There are several reasons I like period costuming for Halloween. First of all, it definitely rides that thin line between obscurity and originality. You can come up with something clever that people can still easily indentify and recognize without being obvious and lame. A 1970′s costume would be no exception; even if people do not remember who exactly you are, they will usually be impressed with the original thought and attention to period detail.

When I think of a 1970′s costume, I try to go beyond the obvious. It seems like every decade has one or two costumes that people immediately think of and the 1970′s are no exception. For the most part, the common 70′s costume is either a disco girl or a Superfly-esque pimp. These are all well and good, but they will not win you any points for new; they are costumes you see, maybe not everywhere, but once in a while.

A good period 1970′s costume, then goes a little deeper. The place I like to start is celebrities. Who was famous in the 70′s? And did they have such a distinctive look that you can pull of. Most people think of Elvis as a 50′s celebrity, but he made a huge comeback in the 1970′s with his Vegas-style costumes. Elvis is not the best example, but other celebrities had distinctive looks that can make a great 1970′s costume.

Even better, perhaps than dressing as a celebrity, since few of them "stand out" in terms of an unmistakeable signature style, is dressing up as a famous character from the 70′s. This is my favorite option for a great 1970′s costume if you can do it correctly. Personally, I think dressing up like Jack Nicholson’s character in Chinatown, complete with nose bandage would be a great choice.