Fashion from the 1970s was creative and fun. Following on the freeloving 1960s, the 1970s carried a playful spirit through to the end of the decade, often memorialized through its disco music and sparkly blue nail polish, to match lots of sparkly blue eyeshadow.

It's time for a trip back through the decades, to the 1970s, a time that is influencing the 21st century's dress and fashion habits.

Plaid Patterns
Who would have thought that plaid would be all the rage outside of Scotland? But it was, 40 years ago.

• Plaid men's jackets
• Plaid trousers and pants (usually flared)
• Plaid dresses

These plaid pieces of clothing, often rendered in double-knit material, were sure to stand out.

Flared Trousers
Flared trousers and women's pants were an integral part of 1970s fashion.

Fashion in the 70s was about carrying over the free spirit of the 1960s as those who enjoyed free love grew up a little and joined the workforce.

Flared trousers as part of 70s fashion represented the open mind, the freer spirit, that was a part of the previous decade. "No confining clothing for us" could have been the rally cry.

This fashion, as well as the plaid pattern, is returning to modern clothing. It is extremely easy now to find flared, low-cut jeans.

Wide Collars
Collars in the 1970s grew to almost alarming widths, and are today called the "envelope openers" of the fashion world.

Perhaps this trend was a continuing protest against the stiff suits of the 1950s and 1960s, the confinement of the clothes as well as the social outlook.

Rolled-up Jeans
The rolled-up, straight-leg jeans as part of 70s fashion were all the rage with women, usually worn with wedges or high heels.

Men had their turn at this fashion in the 1950s. Picture Marlon Brando on his motorcycle, setting the Hollywood standard for the rebellious bad guy, jeans rolled up over black leather boots.

In the 70s, a decade of growing women's rights, they made this fashion their own.

Combs and Hair Picks as Accessories
A big part of 1970s fashion was about wearing combs with large, colorful handles sticking out of the back pocket of flared jeans, or of hair picks sticking out of thick afros. Those with straight hair even had it permed so that they could share the afro look.

At crucial times, the comb was whipped out of the pocket and gracefully brought to the head to comb back the hair, often cut in "wings" that flared backwards from the front of the hair toward the back.

There is not a clear reason or answer as to why a large comb became a desired accessory in 1970s fashion, but there is no denying that it was a popular look, a look that has not yet been revived for modern fashion.

The 1970s sported unique playful and fun looks, no matter how they are laughed at, or imitated, today. It was a decade of growing social awareness, of women's rights, of the emergence of yoga and Eastern philosophies onto the traditional exercise and religious scene, of disco music to offset fears over the difficult economic times and the Iran hostage crisis.

The clothes and styles of 1970s fashion were playful to match the free-spiritedness that had come upon people, especially in America.