Anything Goes.

In the 1970s women had a new range of fashion open to them. Influenced by the women's liberation movement and the protest years of the 1960s, American women were no longer willing to follow the lead of fashion designers. Women wanted more than one look and seemed to thrive on choice. Selecting from a variety of fashions and styles suited women's new sense of fashion independence. As designer Calvin Klein explained, the new ethic in clothes was that they must work "over and over" in varying ensembles, from day to night, and from season to season. Hemlines could be either short, like the miniskirt, or long, like the peasant dress. Pants were no longer controversial. More and more women chose to wear casual no-press pants to work and luxurious velvet or satin pants for an elegant evening out. Growing interest in the...