Few image say " swingin ' 70s " like that of John Travolta mid - boogie-woogie , all pouty mouth and chest hair , pointing at the cap of a Nox club with such conviction you want to search up . This " Saturday Night Fever " snap is pretty much a poster for the geological era . The 6 inches of chest hair , the high up - heeled dancin ' kick , the helmet of thick black hair – they ’re all suitable of note . But it ’s the clean polyester leisure suit aglow in the brightness of adiscoball that demands the variety of head - shaking regard due to only the most important cultural artifacts .
The leisure case was only in stylus for a few years , but it had the impact of a fashionbomb– a slim - cut off , widely - lapelled , synthetical - fibered mode bomb . It told the world " I ’m here – to unbend , " and people loved it for about 10 minute . Still , while it pass off moderately quickly from the fashion world , it engraft itself for near in the cultural knowingness . Perhaps it ’s the everlasting nature of poly fibers . Or just the unembarrassed cheesiness of it all .
Whatever the crusade , the leisure suit is still here , if only as the butt of a jocularity . There ’s a band named for it , a Weird Al Yankovich song dedicated to it , and at least one TV biz character who never accept it off ( more on that later ) . There are even modern fashionable suits that carry the moniker , if not the swaggie , of the original ' 70s look .
So what ’s the big mass ? In this article , we ’ll toil into the leisure suit to find oneself out where it follow from , where it ended up , and why we ’re still speak about it . After all , it was just a jacket and matching pant .
Or was it ?
Origins of the Leisure Suit
Merriam - Webster tells us the leisure suit fully get in 1975 , and that may be [ root : Merriam - Webster ] . But that ’s the " leisure time lawsuit " of the seventies . The introduction of a lightweight , well-off pant - and - crownwork solidification specify for casual occasions , or no function at all , occur well before thediscoera .
The origin of any finical way can be tough to pinpoint , elements often acquire over years , even decades . A " lounge suit " pop up as early as the mid-1800s in Britain , essentially a less - structure daytime suit with the jacket and pants made in non - twin textile .
The more modern idea of the leisure suit dates back at least to the 1920s , when a sort of post - world-wide War I relaxation was taking hold in the United States [ source : Goldstein ] . The roaring ' 20s brought the usual younker revolt seen in any era , showing up , as it often does , in the dress –womenin boyish " flapper " attire and men in slack - fitting suit that looked sort of like tailored sack . In fact , they ’re sometimes called " pocket suits . " These leisure time causa were a significant departure from the older multiplication ’s long coats , vests and snazzy , stripy pant .
None of these early leisure causa incorporated polyester , of track , since it was n’t invented yet . That happen in the forties in the U.K. By the following decade , polyester had gain some popularity in the United States , and in 1970 , the leisure lawsuit – or more accurately , the Lee - certain lawsuit , manufactured by Lee Jeans – made it ’s very first appearance [ rootage : Fashion Encyclopedia ] . Taking its pool stick from such flair as Yves Saint Laurent ’s " safari case , " the Lee - sure suit place for a laidback look with dash .
Whether the suit achieve that goal is up for debate ( or not ) . But no one deny the leisure cause ’s impact . It has amount to mean the disco music side of the ' 70s …
Leisure Suits in the 1970s
The Bee Gees , " Saturday Night Fever , " Evel Knievel , " Three ’s party " – hardly a single ' 70s pop - culture standby left the leisure time suit from its repertory . And oh , was that leisure suit something to see .
Bell - bottoms ? gibe . Massive lapel ? break . jacket crown cut to allow for a astray - lapelled , loud - print poly shirt , preferably undefendable to mid - bureau ? Brobdingnagian bureau sack ? Contrast stitching ? crack , check , ensure !
The ' 70s - style leisure lawsuit was originally created by graphic designer Jerry Rosengarten in 1970 [ source : Fashion Encyclopedia ] . He used it to showcase a newly develop type of polyester , and Lee Jeans produced it . Lee put it on the market as , of all things , business attire [ source : Fashion Encyclopedia ] .
The look never did make the cut in the role . It was , however , perfect for the casual , anything - goes atmosphere of key party , lighted dance floors and just seat around a fondue pot . For a few days , leisure time suits were IT , often pair with gold medallions , sideburns and a arrant lack of manscaping . By the final stage of the decade , though , the courting had somehow go from fad to joke , finally replace by the " mightiness suits " of the money - thirsty ' fourscore . Hippie cultureno more , the leisure suit faded into the annals of bad - fashion story , a non - biodegradable reminder of a swingin ' X .
Not that the leisure courting is entirely gone . Designers still make them today , only they ’re typically made of born fibre instead of poly , and they have narrow lapel , matched sewing and a slim leg suit for a shoe with no breath of platform .
But do n’t worry – if you ’re kick the bucket for the poly version , you may always hit the costume shop in the head - up toHalloween . They usually betray the dancin ' boots and pectus hair , too .
For more information on leisure time suits and other retro style , look over the links on the next page .
