Nostalgia Fuels a Trip to the Fashion of the Past
Fashion. No matter what decade in time you look at, there will always be a new statement made and a new go-to look. Nowadays the favorite trends from the 1960s, 1980s, and 2000s are coming back: layered tank tops and lace from the 2000s; the mini skirt being originally from the ’60s; the big, layered, hair and colorful earrings started in the ’80s. No matter what point in time, people never stop exploring fashion and their own unique approach.
1950s
The end of World War II and new resources meant designers started coming out with new collections. The ’50s was an explosion of style as people resumed life after the war. The ’50s was marked by strong silhouettes, stilettos, and a bold red lip. Hair was mainly styled with rollers and tied up behind a pillbox hat and matching scarf. Coordination was key, especially between hats, gloves, and handbags.
The decade started with Dior’s new look showcasing hourglass body shapes and big circle skirts. Women used crinolines and bullet bras to achieve an hourglass figure.
When it came to accessories, pillbox hats started to climb in popularity. A pillbox hat is a small hat with a flat crown, straight, upright sides, and no brim, sometimes marked with a 3D detail of a bail, or embellishment. They were most commonly paired with power suits, kitten heels, and a chunky bag.
Throughout the whole decade, while the clothing for women was formal, men’s wear capitalized on the casual “bad boy look,” also known as “Teddy Boys.” It can easily be achieved with jeans, a plain shirt, and a more colorful coat layered over top. Hair was combed back or slicked. A good example of the go-to look would be a young Marlon Brando.
The ’50s was a powerful decade for fashion, not because of the big-name companies but more so the bigger celebrities rising in popularity during this period like Marilyn Monroe and Brando. The ’50s was the start of modern fashion.
1960s
By the 1960s, the fashion industry had a new muse: the youth. Young people were more willing to experiment with their fashion thanks to the steady development in women's rights, as well as all the new rock n’ roll bands like The Who and The Beatles. Young girls wanted a new look to show up to their favorite concert.
First was the paper dress. This dress is not actually made of paper; instead, its intent was to make the wearer look like a paper doll. The pure white fabric and black outlines around pleats and stitching make the look convincing. Today this trend is back in the spotlight as creators like @Crescentshay and @angemariano97 are making their own versions with new colors, fabrics, and techniques.
Secondly, the mini skirt was extremely popular and is widely considered a timeless trend. It was created by Christian Dior in 1946 but gained popularity slowly before 1964. By the end of the decade, skirts ranged from micro to mini, paired with coordinating tights. The opacity of the tights varied depending on the amount of leg showing and the length of the skirt. Mini skirts were paired with bright tights while midi length skirts were paired with much more sheer pantyhose. The look was most commonly paired with a wedge boot/heel or Mary-Jane. (Mary-Janes is a style flat or loafer that is mainly black, with one or two straps going over the top of the foot. The size of the heel varies from inches to a flat).
Men’s fashion has always leaned toward formal suits, but, in this decade, suits became casual wear. This look can be achieved with a simple dress shirt or turtleneck, with checkered or patterned suit pants.
The ’60s also saw the rise of hippies stepping into the fashion scene. The free-flowing life embodied by hippies directly influenced the free flow of the style. The hippie aesthetic is achieved with flowy pants, tie dye, headbands, long hair, crunchy necklaces, and statement belts.
1980s
More, bigger, and brighter. The 1980s were all about setting the tone with big hair, neon colors, and shoulder pads. The ’80s were known for athleticore: bodysuits or leotards plastered over radiant tights, leg warmers, sweatbands, and colorful earrings to match fizzy, afro-like hair.
This wasn’t just a fashion statement; the women of the ’80s were eager for exercise and had a fascination with health and wellness. Another staple of the ’80s are the power suits and signature shoulder pads. The power suits this decade were all about being as feminine, radiant and powerful as possible. Suits could be all different fabrics but still follow a similar formula: a bright skirt and a similar blazer top, with flair sleeves, belts, and patterns. Chunky neck pieces such as pearls or stones, a feather boa, or a bow were also common accessories. Although modernized, the trend of chunky statement necklaces came back in the 2000s.
Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel made a “preppy” look. It was unlike what is called preppy today, and some people called it drab because the collection showcased more muted colors. Ralph Lauren really started to push this look, which many adults today remember well.
“I liked rugby shirts with the colors up, the belts with embroidery,” Head of Upper School Meadow Davis said. She said that all these pieces fell into the preppy aesthetic, but she also expressed that embroidered belts might just be a “New England thing.”
Bodycon dresses also became extremely popular. They were perfect because they capitalized on the natural curves of a woman's body. Originally popularized in the French fashion scene, and then brought to the U.S., bodycon is now a staple in every fashion show just as it was in the ’80s.
Once again a strict contrast between men’s and women's fashion arose due to the new popular type of music: hip-hop.
Ninth-grade Dean Mark Lukach, a rock enthusiast, said, “It’s all about the music of the era. Hip hop street was huge, and rock. To me, fashion in the ’90s and 2000 was so influenced by music. I think it still is today, but especially then.”
This new style of music became a movement with its own look. And this unique look was what is seen a lot in streetwear today. Hip-hop revolutionized a baggy jean, specifically acid wash, a graphic white t-shirt, sneakers, and to top it all off powerful jewelry: chains, rings, and more. The ’80s was a decade of bright colors and change.
2000s
Nowadays, if people go on TikTok and search for Millennials, 2000s, or Y2K, they will find hundreds of videos covering the fashion and culture of the 2000s. Past the layered polo shirts and perfume, the decade started off with elegance. Most notably, Jennifer Lopez wore an iconic green dress with the neckline stretching all the way down to her belly button at the Grammys.
In particular, the 2000s were revolutionary thanks to the fact that Twitter came out that decade and started the rise of digital fashion consumption.
The 2000s also really brought logos into fashion. Every single luxury brand started to put their logos over everything. During the same time, Fendi came out with their famous Baguette bag. At first, the Fendi team was worried that the Baguette wouldn’t be popular since they were still in an era of minimalism, but bags became a focal point of the outfit. Every major fashion label had its own it-girl white bag stamped with its trademark logo.
The revolution of luxury bags and logos spurred the start of counterfeit bags. A counterfeit Louis Vuitton bag, found at the mall, paired well with skinny jeans and layered tank tops.
The next evolution in the decade was skinny jeans. Skinny jeans, just like the name says, are tight, form-fitting jeans, that lay just against the skin like leggings. Britney Spears became a face of the trend of wearing low rise, skinny jeans to music festivals, performances, and award shows.
Low rise became the default jeans, making jeans acceptable for all occasions. In Vogue’s September 2001 issue, Sarah Mower said, “They’re rocking. Posing and pirouetting. Diving off into a zillion cuts, rinses, and textures, while simultaneously gate-crashing into unheard-of echelons of society, jeans can be street, ladylike, dressed up, dressed down. They’re cool every day. They do black-tie. They’re fantasy and reality.”
To go with those skinny jeans and counterfeit bags would be boho, a beachy aesthetic, which became known for its femininity, layers, and club-like aspect. Popularizd by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, boho is all about layering and styling individual pieces that shouldn't go together: for example, shirts over puddle jeans, layered with a bolero, skinny scarf, or chunky necklace.
The makeup of the 2000s has to come down to making your eyes as big as possible. This look can easily be achieved by smearing an eyeliner pencil under the eye. To tie it together, light-colored sparkly eyelashes and a pink lip topped it off. Pair all this with a boho outfit or bandage dress.
Re-emerging Trends Today
Many of these trends have re-emerged in recent years. The most notable one has to be skinny jeans. Although luxury denim isn’t as common in the fashion shows of today, skinny jeans are back in style and don’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon.
Band t-shirts are timeless and they can easily be from any decade, especially the ’90s.
Meadow said, “The off-the-shoulder shirt was around back in the Madonna Era, and they were neon and you didn’t cut them yourself. Nowadays I feel that everyone cuts them themselves.”
Cutting shirts is still popular, but so are Uggs and Birkenstocks, all from the 2000s. Aesthetics are similar: fashion just can’t get enough of boho, cool girl, and athleisure. Fashion is a cycle, but even as it brings back the old trends, it never stops being a space of free expression.
