David Bowie and Bryan Ferry have inspired a Seventies fashion revival this spring

This summer, look back to the sharper side of the Seventies

Suit jacket, £200, by Topman; floral shirt , £25, by Asos, asos.com (© Neil Bedford)

The seventies are commonly characterised as the decade that taste forgot - loud prints, wide flares, the Bay City Rollers. However, it's easily forgotten that the period also spawned some of the longest-enduring stylistic specimens, particularly when it came to menswear.

The choice exemplars are David Bowie and Bryan Ferry, whose musical influence can only be equalled by the inspiration their respective appearances provided to an entire generation. And it wasn’t just for him: Raf Simons' spring 2015 haute couture collection for Christian Dior, for example, transposed Bowie’s Ziggy jumpsuits onto spindly, spidery female models.

Ferry’s fashion was, generally, less outrageously flamboyant than Bowie. Antony Price was the designer responsible for Roxy Music’s look throughout their career: he dressed Ferry in sharp suiting, in ice-cream shades and fabric normally used for womenswear, like icy pastel satin or brightly-coloured taffetas.

Ziggy and Roxy are polar opposites, true, but they’re certainly not tasteless. In fact the clothes Ferry and Bowie sported are still relevant and attractive today. It’s their style both high fashion and the high street (at least, the best of it) have filched for this spring's Seventies revival. Granted, there are a few too many flares. But keep the cut sleek and the patterns sharp, and the look feels like a contemporary update rather than Flashbacks Of A Fool – or rather of his foolish wardrobe choices.

They key points to remember? Remake, remodel, but don’t rehash. And, no matter how aggressive this revival gets, leave drip-dry in the past where it belongs.

Photography: Neil Bedford

Styling: Lee Holmes

Groomer: Lee Machin at Caren Agency

Model: Kit at Next Management

Fashion assistant: Kristy Robertson