That 70’s Show(home)
period of fabric rationing, which
ran from 1941 to 1951. The style of
the label itself can be an indicator:
early-mid 20th century labels were
usually woven, until around the
1960s printed satin labels started to
become more common. The writing
on the label is another clue: earlier
labels often feature script fonts,
while in the 60s and 70s modern,
hippie-influenced fonts were
frequently used.
Jack Zelenka on how to get a lived-in look that Ashton Kutcher would
be proud of
W
hile people have been
adorning their home with antiques
for a long time already, more and
more people are basing an entire
rooms décor around one particular
piece of furniture or era. Antique
ornaments and furniture can add
an element of class to any room,
but basing your décor on particular
eras or themes can convert a
room from a living space to a time
capsule.
While the 70s is often regarded
as a joke era in terms of fashion
and style (think John Travolta in
Saturday Night Fever), 70s décor
is still quite popular. The bright
colours and funky curved furniture
can give your room a psychedelic
and bold look. With key colours
including yellow, avocado and
particularly orange, 70s décor is not
for the faint hearted but can create
some of the most visually exciting
and vibrant living spaces around.
One of the key 70s features
making a comeback is murals
and patterned wallpaper. While
adorning every section of wall
might not be advised; exuberantly
coloured floral and geometric
designs are considered by some
to be a total faux pas, but if done
tastefully can be a stylish addition
to a décor. Even just one strip of
floral design can add excitement
and liven up any room. There’s no
use being timid if you’re going for
a 70s look and if you want an even
more emphatic impact, a wall mural
is perfect for a dramatic statement.
Wall murals differ from wallpaper as
they tend to feature a much more
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narrative scene with characters or
a story to be told as supposed to
repeated images in a set format.
In the 70s wall murals were often
painted by hand by the inhabitant
as a form of artistic self-expression.
Today’s murals however often
opt for a more sophisticated and
professional look with increases
in technology making the images
sharper and more scope for
expression. You can even turn a
personal photograph into a wall
mural.
As well as self-expression, the
70s was an era very much looking
forward. With the Apollo 11 moon
landing just before the turn of the
decade, the western world was
enraptured with all things space
age. Science fiction was becoming
huge with the decade climaxing
with the likes of Alien and Star
Wars, so it’s no surprise that interior
design was adopting a space
age quality. While the bohemian
movement opted for more natural
materials such as wicker- plastics,
glass and metals were being
used for furniture and surfaces
which presented a very clean and
sterile style look which was totally
contrasting to hippy bohemian
lifestyle.
One of the iconic articles to
survive from this period is the
“swivel egg chair”. Designed by
Danish architect Arne Jacobsen
in 1958, Swivel egg chairs are still
highly sort after and can be highly
expensive. To find one of these at a
vintage fair or furniture dealer for a
fraction of the price of a new chair
would be a real steal. The dramatic
curves of the egg chair creates a
simultaneously bold and inviting
design. Straying from conventional
4 legs straight back approached to
chairs gives the egg chair a certain
boldness while the ergonomically
designed curved interior is just
asking to be sat in. Danish influence
wasn’t limited to Arne Jacobsen’s
chair designs. The 70s saw an influx
in importation of Danish foldaway
tables. In an era defined by
personal identity and consumerism,
the foldaway table provides an
instance of rare practicality.
Allowing panels to be “folded away”
means the tables are more easily
stored and are size adjustable. With
more and more young people today
interested in vintage and interior
design, a foldaway table would be a
great addition to any small property
or even student digs. A particular
bonus of 70s foldaway tables is that
the table tops were often coated
with a plastic called Formica.
This means that spillages aren’t a
problem. Perfect for people who
don’t intend to use a coaster!
While the afore mentioned styles
and items of furniture still carry
some sway with interior designers
both amateur and professional, it
has to be said that some 70s fads
are not so fondly looked upon to
modern eyes. The infamous “Shag
Carpet” is a look that defined the
70s. Bold, gregarious colours,
brick red, orange, baby blue…
these colours were all deemed
acceptable hues for carpeting.
Admittedly, Shag Carpeting
does feel nice underfoot, the
sheer messiness of the material
isn’t considered in fashion at the
moment. Let’s just be thankful that
one did stay in the 70s!
How to date
your vintage
By Jenessa Williams
S
o you’ve found your soulmate in
suede, your dreamboat in denim...
But before your relationship goes
any further, you want to know the
age gap. Perfectly understandable.
Ladies and Gentlemen, a lesson in
vintage history… no falling asleep
at the back!
Style
The style of the sleeve can often be
a telltale sign based on principles
of what was fashionable in each
decade. They can also reveal
‘recycled vintage’ - 80s-does-50s
dresses often have puff shoulders
and wide armholes, whereas
original 50s designs generally have
quite snug-fitting sleeve cuffs.
Popular sleeve styles in the 1940’s
were puff shoulders and cap
sleeves, where sleevless styles are
very typical of the 60s. Look also at
the length of the skirt - the timeline
below briefly illustrates skirt style s
and lengths from the 1930s to early
60s.
Zippers & Closures
Metal zippers were first used in
garments in the 1930s, but during
that era they were rare. Zippers
became available in plastic called
“woven” zippers) beginning in
1963, and beginning in 1968 nylon
(plastic) coil zippers were used
in practically every single mass
produced garment. If for example
you’re looking at a circle skirt, a
metal zip will be a good sign that
it’s an original 1950s skirt, while
a plastic zip can be an indicator
of a later item. Invisible zips were
invented in the 1950s but only
really became ubiquitous much
later, around the late 80s / early
90s. The placement of the zip can
also help – 1930s-1940s dressers
usually had a zip in the side seam,
whereas dresses from the 50s
onwards favoured a placement at
the centre back.
Labels
The label can be full of clues as
to an item’s age. American- and
Canadian-made clothing often
has a union label, which can help
determine a date range. Clothing
with the distinctive CC41 Utility
label was produced during the
If there is a size label this can also
help: vintage sizing was smaller
than modern, so if it’s marked a
size 14 but is clearly tiny, chances
are it’s got some age to it. In British
sizing, a size 14 in the 1940s was a
32” bust. By the late 1960s it was a
36” bust and remained so into the
early 80s; it’s now a 38” bust.
In 1971 the Federal Trade
Commission released the “Care
Labeling Rule” which required all
manufacturers (including importers)
of apparel to include garment care
instructions on an interior tag.
The care label tag is required to
include one method of care to keep
the garment in quality condition,
such as “machine wash cold” or
“dry clean only.” If the garment
was made by a brand but is
missing care instructions, you can
confidently conclude the piece was
produced before 1971.
In the end...
Having run these quick tests,
you can now make an informed
decision whether to go ahead and
part with your cash. So that 1950s
dress turns out to be 80s-does50s? If you like it, don’t let that stop
you from buying it - just make sure
you’re paying a price appropriate
for 80s vintage and not 50s vintage.
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