Supermodel Bella Hadid has apparently embraced the ’70s rocker look for a new marketing campaign. At least that is what we are told by the Hollywood Life website. The post that describes Hadid’s new look includes a photograph showing the model wearing a floral print dress, a huge hat, and oversized sunglasses that are really too big for her face.
Interestingly enough, the vast majority of people who follow Hadid are not old enough to remember the 1970s. Most of them were not even alive back then. So here’s the question: does she really pull off the ’70s rocker look? The only way to know is to compare her to the real rock stars of the day.
The Oversized Sunglasses
One cannot help noticing Hadid’s sunglasses over and above everything else in the picture. They are just so big. They are aviators with a teardrop shape and light, yellow lenses. They look like anything Elton John would have worn on stage. That being the case, these particular sunglasses do fit the 1970s rock star image.
Back in the ’70s, sunglasses were supposed to be as big and colorful as you could make them, explains Olympic Eyewear in Salt Lake City. Big was better. Bold was even better still. That is why some of Elton John’s sunglasses were the biggest and boldest of the era. He wore sunglasses on stage that were bigger than his entire head.
The Big Hat
Hadid’s big hat goes a long way toward atoning for the oversized sunglasses. But were big hats fashionable among rock stars in the 1970s? Perhaps, but headgear is not as easy to pin down as sunglasses and dresses. Hats have always been a more personal thing not subject to the whims and fancies of the fashion world.
You can find old pictures of artists like Janis Joplin and Cher wearing big hats around town. Yet their headgear was not part of their acts or personas. So Hadid’s hat probably adds to the overall look, but it is not necessarily indicative of 1970s rock stars. A lot of people wore big hats in the day.
The Floral Print Dress
Next up is the floral print dress. It was typical for the day regardless of one’s walk of life. Floral print dresses came into their own in the late 1960s and flourished through the end of the disco era. More important than the pattern of the fabric is how Hadid wears the dress.
The dress is by no means formfitting. It is longish and flowing. The sleeves are bit oversized. There is certainly more fabric than needs to be there for protective purposes. This was very typical of the rock ‘n roll look of the 70s. And it wasn’t just the women who sported the look.
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For every image of Fleetwood Mac songstress Stevie Nicks wearing multiple layers of brightly colored and flowing fabric is another of Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and a long, flowing jacket with no shirt underneath. What’s more, Tyler always had a mic stand adorned with its own ‘clothing’.
More Is Better
Overall, it would appear as though whoever designed Hadid’s outfit has intimate knowledge of the 1970s rock ‘n roll scene. The entire thing works very well on its own. The addition of groupies carrying musical instruments really seals the deal. And that deal says that more is better.
‘More’ was the operative word of 1970s fashion. And rock stars, being the egomaniacs that they are, embraced it without reservation. Oversized sunglasses, big hats, and long flowing garments that were obviously too big dominated the scene.
