Illustration by ERICA PINTO/Daily Bruin
By Lisa Klassen
Daily Bruin Contributor
The re-birth of disco era fashion started with bell-bottom pants
and platform shoes. When gold hoop earrings and rock concert tees
caught on, there was no doubt that the ’70s were back
again.
Although embraced by a younger generation, this trend has
surprised older adults.
“When I look at the kids in college now, they look just
like I did when I was in college,” said Jill Stein, a
sociology professor and pop culture expert.
The comeback of ’70s fashion began last year with the
re-emergence of disco staples like hot pants, halter tops and
large, bejeweled sunglasses.
For Erica Sin, a first-year communications student, ’70s
styles are all about elegance and fun.
“They’ve got their own distinctive style and they
look classy and nice,” Sin said.
Ryan Tobin, a third-year geography student, said he also likes
what he called “the class and elegance” of the disco
look.
 Photos by KEITH ENRIQUEZ/ Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Third-year student Kyohei Yamasaki sports a retro
look with his fur leather jacket and his bowling shoes while
lounging on the steps of Kerckhoff Hall Wednesday. “I just
got back from England and everyone was wearing these really big
Gucci glasses that are also popular out here,” Tobin said.
“I love them and think that they’re really stylish.
They look rich and add a lot to an outfit. I also really like big
fur jackets. They look great on guys and girls.”
According to Stein, today’s most popular trends are
rhinestones, glitter and bell-bottoms.
“Today’s fashions blend together the ’60s and
the early ’70s,” Stein said. “It’s the
return of disco mixed with a whole bunch of other
things.”
She added that trends from the ’80s are also making a
comeback.
But where did this fashion movement come from?
“Pop culture gets recycled,” Stein said. “This
isn’t the first time that a fashion trend has experienced a
revival.”
Clothing designers are not the only ones responsible for the
resurgence of disco fashion. Stein said musicians like Madonna and
other pop figures embraced the style and helped make it popular.
Movies such as “Charlie’s Angels” also influenced
this trend.
 Photos by KEITH ENRIQUEZ/ Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Third-year student Karina Johnson and visiting
student Audrey Lavole wear big hoop earrings,
which are reminiscent of the ’70s.
Exemplifying this retro look with her multicolored long jacket,
rhinestone-studded softball tee and worn jeans is Danya Solomon, a
third-year theater student.
For Solomon, however, the vintage look is more than just a
fashion statement ““ it is also a look back at her
childhood.
“I played softball as a kid and this shirt reminded me of
that,” she said.
After purchasing the shirt at a vintage store in Santa Monica,
Solomon added the rhinestones to give it a glamorous touch.
“I got the jacket on Haight Street in San
Francisco,” she said. “I’m really into all of
this ’70s stuff.”
The resurgence of disco style manifests itself not just in
women’s but also in men’s fashion. Items such as
vintage rock concert tees and faded, “dirty” denim
jeans are popular with men.
“I’m really into mixing and matching,” said
John Fan, a third-year design student. “I got my shirt at a
vintage store. The jacket was one of those work jackets that guys
who move boxes wear.”
Fan said the popularity of vintage clothing comes from its
individuality.
“Everything that you find in a vintage store is pretty
much one-of-a-kind,” He said. “The patterns are really
unique, too. I know that a lot of people really like the
’70’s patterns because they are so
different.”
Many students use vintage clothing as a medium to express their
individuality.
“I think that vintage clothes are fun because you can do
so much with them,” Tobin said. “They are very
individual and they say a lot about you.”
According to students, two of this season’s most popular
items are hoop earrings and streamlined shoes similar to those worn
at a bowling alley.
“I love hoop earrings,” Sin said. “I have one
pair that I wear all of the time, especially when I go out at
night. They really complete an outfit and can dress it up or
down.”
Sin said she particularly likes her pair of vintage-looking
white and silver Puma shoes, which she said is one of her
favorites.
“All of the other shoes out there are platform shoes or
look really athletic,” Sin said. “These ones look
casual and are really comfy.”
Although many students welcome the resurrection of disco
fashion, the trend fails to please everyone.
“I hate the decadence and how everything is
overdone,” said Jeremy Sackett, a second-year world arts and
culture student.
He does, however, like the more casual approach made famous in
earlier decades.
“Vintage ’70’s clothes are cool,
though,” Sackett said. “I’m really into the laid
back, “˜I don’t care’ look of jeans and a tee
shirt, especially vintage ringer tees, rock concert shirts and base
ball shirts.”
Though Sackett favors some aspects of the vintage
’70’s look, others shun the style entirely.
“Everybody wears that kind of disco stuff,” said
Eric Romero, a third-year psychology student. “Everyone who
wears that stuff looks the same. Personally, I like people who look
different.”
While Romero does not embrace the disco look, he currently
defines his style as rockabilly, another vintage look popular
during the fifties.
Romero said he recognized that vintage fashion fascinates many,
but quickly noted many people do not recognize the social and
historical context of vintage fashion.
“They don’t really know what it was about,” he
said. “They don’t see how music influences fashion or
what people were saying when they wore what they did.”
According to Stein, today’s popular fashions do not carry
the social significance they once did.
“Fashion back then wasn’t just a style or a specific
look,” she said. “It represented a way of life and was
a radical statement where people were rejecting parental styles and
adopting an alternative lifestyle. It was larger than fashion; it
was a social revolution.”
This apparent superficiality reflects how postmodern society is
more focused on an image rather than reality, Stein said.
“I don’t mean to say that these trends are
worthless,” she said. “They are really fun and
meaningful to some people. But we shouldn’t forget what they
originally meant.”