Monday, March 23

#12 - fashion


You receive an invitation in the mail to appear before (what the letter describes as) an "expert panel". The invitation does not go into very much detail, but your curiosity piqued, you arrive at the appointed building downtown at the appointed time on the appointed afternoon.

After spending a few minutes in a waiting room, you are escorted by a striking receptionist to a mostly dark room. Five older individuals, smartly clad in all black, sit in a set of identical chairs that are lit from above. They strike you as a stern, imposing bunch, though they exchange glances with one another that indicate that they are not totally without a sense of humor.

After listening to some introductory statements from these individuals, it becomes clear that they are the real-life fashion police. The group functions similarly to the Supreme Court, members being replaced as they choose to resign. Their decisions have directly and indirectly shaped the industry for decades and they exert significant influence on what is considered stylish.

After the introductions, the panel reveals why they brought you here. They are looking to bring back a specific fashion trend from a past decade, but have been unable to reach a consensus. As they are currently deadlocked amongst themselves, they have agreed to entertain suggestions from those outside their number, outside the entire fashion industry in fact. You are at this meeting representing John Q. Public, though you are asked to respond for yourself, based on your own personal likes and dislikes.

So their question is, if you could reinstate a single fashion trend from sometime in the 20th century, what would it be?

14 comments:

Unknown said...

This is easy. If I had the whole push of the fashion's elite, I would bring back hats. I love hats...and I'm not talking about the baseball kind. They are the one thing that I can't seem to wear comfortably /without feeling out of place.

julia said...

suspenders and bowties because they're so fly!

julia said...

actually i have a few more to add.
-flowers or the little folded things in men's breastpockets.
-fros for women (70s) and spiky hairstyles for men (korean pop stars)
-bright lipstick
-large and elegant non-dangling earrings
-a way to make the popped collar not a douchebag label, because i think it actually is flattering on most people
-madonna's cone shaped bra. just kidding!

Unknown said...

Skirts for dudes. Think about it. Loose, free flowing, comfortable, long so you don't need to worry about crossing your legs, a nice breeze on your man parts, what's not to like?

I am confident that at some point in history this was socially acceptable.

Unknown said...

Not to burst your bubble, Greg, but I believe the post stipulated the 20th century...and I've never heard about guy skirts being all the rage...

I'm still thinking about my own answer. Mostly I want to get RID of fashion trends, not bring any back.

Chris said...

I would bring back the 1950's, particularly the swing skirt (complete with petticoat). I think a 50's silhouette is the epitome of femininity.

Joe said...

Baggy MC Hammer pants\jeans. I hate wearing tight jeans that make it uncomfortable to sit.

Starter jackets, from the NWA\early 90's rap music days. I miss those...

Oh yeah, and the basketball shoes with the Pump on it...those were awesome

Sheila said...

Bellbottoms. I'm not talking about like flares or boot cut jeans, but like the big, wide, floppy bellbottoms, preferably with the extra material sewn into the middle. Ahh, hippy attire.. those bands that went around the head were cool too.

Oh, and hot pants, although I know these are not always appropriate. Think Three's Company. Only because I think women should be able to show their legs without wearing either uncomfortable skirts in which they cannot sit or geeky looking long shorts.

This is hard - I could think of 10 more!

Sheila said...

P.S. - If Joe and I both wore our chosen attires, we would look awfully ridiculous together!!

Joe said...

hot pants on sheila=win

Unknown said...

Slap bracelets? LOL

I'd like it if I could wear crazy over the top but fabulous dresses like old girl groups. Even not so old girl groups, like En Vogue...

I'd much rather get rid of some things than bring something back!

Matt said...

It would be great if people wore hats again. You see it some today, but it's definitely not the norm.

So I'd vote for hats, or maybe an updated flapper-type look for the ladies.

Christine Yun said...

Big hair. I'm not sure if I'm limited to clothing/accessories, but I'd like to reinstate the afro.

Unknown said...

I have to say that my decision between hats and a cinched waist was a hard decision. I greatly dislike the new waistless fashion. It looks terrible on me.