Once again, full skirts impeccably hemmed to the mid-calf, exaggerated cinched waists and gorgeously flaunted collar bones and bustlines are back. Trends personified by Grace Kelly and Christian Dior's "flower women" highlighted women's curves in the 1950s. Wearing what became known as the "New Look," Dior's women were feminized and ready to bloom. And fifty years later, after flower women, flower-power, power suits and what can only be described as the current all-around new millennium motley mode, '50s classics are back.
Go for the hourglass look; after years of the popsicle-stick shape of skinny jeans and a square torso, the reintroduction of such a feminine form is certainly welcome. For those of you who like the urban-alternative look, sporting a '50s silhouette need not prevent you from expressing yourself. Take a look at Prada's Spring-Summer 2008 collection (left), where full skirts and cardigans acknowledge the past but '70s-inspired wacky prints keep the look fresh and intriguing (think the Partridge Family meets Pleasantville). Try tucking a T-shirt into an A-line skirt with a wide belt. Find a beatnik leather jacket to throw on over a sundress like on Gucci's Spring-Summer 2008 runway. Even Urban Outfitters is getting in on the flirty fun: their Lux Voile Bow Skirt, an irresistibly cute, black, poofy mini with a big, white bow in front gives a shout out to our beloved Ms. Kelly and proves you can be alternative using feminine fundamentals!
From crisp jackets with trim sleeves to cropped pants with perfectly placed hems, today's trends revive the lost art of precise tailoring. Ditch the shapeless North Face fleeces and wear a bright peacoat with a pair of trouser-inspired stovepipes. Try on a metallic boatneck jacket with three-quarter sleeves like those in the current Michael Kors ready-to-wear collection. Maybe even have a little fun a la "The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit." Wear the trousers with a skinny belt and tightly tucked in T-shirt, or the jacket cinched at the waist with a wide belt and paired with white denim.
Practically speaking, however, I can't imagine girls walking across the Green in March wearing fanciful dresses like the one Kelly wore in "Rear Window"; nor am I supporting the Madison Avenue misogynist's image of women returning to the kitchen wearing perfectly pressed skirts. The looks of the post-war era which rejuvenate fashion for 2008 are neat tailoring, trim fits and full skirts. So although it's fun to raid vintage stores searching for lost pieces of gold, we can interpret the '50s without having to wear authentic pieces. Let's just get back to dressing like women.
We are revisiting a time stylishly, not socially. After so much cultural change, we can't blindly replicate these looks; why not try having a little fun with it instead?
