

A Classic Slasher – Halloween‘s Michael Myers

A Resurgent Costume for Men – The Teddy Boy

For Men – Elvis Presley

For Men – Tony Manero from Saturday Night Fever

For Men – Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars

For Men and Women – Disco

For Men and Women – The Punk Rocker

For Men and Women – Ziggy Stardust