Oral+History-Nada


 * Interviewer: Nada Botros **
 * Interviewee: Mrs. Botros **
 * Topic: Fashion trends and fads during the 1970s **


 * __10 questions: Nada Botros and Hanan Botros__ **
 * 1) What was your status of life during the 1970s? How old were you and what were some major events happening? **
 * Towards the late 70s I was a 6 year old girl, beginning to pay attention to my mom's fashion sense. A major event happening in Nigeria, where I lived, was the FESTAC 77. It was a huge African Music Festival! It was a big thing. **
 * 2)How did you hear or become aware of these fashion trends? Media, newspaper, people around you, etc? **
 * I found out about these fashions from my mom and her friends, the people in our city who would travel to Europe and bring back the latest trends. Media was not commonly used however, there was a popular magazine called Burda, which was all about fashion, and would have patterns so you could also so your own clothes. **


 * 3) What were some of the most popular trending fads, clothing-wise? **
 * Clothing-wise, jeans were not very popular and only children or workers would wear them **** regularly. However, bell-bottom pants and trousers were very popular, and both genders would wear them. It was a flirty statement to wear bold and flowery designs on skirts and dresses, especially during the spring. **


 * 4) How did these new fashion trends affect you as an observer? Who else was mainly affected? **
 * These trends made me feel that you could express yourself more with all these different styles, instead of being tied down to a uniform. It broke the rules of fashion **** and opened the doors to liveliness and freedom! **


 * 5) Do you see a dramatic or subtle change between the fashions then and now? What’s making a comeback? What is totally obsolete? Was there anything that never faded away? **
 * Colorful dresses and loose skirts have never gone out of style and continue to be a timeless classic, while bell-bottom pants have gone totally out of style! **


 * 6) Was there different fashion in school and out of school? **
 * Yes! I went to a catholic school, so we had to wear a uniform everyday: no earrings, no nail polish, no funky hairstyles, and we all had to look similar, even right down to the plain mary-janes. However, on the weekends we enjoyed a splash of color and the freedom of a flowy skirt while rocking the Pompadour hairstyle! **


 * 7) What was the difference from what you wore, compared to what the men wore? **
 * I remember that the men had to wear big collars and they would leave many of the buttons un-done, and the men would always have a comb in their pocket to comb thei **** r hair. Also, ladies preferred wearing flowy and free skirts, and fancy dresses on the weekends. **


 * 8) Was there any top brands of clothing you wore? (for instance like in our time, juicy couture or sperry top-sider) **
 * We loved to wear clothes from King's Way, and every year we would try to buy an Easter dress from Harrods when we would spend our spring break in England. **


 * 9) What was the cost range of the clothing you wore? **
 * Most clothing was from $0-$100. **


 * 10) What did you enjoy most wearing? **
 * I enjoyed most wearing a flowy, lacy, ruffle-off-the-shoulder maxi dress with a flamenco feel. I loved to twirl in it! **
 * (Fashion trends f **** rom America to Egypt and Nigeria was very different!) **


 * Festac 77 pic: ** http://afpheonix.typepad.com/festac_posters/images/sitepiece.jpg