Clara's 1970s Flowered Dress

Clara’s knee-length dress is from about 1970. This straight-down sheath style of dress was a popular fashion in the late 60s and early 70s. The fabric would have been an easy-care no-iron rayon. The flower pattern would have been brightly contrasting colors, more abstract than realistic, which was a common theme of the early 70s.

Clara also has a pairs of tall boots to wear with her dress today. They were made of leather or synthetic materials, like vinyl, and usually had chunky heels.

To print Clara's dress, use this PDF file:

Clara's Dress 80 (2.4Mb)

Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will be available on this blog as long as I continue to post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.

To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file:

 The Clara Paper Doll (718k)

Clara's Early 1970s Calico Dress

Oscar de la Renta is credited with creating the popularity of the maxi dress in 1968, when the long skirt appeared in a fashion show he created for the Elizabeth Arden Studio. However, maxi dresses and skirts were available as early as 1965, when they appeared in the movie Dr. Zhivago.

However, the long skirts took a while to catch on in the fashion world, so it took a few years for the style to be in vogue. Other fashion designers copied de la Renta, and by the early 70s, the maxi dress style was very popular. However, like any fashion fad, the long skirts were quickly dated and out of style by the end of the decade.

Clara’s dress has a simple shape created with wide bands of elastic. Eyelet lace trims the hem. This would be a very comfortable dress to wear, due to its loose form, and the elastic used. Comfortable, that is, at least as long as you didn't trip over the long skirt.

Clara’s shoes are simple pumps, worn with tall socks. Her hair is in a simple, 70s style haircut.

To print Clara's dress, use this PDF file:

Clara's Dress 64 (772.9k)

Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will be available on this blog as long as I continue to post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.

To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file:

 The Clara Paper Doll (718k)

Clara's 1970s Turtleneck and Tunic

I think I finally found a cute 1970s dress for Clara. The seventies really leave something to be desired, with unflattering colors and styles. Fortunately, not all the styles are in poor taste – and this tunic is one of the nicer fashions from the early 70s.

The tunic is worn over a turtleneck. The tunic itself has cap sleeves and a v-neck, both trimmed with wide yarn stitches. A large tied belt adds some flair to the outfit. The turtleneck is also a classic 70s style, with drapy sleeves and tight cuffs. The entire look is an example of the “peasant style” of fashion design, which was a very popular look for the decade.

Clara’s shoes are clogs trimmed with rivets and decorative metal buckles. Thick soles were very popular in the 1970s. The clogs could be worn with or without socks, so I have both version, depending on your taste for tall socks or (sort-of) bare feet.

The original dress is denim, worn over a red turtleneck. The clogs were a dark brown leather with brass buckle trim and rivets.

To print Clara's Dress, use this PDF file:
Clara's Dress 46 (762k)

Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will be available on this blog as long as I continue to post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.

To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file:

The Clara Paper Doll (718k)

Clara's 1974 Winter Clothes

Recently, in a department store, I saw a dress that simply screamed "Seventies." And it was not the best of the seventies, but instead represented some of the worst style of the decade, in very bad taste. I think part of the bad reputation that the fashions of the 1970s have earned is due to clashing colors used in monumental poor taste.

Without the 70s patterns and colors, the fashions themselves are actually quite classy. For two additional examples of 70s fashion, check out Clara's 1970s everyday outfit and this sheath dress.

The 1970s were characterized by over-emphasized features: bell bottoms, wide sleeves, mini skirts, maxi skirts, etc. Clara's fashion page for today has some of the overstated features typical of the 70s, starting with the pants. She has a pair of bell bottoms with wide bottoms.

For a top, she is wearing a tight, thick turtleneck shirt with drapy sleeves and tight cuffs. Over the turtleneck, Clara can wear her fitted vest with a scoop neck. As a final touch on her outfit, Clara has some clunky Mary Janes, with thick soles typical of the 70s.

To print Clara's outfit, use this PDF file:
Clara's Dress 42 (745k)

Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will continue to be available on this blog as long as I post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.

To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file:
The Clara Paper Doll (745k)

Clara's 1975 Blouse and Pants

I was watching a 1970s movie, and even if I could have ignored the cheesy acting, the clothing was hilarious. The outrageous hairstyles and clothing made me wonder if any clothing from that decade could be worn today without everyone knowing it was a vintage outfit.

I looked for "timeless classics" for a while, but all of the clothing from the 70s is immediately identifiable and very dated. The huge collars, modern-art or floral fabric patterns, bell bottoms, platform shoes, wrap dresses, and fitted blazers are all iconic of the 70s.

I did find one design for a blouse that would make a really cute, stylish blouse today. The original had an outrageous modern art design inset with a red gingham print. In a different fabric, it could be worn today. The blouse has butterfly sleeves, and two triangular insets on the bodice.

Clara's pants are bell bottoms. Originally made of a nice thick rayon. Eek.

Clara has some hair in a feathered "wings" style, similar to Farrah Fawcett's hairstyle in Charlie's Angels. I tried to make the cutting lines as simple as possible, but the hair still turned out pretty tough to cut out. Apologies for that. The hair does look pretty cute when it is on Clara, and won a complement from my youngest daughter. Tuck the dotted line tabs behind Clara's neck, and leave the rest of the hair in front of her shoulders.

Clara's shoes are some cute espadrilles. The thick platform soles are similar to shoes in style now, but the actual styling of the shoes is classic 1970s.

To print Clara's outfit, use this PDF file:
Clara's Dress 37 (749k)

Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will continue to be available on this blog as long as I post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.

To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file:
The Clara Paper Doll (745k)

Clara's Sheath Dress

Clara’s knee-length sheath dress is from about 1970. This straight-down style of dress was a popular fashion design in the late 60s and early 70s. This was a very casual look for Clara, but the sheath dress also showed up as ankle-length evening wear.

Clara has two pairs of shoes to wear with her dress today. By 1970, go-go boots were worn by many. The knee-high boots had gained in popularity as actresses and singers wore them in the late 1960s. They were made of leather or synthetics, such as vinyl, and usually had chunky heels. Bright colors were all the rage, but the most popular color for go-go boots was white.

Clara's Mary Janes were also a popular shoe style for girls. Hers are a little unique since they have thick soles and wedge heels. It was during the 70s that platform shoes became the latest trend for footwear. Soles for shoes topped four inches, bringing brisk business to ankle doctors as people tripped more frequently while wearing platform shoes. Fortunately, Clara is pretty sensible, and her shoes have reasonably thick platform soles and wedge heels. She would wear either knee-high socks or tights with the Mary Janes.

The original sheath dress is a coral pink dress with white polka dots and a matching coral tie. The original boots would not match the dress at all, since they are an orange dyed leather. The Mary Janes are black patent leather with white stitching.

Be creative, especially since the original colors would have clashed terribly. Bright abstract prints and huge flowers were popular on dresses. Many outfits stayed with earth tones – especially red, orange, and tan – but bright colors were just as popular. Here are some of the colors found in fashion from about 1970:

To print Clara's Sheath Dress, use this PDF file:
Clara's Dress 7 (591k)

Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will be available on this blog as long as I continue to post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.

I suggest you print Clara on cardstock, so she will be more durable. To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file:
The Clara Paper Doll (718k)