How to Make Your Own 70's Costumes

It's easy to make fun of 1970s fashion, but you can't deny that the decade yielded some pretty fantastic looks. Some elements of 70s style are still reflected in clothes sold in stores today. That can be very helpful when you're invited to a 70s party, or need an easy 70s outfit for a Halloween party. Shop from your own closet to assemble a look typical of the decade, or even recreate outfits from famous 70s characters of TV and movies.

Because 1970s fashion trends sometimes come back into style, women may already have things in their closets that are appropriate for a 70s costume. You might already have a pair of bellbottoms that you can pair with a peasant blouse and clogs or flat sandals, or a minidress with a wild pattern that you can wear with knee-high boots and a lot of accessories.

The 70s are also associated with tie-dye, which gives you a fun route to take if you need to create a costume from scratch. Buy a plain white T-shirt dress to transform with tie-dye. Or, tie-dye a white T-shirt to wear with a pair of DIY bellbottoms. With some basic sewing skills, it's easy to turn a pair of old jeans into bellbottoms by adding extra fabric to the legs.

Once you you have your basic outfit, pile on the accessories to complete your 70s costume DIY. Wear a big floppy sun hat or tie a ribbon of patterned fabric around your head and across your forehead as a hippie-style headband. Take your jewelry inspiration from Stevie Nicks by layering on multiple chain necklaces of different lengths and stacking bangle bracelets on your wrists. Complete the look with a pair of oversized sunglasses.

It's generally (though not always!) going to be harder for men to create easy 70s outfits than it is for women, simply because 70s trends haven't inspired modern men's fashion as much as they've inspired women's fashion. In the 70s, men wore things like bellbottom pants, leisure suits, short shorts, fringe vests and patterned or satin shirts with wide collars. Most men don't have things like that in their closets already.

Visiting a thrift store or buying vintage clothes online will yield the most accurate 70s costume, but you may still be able to assemble a passable costume without spending money. If you own any plaid or corduroy pants, pair them with a tucked-in button-down shirt. Leave the top buttons undone and use tape to stick the collar points down to the shirt, making the collar as wide as possible. Or, you can sacrifice a pair of old jeans by cutting them into short shorts. Wear them with a 70s band shirt (like the Rolling Stones or Eagles) or any tight-fitting T-shirt.

Choosing 70s characters to emulate may make it easier to put together a costume. Draw inspiration from 70s characters in movies like "Grease," "Shaft" and "Saturday Night Fever," and TV shows like "Mary Tyler Moore," "Charlie's Angels" and "Gilligan's Island." In fact, dressing as Gilligan himself is a good way for a man to put together an easy 70s outfit. All you need are jeans, a white collared shirt, a red sweater or long-sleeved shirt to wear over the white shirt, and a white or beige bucket hat.

Women can dress like Daisy Duke by wearing short denim cut-offs, a button-down shirt tied up above the navel and a pair of heels or cowboy boots. Or, dress as Velma from "Scooby Doo" with a yellow sweater, red skirt, yellow knee socks, glasses and a short brown wig.