'70s Summer Fashion Series: Part 3

August is here, meaning summer is slowly starting to come to a close and fall is heading our way.  I hope you have enjoyed Part 1 and Part 2 of the ‘70s Summer Fashion Series.  For this third and final installment, I’m going to discuss one of the most iconic ‘70s garments that’s still popular today.  I urge each woman to buy one of these if you don’t already own one because: 1) It looks great on various body types; 2) It can be worn on various occasions including at the workplace, at night, and on the weekend; 3) It can be worn year round.  

Any ideas of what I’m talking about yet?  It’s the Wrap Dress.

The Wrap Dress

The wrap dress was introduced in 1974 by designer Diane Von Furstenberg. When explaining its instant appeal, she stated, “The wrap dress is the most traditional form of dressing: It’s like a robe, a kimono, a toga.  It doesn’t have buttons or zippers.  What made it different was that it was jersey; it made every woman look like a feline.  And that’s how it happened….”¹ The wrap dress was an unprecedented success – it was sexy, simple, packable, and looked good on women of all shapes and sizes.  The dress itself soon symbolized power and independence for an entire generation of women.² For this installment, I’ve chosen three outfits utilizing a wrap dress and displaying how to wear it for the workplace, for the weekend, and how you can transition it into the fall season.

Wrap Dress – Workplace

As I mentioned above, the wrap dress is a timeless piece that can be worn for multiple occasions.  For the workplace, I kept the outfit minimal by pairing the wrap dress with white wedges along with a structured purse and an assortment of red jewelry.  Want your outfit to be more conservative?  Substitute the wedges for a pair of peep-toe or closed-toe pumps.

Wrap Dress – Weekend

Since most wrap dresses are made out a silk or matte jersey material, which means it stretches and conforms to your body, this material can easily be transitioned to the weekend.  I made the outfit more casual by swapping the wedges for a pair of red keds and added a denim jacket.

Wrap Dress – Summer to Fall

When choosing to buy an item of clothing, I consider how versatile the garment is.  Can I wear it a variety of ways? Can it be worn for multiple occasions?  How about multiple seasons?  The wrap dress can be worn year round.  When transitioning from summer to fall, it’s all about adding layers.  For this outfit, I paired the wrap dress with a red boyfriend cardigan along with navy tights and gray slouchy boots.  If you have noticed throughout all the outfits, I have kept the majority of the same jewelry on.  Similar to clothes, I like to buy jewelry that is versatile as well.

I hope you all have enjoyed this ‘70s Summer Fashion Series.  I’ve enjoyed writing this and informing you of the impact 1970s fashion has had on women’s apparel today.  Please comment or connect with me if you have any questions or feedback. 

Kristin Gredys is the Marketing Coordinator for Kidder Benefits Consultants, Inc. and the author of fashion blog Crazed Chameleon. Want to connect with her? Join her on LinkedIn or follow her blog at http://crazedchameleon.blogspot.com/

^{Sources: ¹Reed, Paula (2012), Fifty Fashion Looks That Changed the 1970’s, Conran Octopus Ltd
²DVF website (2015), http://www.dvf.com/about-diane-von-furstenberg.html}