Who says there’s no going back?
The world of fashion is forever going back to its roots to reconstruct today’s top styles. And these last years of the first decade of the 21st century are no exception.
Just look what Amy Winehouse and other singing stars brought back to the spotlight: a look that was all the rage over 40 years ago. Tall teased beehive hairdos. Liquid eyeliner. Pearl lipsticks. Fishnet stockings. Simple belted frocks. Boxy clip purses in loud prints and plastic coated fabrics.
Of course, the Winehouse style incorporates elements from the early 70s too – mini minis. Psychedelic colours. Chunk heel boots. Clunky jewellery including dangling earrings and big necklaces.
And Winehouse and early doo-wop fashions aren’t the only retro style that’s zoomed through the turn of the century.
Take the The Sex and the City girls who have managed to revive interest in 50s-inspired frou-frou prom styles and party dresses as well as the trim “I-mean-business” haughtiness of the 80s (minus the shoulder pads).
The art deco styling of the 30s worn by Keira Knightly in Atonement is not without its charms. And Christina Aguilera belted her way through a number of her more recent videos in 40s pinup-girl gowns and high-waisted trousers artfully topped off with a snazzy fedora. Even pop-rock songstress Avril Lavigne reaches into the past to echo the kohl rimmed eye makeup worn by film greats Theda Bara and Clara Bow from the 20s.
Office apparel also borrows from decades gone by. Katherine Hepburn may have popularized the look of sophisticated women in trousers and suit jackets way back when, but it’s still on center stage thanks to Diane Keaton and Madonna in different phases of their careers.
The beauty of today’s fashion is that there is not ONE trend but many. Style can be whatever you wear well. Which means Jennifer Anniston’s longer razor cut locks and the simple lean lines of her uncomplicated clothes, and Maria Carey’s tumbling glossy curls and weakness for satins and silks, and Rihanna’s sky high stiletto heels and snappy spiky ‘do are IN style if they’re worn WITH style.
