70s Outfit Ideas: 12 Disco, Hippie and Denim Looks to Copy

Nearly every 70s outfit runs on one shape: fitted through the top, high at the waist, wide from the knee down. Get that from flares or wide-leg trousers you already own, add something brown, suede or shiny, and you're most of the way there without a costume shop. Below are twelve 70s outfits for women and men, from disco to denim on denim, plus where a party outfit stops and a normal fall outfit starts.

70s Disco Outfits You Can Wear to the Party

1. Gold halter and wide-leg trousers

A satin or lurex halter top in gold, bronze or champagne, high-waisted wide-leg trousers in cream or black, platform sandals, big gold hoops. The trousers should almost touch the floor so only the toe of the platform shows. That length is what turns ordinary wide-legs from office trousers into disco, and it's an outfit that goes straight to a New Year's Eve party afterward.

2. The belted jumpsuit

A wide-leg jumpsuit in one solid color (rust, emerald, white or black), unzipped a little at the collar, a wide belt at the waist, platforms or a block heel. It's one piece, so it's the fastest outfit here to get right. If your jumpsuit has a slim or cropped leg it will look like 2026, not 1977. The flare is doing all the work.

3. Wrap dress and knee boots

A jersey wrap dress in a small geometric or animal print, brown or black knee-high boots, gold earrings, hair blown out with volume at the sides. The wrap dress was one of the big pieces of the mid-70s, and this is the outfit you can wear to a themed dinner and then to work the following week. Keep the print small; a huge bold print pushes it toward Halloween.

70s Hippie and Denim Outfits From Your Closet

4. Peasant blouse and flare jeans

A white or cream peasant blouse (embroidered, smocked, or simply loose with gathered sleeves), high-waisted flare jeans in a medium wash, a wide brown leather belt, clogs or platform sandals, hair parted in the middle and left long. The jeans matter more than the top: they have to sit high and widen from the knee. This is the 70s hippie outfit most people picture, and without the belt it's just a good weekend outfit.

5. Maxi dress with a crochet or fringe layer

A floral or paisley maxi dress, a crochet cardigan or a suede fringe vest over it, flat sandals or boots, a stack of wooden or beaded bracelets. For the party you can add a thin braided headband worn low across the forehead (strictly that's Woodstock, which was 1969, but nobody at the party will object). Skip the headband anywhere else, because it's the one piece that flips the look into costume.

6. Denim on denim

A denim shirt tucked into high-waisted flare or bootcut jeans, a wide belt with a big plain buckle, boots. Either match the two washes exactly or make them clearly different, like a dark shirt with light jeans; two washes that almost match look like an accident. It works the same on men, and for anyone who owns a denim shirt it's the easiest 70s party outfit there is.

7. Ringer tee and flares

A fitted ringer tee (a plain tee with contrasting trim at the collar and sleeves) tucked into flares or corduroy bell-bottoms, low suede sneakers or clogs, tinted sunglasses. It's the casual, running-errands side of the decade. The tee needs to be snug and short enough to tuck, since a boxy tee hides the waist and the whole shape goes with it.

Everyday 70s Outfits for Fall: Suede and Earth Tones

The version you can wear on a normal Tuesday in October.

8. Suede jacket, turtleneck, cord or denim flares

A tan or brown suede jacket (fringe optional), a cream or chocolate ribbed turtleneck, corduroy or denim flares, knee or ankle boots. Nothing in it is a costume piece, so you can wear it all season, and it slots straight into the layering ideas in our fall outfit ideas. If the jacket is real vintage, keep everything else new.

9. Button-front skirt and knee boots

An A-line button-front skirt in suede or corduroy that ends at or just below the knee, a fitted knit or a blouse with a long pointed collar, a wide belt, knee-high boots that meet the hem. Stay inside the 70s palette: brown, rust, mustard, olive, cream. It's a daytime outfit first and it goes to a 70s party exactly as it is.

70s Outfits for Men Without the Costume

10. Long-collar shirt and flared trousers

A shirt with a long pointed collar, in solid brown or a geometric print, top two buttons open, tucked into high-waisted flared or bootcut trousers, a thin chain, Chelsea boots or heeled boots. It's the men's 70s disco outfit, and a thrift store will have every piece. The collar has to be long and lie flat and wide; an ordinary button-down collar won't give you the look.

11. The white suit, or just the collar trick

The Saturday Night Fever route: a white or cream suit, a dark shirt with its collar pulled out and laid over the jacket lapels, no tie, heeled boots. No white suit? Any light blazer with wide lapels and the same collar trick gets you most of the way, and a thrifted brown or rust three-piece works too. Save it for the costume party or a 70s-themed wedding, since it's the loudest men's option here.

12. Leather or cord jacket, turtleneck, straight jeans

A brown leather jacket or a corduroy trucker, a ribbed turtleneck or a fitted ringer tee, straight or bootcut jeans, suede boots, amber-tinted aviators. This is the casual 70s menswear outfit, the one you can wear to a bar, on a fall weekend, or to a party with the dial turned down. Let the jeans fall over the boot rather than bunching at the ankle.

What to Wear to a 70s Party vs a Normal Fall Day

The same pair of flares can go either way. For a 70s party, commit to one lane and take it all the way: disco means shine, platforms and big hair; hippie means fringe, flowers, beads and the headband. For an ordinary day, keep the shape (high waist, wide leg, something suede or corduroy in a warm color) and leave the props at home. That's also the short answer to how to dress 70s with normal clothes: the silhouette and the colors carry it, the accessories don't.

If you're stuck between the jumpsuit and the halter with flares, Klodsy lets you try both on your own photo before the party. For the non-themed side of the night, the party outfit guide breaks outfits down by dress code and type of party.

The hem rule: flares and wide-leg trousers should cover most of the shoe. Flares that stop at the ankle are what make a 70s outfit look rented.

A few things quietly break the decade:

• Go-go boots and mod mini dresses. They're 60s, and our 60s outfit ideas are the place for them.
• Neon. The 70s palette is warm and earthy; neon belongs with the 80s outfit ideas.
• Skinny jeans. They cancel the wide-from-the-knee shape that the whole look depends on.
• A peace-sign necklace, round rainbow glasses and tie-dye all at once. Pick one prop.

If you're mixing in real vintage pieces, the vintage clothing style guide covers keeping them out of costume territory, and for Halloween there are more looks made from everyday clothes in easy costumes with normal clothes. Going to a decades party as a group? Give each person a different decade; the 90s outfit ideas are the ones most closets already cover. Whatever you pick, start with the flares. Try Klodsy to see them on you first.