The newly appointed Bill Gaytten of Dior pointed out that Galliano missed the inspirational treasure trove of label. Instead of seeking the archives of Dior, designer kept on creating new innovative techniques. But Bill is all set to sieve Dior’s long fashion camaraderie and rest on its heritage to craft pieces having that vintage element amalgamating with modernity. It made me wonder what is so peculiar about vintage! Are designers uninspired enough to create new? Or, as Mary Quant, the creator of hot pants and miniskirts finds it an imitation, what concocts the beauty of retro?


Well the answer somehow lies in the charm of old; the memories of the past. Nostalgia has always been a major component of fashion and the styles of the past have the stories to say which we love to indulge in; the ladylike 60s, anti-fashion of 70s. But vintage fashion is more than just ransacking the attics and trunks of your grandparents and flaunting the best out of them. It’s about being distinctive. It’s about telling a story and wearing memories on your sleeves. Retro stands for combining old fashions with the current trends to create the vintage inspired looks.



So now in 2011 when fashion is borrowing the best from 20s and 30s, adopting 60s and 70s with a fresh twist and when people are raiding charity stores and thrift stores for those old Burberry classics and YSL pants, the romance of the retro was well defined by Fashion Historian James Laver way back in 1937. He set a timeline by which fashion is viewed over the years and accentuated on the fact that the fashion is cyclical which repeats itself and whether you like it or not 50 years after passing by of a style makes it charming again. He stated:


Indecent
10 years before its time
Shameless
5 years before its time
Outré (Daring)
1 year before its time
Smart
‘Current Fashion’
Dowdy
1 year after its time
Hideous
10 years after its time
Ridiculous
20 years after its time
Amusing
30 years after its time
Quaint
50 years after its time
Charming
70 years after its time
Romantic
100 years after its time
Beautiful
150 years after its time

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