Pick A Decade

Yesterday's post about costume design got me thinking-- if I had to choose a decade that I would like to have lived and experienced in terms of fashion, which would it be?  Would I prefer the cumbersome, yet ornate dresses of the 18th Century as in Milena Canonero's designs for the film, Marie Antoinette?

18th Century dress at the Metropolitan Museum (left) / me on Halloween as Marie Antoinette

Probably not.  I don't know if I could deal with the corsets!  Maybe I would like to be an independent, modern girl of the 1920s...

dress: Jeanne Lanvin, 1927

Photo Credit: Chicago History Museum

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel in 1926

Photo Credit: guardian.co.uk

Nah, I couldn't handle prohibition!  A girl has the right to enjoy a glass of wine or two, doesn't she?  I think I would prefer the Hollywood glamour of the 1930's and 1940's.  Famous costume designer Adrian could be my personal stylist!

  

Designer, Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1930's

Mainbocher, 1936

Photo Credit: by Man Ray from the book Couture by Caroline Rennolds Milbank

Or, I could get groovy in the 1960's by wearing some Andre Courreges.  Yeah, baby!  Maybe I could even put the "grrrr" in swinger.  Take that Austin Powers!

Pierre Cardin, 1968

Photo Credit: AP/Worldwide Photos

1960's aluminum tunic, Paco Rabanne

Well, I missed all of those time periods and I grew up in the fabulous 80's.  Lucky me!

Thierry Mulger (left) and Claude Montana (right), circa 1987

both pictures from my personal archives (i.e. ripped out of Vogue)