Drab to Fab: Ideas for a Professional Retro Wardrobe
/The 1970's: a time when women's rights were considered "hot-button issues," sitcoms were serious and, in my opinion, the golden age of fashion. Today's fashion is limited to drab designs - but if you're like me, you can't help but feel contempt over styles for men - such as dress shirts with boring "toothpaste"-like lines. While some claim it's conservative, I call it uninspired.
Nothing beats walking through the streets in flared jeans embroidered with flowers and vines. Heads turn and, on rare occasion, people cross the street. People are startled because they have become so accustomed to being carbon copies that it’s intimidating to see someone break down those colourless walls. While this may seem depressing, it really isn't. Fashion has become so focused on mass production that it is unable to live up to individuality. This blog will show the world through my rose-coloured glasses - a world of expressive professionalism.
Dress shirts for men today are simply dull. Plain colours or stripes are the most popular, with the occasional textile. However, the 1970's were the advent of unisex clothes - a new concept. A lot of designs contained birds, as well as abstract and floral patterns - almost anything! These same designs are now geared towards women. It's such a shame as there's nothing more telling than the clothes someone wears.
I feel that the human body is a blank canvas and the clothes we put on it make it a living, breathing, walking, and talking work of art. A shirt with lines that resemble DNA structure, for example, can break the norm while still keeping professional integrity. The butterfly collar, the funky lines, paired with the bright red and white hues contrast the rich navy blue.
On a final note, if I could make a suggestion to anyone trying to stand out while searching for a job, it’s this: Make your own style! Be trendy, be different, and embrace colourful patterns! Instead of spending $80 on a dress shirt at the mall, you can go to second hand stores and pick up a relic from the past for less than a 1/3 of that. You won't be sorry, and you might notice that employers love the funkier flare of retro professional clothing.
MYLES MACINTYRE
Myles is a creative writer whose heart lies in another era. Although he has a degree in broadcast journalism, creative writing is more to his taste. If he had one wish, he would plunge the world back to the psychedelic age of the 1970’s. His eclectic clothing and music tastes influence his writing – taking readers to another place in time.
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