If you could bring back trends from long ago, what would you bring back?

I would bring back high tops ( not Converse, I was never a Converse person myself), those barettes from Goody ( remember, like, the oval shapes, cats, bow-shaped, two birds, poodle dog?), those fluffly ribbons seen on Brady Bunch, certain kinds of hairbows, those beaded ponytail holders used on girls where there was one bead on each side of the ponytail holder, neon colors, hologram on shirts, fuller skirts with petticoat underneath ( as full as poodle skirts), those scarf-like ponytail holders from the 50s or 60s), tops with two pairs of spaghetti straps you tie over each shoulder, just to name some.

tape players

I wish the platform shoes that were available for men back in the late 60's early 70's would come back for men,I always liked them,wore them with hip hugger bell bottoms.

Yes, tape players! While were at it, records, reel-to-reels, the tvs before flat screen came out because these new tvs are too expensive, and you cannot get a $60 tv anymore...

You're much better than me. I could not dare do platforms myself. But I'd do bell bottoms in a heartbeat if I were to be interested in wearing pants again...

Classic clothes -- short enough to be interesting. Curves promote emotions. Objective people work with straight lines. Hermans' Hermits Dandy; check out this tract. 50 is an evolution: An adventure into teen-hood with knowledge. Love what you've got. I hope you planned well. Make the most of what is on your plate. If I could bring back a trend it would be feminine beauty and masculine charm with fidelity, values, happiness, and a willingness to compromise. Adaptability is a lost talent: Find it for success. Color is a vibration emitting more than you know. Be cognizant of how others receive the message. Communication is the key.

1994 -- the babydoll/floral dresses that ranged from flowy to form fitting around the torso/waist, worn with boots, socks and shoes, or whatever you wanted. It was so versatile, and so flattering to almost every figure. I've been watching Season 4 of "90210" on SOAPnet, and constantly lament the loss of those clothes. I loved them. They were the first clothes that made me feel like I could flatter my figure without being deemed a slut (*COUGH* cleavage forum *COUGH*), and were so feminine and comfortable.

Women dressing to go shopping, no shorts with cheeks hanging,flip-flops and cellphones. We used to dress to go downtown in Nashville, and had real sales clerks to help us shop. Then lunch in a nice place and boxes to carry by the handles. and a nice trip on the train home by dark, those were the days.

Bell bottoms in a heart beat. I was born in '90 so they were never popular in my lifetime as of yet, but I absolutely love them.

I've been in awe with the knitwear on Madmen, so I'd have to say sweaters from the early 60's and the jewelry and hairstyles to go with them.

Just about any women's style from the 30-40's. Love watching black and white movies, the women always dress sooo classy and elegant. Their hair and accessories are fantastic too.

The bustle...and the bonnet. Those bonnets that tied under the chin and in which you cannot see any part of the woman's face when looking at her profile. Love those bonnets! And those

I still dress up to go shopping! I grew up in a small town in Maryland, and I remember when even there the best dept store had a lunch room! My Mom and I would go there for lunch sometimes, and to browse, after we'd done our buying at JC Penny. Saturday afternoons, sigh. Or to a REAL soda fountain--those don't exist anymore!. Donna in Tijeras, NM.

Oh, hats, I would bring back hats. From the '30s through the 50's. I want some of the hats Myrna Loy wore in the Thin Man movies!

Donna in Tijeras

agree on the Madmen one- but woman's clothes all were so uncomfortable with girdles and hose and heels. Sorry, I'm a jeans girl...

Oh, I love this topic! I am reporter, usually for movies, but this past week I covered my very first fashion show. It was a retro one, focusing on Vintage fashions from the 30s, 40s, and 50s (if interested in pics: http://stacilaynewilson.wordpress.com). So sexy without being trashy, and figure-flattering. I loved'em. Personally, I wear a lot of Mod dresses from the 60s. I love the Pucci, op-art, and color blocks. Some of my dresses were actually stewardess uniforms, but now they just look funky and cool.

Staci

I think most people remember fondly the clothes they looked best in which---for most of us!---was early to mid twenties. Once you get older, the very idea of mini skirts, etc becomes (or should become!) embarrassing. I did wear mini skirts ( to the extent I was allowed) in my H.S. years....I remember being yelled at once: "you CANNOT go out of the house dressed like that"...of course I kept going!

In the late '60's, I liked the soft, loose, comfortable days of "REAL" bell bottoms (we bought them at the old Army-Navy Stores, which actually USED to sell old clothes from the military...at the time you could get sailor's bell bottoms, real VietNam cami jackets, all that type of thing which was totally comfortable and an androgynous look as well. I could still wear a young guys' bell-bottom's....which is now a distant memory! THeh bells bottoms were hip huggers, which influenced all the other pants/ shorts women (and men to a lesser extent ) wore. Do you knjow why the Navy had sailors wear bell buttoms? If they fell overboard into the ocean they could quickly get out of them, inflate them like a water balloon, and tie them around their neck to help float...the big bell bottom shape helped hold air in .

We females did not ---for the first time in many generations---have to "do" make-up, have our hair professionally "done" at a salon weekly or so (with all the hairspray so women looked like helmet heads, nothing moved: look at old video of say Pat Nixon); no manicures/pedicures; no stockings: in fact no bras in many cases....a lot of cotton was used and other natural substances for the clothes. Sandels were trendy, and having them handmade for you by a shoemaker was much much more "in" than getting a psuedo-handmade pair at say JC Penneys....btw it is Penneys I remember first copying these organic "up from the people" styles for the younger "kids" says junior or even high school age. Hair was worn long, and really, despite the typical propaganda of the time, kept clean by everyone I knew....

I know the clothes on say "Mad Men" look great, but I'm old enough :--( to recall the mid '60's, right before this huge cultural shift, and as a young teen was just being gotten into stockings (w/ garter belts, thats all there were); dresses for most occasions, and so on. Layering cologne/perfume, all that....plus the makeup, curling one's eyelashes.....just uncomfortable, unpleasant and time consuming...and made us (imho) look like a bunch of little matrons. Underwear---those awful pointed bras, girdles (real old timey TIGHT ones) unless you were very thin; and stockings, always....I remember disputing w/ some people about why we had to wear stockings WITH summer sandels...really. So, for most of us women going back pre-late '60's, even if they're my age but never dressed like I did, well, it helped release EVERYONE...by the early 1970's companies were SLOWLY letting female employees wear "pants suits"...up until then dresses or skirts were mandatory. For men also, if you look at old footage, even of sports games, look at the audience pre-late 60's, the men and even teen boys are ALL wearing coats, jackets, ties, and usually hats. By the early '70's they're all in casual (or more casual) clothes.

By the early-mid '70's it appeared every girl in the U.S. had long, straight hese tor, parted in the middle....look at old yearbook photos...guys wore their hair longer but not as long as those of use who were lucky enough to be in college and more "free" of most if not all the "rules" that younger kids had to abide by; as well as older people who had to go get jobs....

The long hair thing w/ guys of course began w/ the Beatles, then got longer and longer...it came to be strongly associated w/ the anti-war and pro-Civil Rights movement which so many of us were truly involved in. In fact, its a rarity, but there is an OLD Crosby, Stills and Nash song which starts " I almost cut my hair"...which is probably making many of you laugh but was supposedly written the night of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, the chief "bright light" for those who thought America had a chance to change for the better.

The Last Campaign: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days That Inspired America This book is excellent for anyone who might want to truly understand those times and not just the media invented version of them.....

I agree with you. We are about the same age I think. I loved the old bell bottoms (low hip huggers and real button-up flies (no zippers). You'd get them at the Army-Navy store and take them home, get them wet and put them on. After they dried, they fitted you like a glove! When they tried to bring bell bottoms back a few years ago they just weren't the same. The old bell bottoms were really tight in the thigh and the bell started at or just below the knee. They made us all look skinny. I remember wearing them with peasant blouses that felt really soft, out of natural fabrics (also skirts), or halter tops that we made ourselves out of scarves or bandannas, with leather sandals or hurrachis that formed to the shape of your foot and didn't give you blisters, or clogs that made you several inches taller so you bought some of your jeans longer than your legs. When the cuffs got frayed you made cut-offs out of the jeans with scizzors. I caught the tail end of the movie "Woodstock" recently. 1968-1974 was the best time ever unless you went to Vietnam or got busted protesting. Sigh... In about 1975 the whole world went polyester.
What I'd really want to bring back are the beautiful evening gowns of the thirties and forties, especially the ones with the sheer, hand-embroidered fabric that either covers or sort-of floats above bare shoulders. So pretty, even in black and white.

Probably you are right: "most" people are drawn to the fashions of their own youth. Personally, I did not grow up in the 40s or 60s, but I love those dress styles purely from an aesthetic standpoint. And, they look good for my body-type, so without being costumey (or trying not to), I can add bits and peieces to more modern, everyday items. I like to see tasteful people in vintage, projecting a pin-up'y, sleek, and cool look. Speaking of which, I don't understand the "cut-off age" for wearing mimi skirts or shorts. I think if you have great legs, and if the occassion is right, why not show them off? Perhaps there should be cut-off WEIGHT for certain styles (and that cuts both ways... I'd rather not see Teri Hatcher's bony rack in low tops, just as I don't think Rosie O'Donnell looks good in tight sweat pants). Anyway, when you're no longer 20, it's a lot about the fabrics: You didn't see Anne Miller or Marlene Dietrich in jeans cutoffs, but rather dark satins and silks. A short skirt doesn't have to cotton and ruffles, it can be wool, chiffon, or a gently pleated knit.

Staci

When women always wore pantyhose even under jeans,Keds tennis shoes as well,I came of age in the 70s was in my 20s through part of the 80s,well ok part of the 90s too,those were the days when women knew how to dress,I still have my long hair and refuse to cut it.

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That is one of my favorite CBN songs! Not my top favorite, as my top favorites are Captain Shadow, Wooden Ships, Suite:Judy Blue Eyes, and Deja Vu ( also that Boot Whiskey Hill medley), but it is high on the list!
I am SOOOOO grateful to never have to do pointy bras, and can do the shape of today, even sports bra. And have the no-underwire option!

Nehru jackets (sherwani). Crisp, clean lines for either men or women. In cool weather, they can be closed at the throat for warmth.

trans fats

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