Raffaella Carrà: The 1970s Style Icon Fashion is Rediscovering

Hello lovely,

If Raffaella Carrà has suddenly started appearing all over your fashion radar, there’s a very good reason.
In September 2026, Maria Grazia Chiuri looked to Carrà while creating Fendi’s Spring 2027 collection. The show played with sensuality, masculine and feminine dressing and flashes of 1970s decadence, with Carra’s Rumore appearing on the soundtrack. The Guardian described the late Italian performer as a key inspiration behind the collection. Fifty odd years after she first scandalised Italian television with a bare midriff, fashion has come knocking again.
And I have to ask, what took us so long?

For British audiences, Raffaella Carrà may be most familiar from Do It, Do It Again, which reached number nine in the UK charts in 1978. Across Italy, Spain and much of Latin America though, she was enormous. Singer, dancer, actress, presenter and television personality, she became one of the defining faces of European popular culture during the 1970s. And her clothes were an important part of the package.

There were shimmering catsuits, enormous flares, tiny tops, plunging necklines, metallics, sequins, sheer fabrics and enough sparkle to make any sense you have left leave the room. Yet there was control to it. Carrà knew exactly how far she could push a look while still being able to move and dance in it.
So, if your idea of 1970s style stretches beyond prairie dresses and brown corduroy, come this way. Things are about to get much more fun.

What her style is all about

The easiest way to understand Raffaella Carrà’s style is to forget the idea that 1970s fashion had one single look.

She could be sporty one minute and completely theatrical the next. A neat pair of wide trousers might be followed by a silver bodysuit, then a barely there sequinned costume. She moved easily between mod influenced tailoring, glamorous disco dressing and slightly futuristic television costume.

Her recurring colours were wonderfully simple. Black, white, red and gold appear again and again in photographs and performances. The silhouettes did the rest. Wide trousers balanced cropped tops. Close fitting bodysuits were given exaggerated shoulders or sparkling embellishment. Long evening dresses came with deep necklines, enormous slits or sections of sheer fabric. Her wardrobe spans everything from disco and punk influence to futuristic costume, while the people who dressed her included Enrico Rufini, Corrado Colabucci, Luca Sabatelli, and Gabriele Mayer.

Movement mattered to her look. These clothes had to survive dancing, kicking, twisting and the famous Carrà hair flick. Her style sits somewhere between evening wear and stage wear, glamorous enough for prime time television but practical enough for choreography. Carrà summed up her approach very neatly: “Io devo vestaire Carrà.” In other words, she had to dress like Carrà, rather than simply wear someone else’s look.
That, I think, is why so many of her looks are still fresh. She dresssed for herself and as a character.

What her cultural and fashion impact was

Carrà arrived at precisely the right, it perhaps wrong, moment for conservative Italian television.
During Canzonissima in 1970, she performed Ma che musica maestro wearing a top which revealed her midriff. It caused an almighty fuss. Contemporary accounts describe it as the first exposed female midriff on Italian national television, something that seems comically innocent from a 2026 perspective.

Then came Tuca Tuca in 1971. The dance involved Carrà and her partner touching one another’s knees, hips, shoulders and forehead as the song progressed. RAI executives considered the choreography too provocative and temporarily censored it. Carrà later performed it with actor Alberto Sordi, and the routine became one of the most recognisable pieces of Italian television history.

The wardrobe is inseparable from all of this. Her little sequinned dresses, exposed stomach, Lycra and close fitting costumes gave her movements visibility. They made everything playful and fun rather than solemnly sexy.

By 1974, she was presenting Milleluci alongside Mina, one of the most celebrated variety programmes in Italian television. Carrà’s comparatively sporty, modern styling gave her a visual identity of her own beside Mina’s more dramatic glamour.

Her songs were pushing similar boundaries. A far l’amore comincia tu encouraged women to take the initiative in sex and Tanti Auguri celebrated sexual freedom. Over time, Carrà became associated with women’s independence and LGBTQ+ culture across Europe and Latin America, although she tended to treat her supposed revolutionary status more lightly than her commentators did.

Which brings us back to Fendi. Carrà now works as a fashion reference because her clothes are connected to something bigger than nostalgia. Freedom, movement, humour and femininity without meekness all feel remarkably current and relevant.

Style at a glance

• The silhouette: fitted through torso, exaggerated somewhere else. This is usually the leg, shoulder or sleeve.
• The trousers: high waisted and seriously flared.
• The tops: cropped, plunging, fitted or glittering. Frequently all four of these.
• The evening wear: metallic, sheer, embellished and designed for movement.
• The colours: red, black, white, silver and gold.
• The textures: sequins, lurex , Lycra, crepe and sheer tulle.
• The shoes: boots and heels substantial enough to dance in.
• The hair: a glossy bob, sometimes rounded and tucked under, sometimes straighter with the fringe changing throughout the decade.
• The makeup: dark elongated eyes, generous lashes and comparatively quiet lips.
• The attitude: absolutely no apologies for being noticed.

Key wardrobe pieces

You don’t need to dress like you’re about to host Saturday night television in Rome every time you nip out to Tesco. The trick is borrowing Carrà’s proportions and contrasts. Look for:

• High waisted flared trousers in black, cream or white
• A fitted black roll neck or fine knit
• Cropped jackets or waistcoats
• A jumpsuit with a strong 70s leg
• A simple crop top or vest for wearing beneath tailoring
• Metallic or sequinned evening separates
• A slinky maxi dress with movement through the skirt
• Knee high boots with a substantial, chunky heel
• Platforms with a fairly clean shape

If you buy one thing, I’d make it the flared trousers. They give you the quintessential Carrà shape.

5 Raffaella Carrà Outfit Recipes

Everyday Raffaella: The high waisted flares

The real life reference: Carrà’s early Canzonissima period

Her 1970 television wardrobe regularly played with fitted tops and long, lean trouser shapes. Most famously, Ma che musica maestro placed a cropped top front and centre and turned the glimpse of her stomach into national news. Enrico Rufini was her costume designer for Canzonissima 1970.

For an everyday version, keep the silhouette and calm everything else down. Wear black or chocolate high waisted flares with a fitted cream knit tucked in. Add heeled ankle boots, a belt and perhaps a little scarf at the neck. If you fancy trying the cropped proportions, choose a cardigan or jacket that finishes at the natural waist rather than actually getting your tummy out at half eight on a Monday morning.

Running errands Raffaella: The graphic 1970s look

The real life reference: Carrà’s geometric television costumes and sporty Mileluci wardrobe

One of the interesting things about Carrà is how frequently graphic outfits appear in her archives. Strong black and white combinations, close fitting upper halves and enormous trouser legs gave her a slightly futuristic edge. Vogue has linked the visual language of Italian television during this period with contemporary experiments by designers including Courrèges and Paco Rabanne.

Try a monochrome printed blouse with black wide leg trousers, chunky loafers or boots and large sunglasses. Or go one better with a patterned 1970s style jumpsuit. Keep jewellery to a minimum, the print is already doing enough.

Date night Carrà: the Tuca Tuca mini

The real life reference: Tuca Tuca, 1971

When Carrà first performed the routine in Canzonissima, she wore a sparkling mini dress while dancing with Enzo Paolo Turchi. Vanity Fair identifies the sequinned mini as part of the notoriety for the original performance.

Try a red or black mini or above the knee dress with a simple body skimming cut and a little shimmer. Add sheer tights and block heeled boots. If short skirts aren’t your thing, take the same idea into a sequinned top worn with beautifully cut black trousers. Then make the eyes smoky and keep the rest simple.

Night out Carrà: The Silver Stage Look

The real life reference: Carrà’s metallic performance costumes of the later 1970s

By Ma che sera in 1978, the sparkle had really arrived. Contemporary fashion coverage records Carrà in sequins, transparent fabrics and her recognisable blonde bob, with Luca Sabatelli becoming an important collaborator during this period.

For a night out, start with one metallic piece. A silver body or fitted lures top with wide black trousers would work beautifully. Add platform shoes and perhaps one wide cuff bangle. Or you could reverse it. A plain black top with shimmering wide leg trousers feels very Carrà to me.

Full glamour Carrà: The Forte Forte Forte Dress

The real life reference: Carrà’s spectacular 1978 touring wardrobe

This one is properly fabulous. For performances of A far l’amore comincia tu, Corrado Colabucci designed Carrà a long nude effect tulle dress covered in gold and silver sequins with a dramatic front slit and crystal embellishments. The dress, made by Gabriele Mayer’s atelier, later become one of the most frequently used pieces on her 1978 Forte Forte Forte tour.

You don’t need several kilos of Swarovski crystals to make this work for you though. Look instead for a fluid metallic maxi dress, preferably with a defined waist and movement through the skirt. A deep neckline or thigh split gives you the drama. Add platform sandals, a compact evening bag and very little jewellery.

Makeup

Carrà’s makeup makes sense when you remember that she worked under television lights most of the time. The eyes needed definition, and lots of it.

Archival beauty sources consistently show black pencil, eyeliner, smoky shadow and false lashes as Carrà signatures, with neutral and understated lips. Her brows stayed fairly fine, reflecting the beauty trends of the period.

How to recreate Raffaella Carrà’s 1970s makeup

The effect you’re looking for isn’t the pastel, frosty version of 1970s makeup you might see recreated now. Carrà’s was darker around the eyes and decidedly sexier.

• Start with a natural satin base. You want polished skin rather than a modern glassy finish.
• Lightly define the brows, keeping the shape slender.
• Sweep taupe, soft brown or muted grey shadow across the lid.
• Deepen the outer corner with charcoal or deeper brown.
• Take black or dark brown liner along the upper lash line and extend it lightly outwards.
• Add pencil close to the lower lashes concentrating on the outer half if a fully rimmed eye feels too heavy.
• Add plenty of mascara.
• For the full Carrà effect, add fluttery false lashes, especially at the outer corner of the eye.
• Use a soft peach or neutral rose blush.
• Finish with nude, muted coral, soft rose or gentle brick toned lipstick. The mouth shouldn’t complete with the eyes.

Hair

Ah the iconic bob. You could remove the sequins, the television studio and the microphone and many people would still recognise Raffaella Carrà from her hair alone.

Her famous bob was developed with hairstylist Celeste Vergottini around 1969. The style was deliberately adaptable and became longer, shorter, straighter, fuller and with different fringes as the years went on. In 1970, she wore very straight versions turned neatly under. By 1974 there were side parts, longer fringes and jaw length variations. By 1978 the silhouette could verge in a bowl shape.

How to recreate Raffaella Carrà’s hair

Don’t get too hung up on creating one absolutely precise Carrà haircut – she certainly didn’t.

• Ask your hairdresser for a strong bob somewhere between jaw and just below chin length depending on your face shape.
• Ask for enough weight through the perimeter to create that solid, swinging shape.
• For the classic 1970s version, keep layering restrained rather than asking for a modern shaggy bob.
• Ask for a fringe that can sit straight, slightly parted or swept to one side. Bring photographs of the Carrà bob that you like as her fringe changed considerably throughout the decade.
• At home, apply a smoothing or volumising product before drying.
• Blow dry using a round brush, directing the ends slightly inwards.
• Lift the roots around the crown, rather than flattening everything to the head.
• Finish with a small amount of hairspray, then move your head. The Carrà bob should actually have some bounce.

Final Thoughts

Fashion’s renewed interest in Raffaella Carrà feels very overdue. Her 1970s wardrobe gives us all the things we currently love revisiting about the decade – flares, metallics, jumpsuits, tiny crop tops, platforms and slinky evening dresses – but there’s personality in the mix.

She understood proportion, movement and that glamour could have a sense of humour. Maybe that’s the bit that’s worth borrowing the most. Start with the trousers, add a smoky eye and introduce a slightly ridiculous piece of gold. Amazing.

Until next time, stay delightful darling.

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