Peter Yang / PEOPLE Magazine
The Today show cast stepped into a time machine for a special photo spread to honor PEOPLE magazine's 35th birthday. Meredith Viera, Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Ann Curry all donned their '70s best to give readers an idea of what they might've looked like if they hosted Today in 1974.
The photo spread appears in Friday's issue of PEOPLE, but the anchors gave viewers a sneak peek of their flashback looks on the Wednesday morning show (as well as on the show's staff blog).
We'll get to the guys in a second, but the women of Today looked surprisingly good in their polyester getups and retro 'dos. Ann Curry was in a timeless Diane Von Furstenberg-esque wrap dress and had a wavy shoulder-length hairstyle with sexy side-swept bangs. Meredith, too, really pulled off her look: a butterscotch-and-navy houndstooth shift dress paired with a giant, brushed silver owl pendant -- which is not unlike the ones seen on Urban Outfitters accessory racks right now.
Halloween came early for Today's men, who seemed to have raided the wardrobe closet of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Al Roker was resplendent in a pale-pink suit and massive, gold-wire-frame glasses. His hair was time-appropriate in its largesse, and his mustache looked like it could be his own (if he were to make such a style mistake). As for Matt Lauer, well, you'd be hard pressed to conceal your laughter if he were to walk into the room looking the way he does in the photos. His pale-blue suit was less distracting than his long, collar-grazing dark hair and massive mustache.
In Wednesday's preview of the PEOPLE anniversary issue, viewers were treated to a few pictures of what each of the Today show staffers looked like back in the day. Much like many '70s yearbook photos, all the anchors' hair, makeup and attire is comedic at best. All except for Matt, who looks like your typical preppy college student in a pastel-colored sweater. Not a bad look, Lauer!
What decade do you think had the best style? Chime in below!
