1970's Revival

31 March 2021

Last month I bought a pair of flares and a blazer, and not for the first time. The first time was in the 1970s. Sadly this time, when I looked in the mirror, I had a real ‘Miss Haversham’ moment – the clothes might not have changed but the body and face in them certainly has!
But it got me thinking about how many of the latest trends ‘owe’ something to the 1970s, so I thought I’d take a look at the influence across the new lines and try to decide if more is on the way for 2021.

The 70s was a wild decade full of disco and revolution

Thanks to the women’s movement women no longer conformed to a style but started to express their style and experiment through their fashion choices and we find punk, bohemian, classical and disco styles, and jewellery was not left out of these adventures! Not so very different now with consumers searching for customisation and personal style. Perhaps with more subtlety and sophistication but there is no doubt that 70’s styles are Influencing what we have on offer today and understanding this may help us to anticipate what customers will come looking for and what we are starting to see a leaning towards in terms of demand.

[H3102/Y, H3984/Y]

Chain, chain and more chain….

Back in the day we wore chain – chain belts, handbags on chains, big chain necklaces and of course all things chain have been in the ascendancy in 2020 and rising further for 2021 – it’s everywhere. New adventures for 2021 are big and bold and see chains of mixed weights and textures on all types of jewellery.

[Chunky chain H4414-22, Mixed chain bracelet H4474-19, Earrings H4010/S & Bangles H4144/Y]

Identity Bracelets

ID bracelets were trendy in the 1970s but they also often had a more sentimental meaning. A lot of young people in the USA had the names of soldiers in Vietnam engraved on their bracelets in the hopes they would come home safely. It was also popular to have the name of your boyfriend engraved.
Just as popular today ID bracelets and necklaces are a must-have for personalisation, for thoughtful gifts and can also to provide medical information.

[H4451/S, H4192-19, H4178 & H4245/Y]

Perfect for making it personal; initials, messages of love, friendship, remembrance or congratulation.

[H4170/Y, H3287, H4482/Y & H4176/Y]

Texture in the form of a hammered finish can offer a touch of sophistication.

[H4203/S, H3938-19, R7211 & H3849/Y]

Ankle chains

In the 70s ankle bracelets (as they were then known) for barelegged bohemian style or the Disco Diva. Popular styles festooned with bells and charms were in demand.
Consistently popular today we sometimes find it hard to keep up with the demand for anklets. Have ankle chains on standby for when we all make our great (safe) escape to the beaches – home or away – for 2021.

These from our collection are a real nod to the 70s era and still sell well.

Bead and tassel H2078-25, Double strand with beads H1820-25, Freshwater pearls R7179, Daisy R7320 & Turquoise, Under the Sea, H3600/Y]

[Three star and bead, R7178, Star and bead H3306-26]

Layering

Things don’t go out of style, they just come round again!
Mixing up different styles, materials and types of necklaces created an eclectic look that was quintessentially 70s and has tapped into the current consumer demand for expressing personal style and allows consumers to mix sentimental pieces with new finds. Sales of necklaces have risen correspondingly – they look good on zoom and don’t tangle with your mask!

The 70s mixed chokers with longer chains and although we haven’t seen chokers as a strong trend we do see collar-length chains and chokers featuring in the fashion collections for 2021.

[Choker h3327-40, Blue stone necklace H3120-45, Sun necklace H3821/S, Bar drop necklace H4031/S]

A choker, natural stone necklace, sunshine and a lariat effect – a very retro layering,

Pearls

They loved pearls in the 70s – natural or synthetic – a style of untouchable elegance as worn by glamorous icons such as Lady Diana Spencer. Over the past few years there has been a re-interpretation of this ancient gemstone into contemporary designs with freshwater pearls making this precious gemstone accessible to a wider audience.
Long associated with the uptight and stuffy, pearls are now mixed in with the popular trends such as chain link, stars or hoops.

[H4225/Y]

[Stud H3119/B, Textured Hoop H4035/S]

In fact, the earrings Olivia Newton-John wears in these final scenes of the movie Grease (remember the leather trousers?!) look a lot like a version of these, combining chain, hoops and yellow gold, the mix of 70s trends still very much in the spotlight for today.

[H4142/S, H4142/Y]

Yellow gold

Yellow gold was the essential colour of the 70s decade and over the last two years yellow-gold plated items have certainly staged a comeback.
Add a tassel!
They loved a good tassel in the 70s and we see this feature creeping in again but perhaps with a tad more 00s sophistication.

[H4365/Y, H4475/Y]

Bead and tassel modernised for today’s market with an on-trend ear cuff.

[H4417]

Disco glamour

70s Disco music had hit the scene and was sparkling, brilliant, and dramatic and jewellery of the time had to step up. Sparkle and spangle manifested itself as diamond cutting on silver and guess what(?), texture in jewellery is making a return. The effervescent effect given by diamond cutting adds fun and is appealing to a new generation of consumers. Watch out for a return in 2021 of more texture including beaten or ‘crumpled’ effect jewellery.

Reminiscent of the glitter ball, so favoured in discos, come spangly, diamond-cut hearts, pendants and bracelets.

Earrings Rule

The 70s were about feel-good jewellery. They were not afraid to be bold and perhaps (with fingers crossed), now looking ahead in 2021, the release of lockdown will encourage buyers to again be bold and adventurous and jewellery can be there, ready to lift the spirits.

Hoops

Earrings in the 70s were huge – they needed to be seen beneath the big hair and to balance out the flares!
Hoops were the ‘must-have’ back then – the bigger the better – and we are seeing a move back towards the larger hoops. Whilst huge hoops might not be for everyone, hoops in general remain popular and are a staple for any collection offering reliable background sales figures.
These shoulder-skimming twisted hoops come from a new Italian supplier.

[Huge hoops H4175/Y, Cuff H3577/Y, CZ drop H4401Y, Padlock choker H4337/Y, Cube chain H4260-45, Heart necklace H4300/Y, D/C chain H4354-90]

Here is a variety of our other popular, largish hoops

[H4148/S, H3253, H2936]

Bohemian Flavour

We are also seeing renewed interest in a bohemian flavour which was key to 70s style and had originated in a taste for influences from non-Western cultures giving a global feel to fashion.

[Small hoops H3802, Hoops with rings R7137, Hoops with three features 4635, Hoop with small bead 4645]

Retro style

Here are some hoops with just a hint of the retro-style about them.

[Star and moon hoop H3341/Y, Hexagonal H2938, Square H2210/Y, Heart charm and hoop H2104]

1970's Revival

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