Looking Back At Fashion Of The Past

Whenever I look back at past fashion, I am always reminded of a classic dress I received in the late 1970s as a gift from a thoughtful girlfriend

. It was from the '40s and was red, slinky and zipped at the side. A somewhat awkward angle for zipping myself into it, I always felt slim and exotic whenever I wore it. It looked great with vintage jewellery, especially earrings and brooches.

Stepping 'forward' into the 1950s, my favourite fashion statement was the poodle skirt. Barely a schoolgirl, I can remember spinning around and watching the skirt flare out. Sooo Laverne and Shirley! How great that it is making a comeback. Our grandchildren will love it!

When it comes to bling, nothing catches my eye like chunky diamante necklaces, brooches and earrings from the '50s twinkling at me as I walk past a charity shop window. It has a timeless and ageless quality about it.

This was also the age of the twinset and pearls. We have Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly to thank for popularising this look in the '50s and '60s. Elizabeth Hurley reprised the look in the 1997 film, 'Austin Powers'.

It's hard to beat the 1960s for all around weirdness and imagination. This was the decade of flower power and Mary Quant. A decade for wildly flowered, widely flared bell-bottom trousers. Accessories were big, bold and chunky. Mondrian was a recurring theme in fashion and accessories.

Then came the 1970s. Somebody forgot to tell us the 1960s were over. We never even bothered to put away our flares. They went so well with our loud, floral print shirts. What a perfect time to open an orthopaedic practice; this was the age of the platform shoe.

Although by this time natural materials such as Native American turquoise, exotic woods, feathers and bone were making their way into accessories, we hadn't quite forgotten how much we loved lucite. Bangles and beads prevailed until the decade took a bizarre turn. Vivienne Westwood introduced the likes of metal spikes, razor blades and safety pins onto the accessory counters.

The 1980s were about making sure tights and eye shadow picked up the colours in our outfits. The Jheri curl was fizzling out and we held our hair back with Alice bands. These were often fashioned out of tortoise shell plastic or covered in cushioned velvet. The gaudy plastic accessories of previous decades were being phased out in favour of metals, amber and enamel. Our leisure time was spent in lycra leggings.

The 1990s were so understated in comparison with earlier decades it's difficult to characterize them. Were we really that bland? Did we really wear those hideous tracksuits? These were the years of grunge, casual chic and complete rejection of fashion. Metal had all but completely edged out lucite in our choices of accessories. We started to see animals in our booches, often cats or reptiles.

So, here we are, in the 21st century. Whatever we are wearing, I hope future generations are kind to us!

by: Mandy Waters

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