Alan wrote:

Hello, I'm writing because I was given a photo from January 9, 1940 that has a large group of people at what seems to be a very nice hotel and it says: McGreevey, Werring & Howell Co. Fashion Forum Hotel, New York and wondered if any of the top fashion designers from that time would have attended that forum. Perhaps the pictures might help. Thank you.

(Click to enlarge)

Dear Alan,

The period in which this photo was taken was right smack in the middle of the creation of an American fashion industry identity. Beginning in the mid 30s manufacturers and various levels of government began to organize American clothiers into representative bodies with collective goals. I am not aware of who the Fashion Forum is -- judging from the number of men in attendance and how the women are dressed, it looks more likely that the group consisted of journalists and perhaps manufacturers rather than a more society oriented high fashion crowd. There are groups that emerge due to the War in Europe, to discuss how American fashion can guide itself and take advantage of the situation to strengthen its position as a clothing manufacturer, but January 1940 is too early for such a group to yet exist. The New York Dress Institute which was created for such reasons didn't exist until August 1940, nearly a full year after the war began in Europe. I don't recognize any people in the picture but the American fashion scene was not yet littered with personalities in 1940 -- it was the war that made many American designers household names such as Gilbert Adrian, Claire McCardell, Lilly Dache, Hattie Carnegie, and Sophie Gimbel.

I am sorry I can't help you further but I will post these pics for our membership to see them, in case anyone in the crowd is recognized.

Hope this has helped and good luck with your research on this picture.

Mr. Vintage

Sally wrote:

Hi Mr. Vintage,

My name is Sally Armitage and I'm studying at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia and am currently doing an assignment on vintage clothing and the popularity of retro clothing.

I just stumbled across your website and was wondering if I could ask you 2 questions as I think you would provide an interesting opinion on the topic.

Mainly I was interested in what your theories were on why vintage clothing has become so popular and secondly your thoughts on the retro revival and the copying of designs from previous eras for major consumption.

If you were able to answer these questions it would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for your time,

Sally Dear Sally;

The academic study of vintage clothing is is an area of interest which has expanded in recent years. There was a book published on the subject I would highly recommend, if you haven't found it already. It is called 'Old Clothes, New Looks - Second Hand Fashion' Edited by Alexandra Palmer and Hazel Clark, published by Berg, 2005.

Certainly the trade in vintage clothing is as old as the clothing trade itself, but it was given new life in the 1960s when Hippies began to frequent thrift shops for Victorian nightgowns and ostrich plumes to wear. I have been buying vintage clothing since the mid 1970s and although the types of vintage clothing sought over the years has changed there has been a consistent sub cultural youth market, from Hippies to Goths, looking for unique vintage clothing for personal expression. Victorian underwear and floppy hats were the first big craze in the 60s, then in the early 70s it was beaded or velvet 1920s - 1940s gowns and 40s platform shoes that were the rage. By 1980 the Punks were looking for motorcycle jackets and military boots but a couple of years later New Wavers were looking for 50s crinolines, shark skin suits, cat's eye glasses and stiletto heeled shoes.

Fetishists and Goths were into corsets and black dresses, judge's robes and dramatic Victorian velvet bodices in the early 90s but the market was beginning to change by then. By the mid 1990s, prices were dramatically increasing for vintage clothing, especially designer labeled goods and society women were now looking for classic Chanel and Hermes bags and scarves. If you ask a lot of collectors out there -how long have they been collecting, I will guarantee that most will say 10-15 years. It seems by the mid 1990s everyone was collecting something, and vintage clothing was one of those new areas of interest.

Since the 1970s, fashion has been heavily influenced by street wear.

Designers pay attention to what trends they see in clubs and trendy areas of town and incorporate elements of those styles into their new designs. This was first apparent in the early 70s when Yves St. Laurent created a floaty floral print gypsy collection which was heavily influenced by the American Hippie movement. Ever since, we have seen designers openly borrowing examples of styles from the past. The 80s were all about the 1940s and 1950s, and by the end of the 1980s, the 1960s miniskirt was influential. The 1990s were heavily influenced by Hippie and 1970s styles and today we are even seeing elements of 1980s revivals in clothing! It is no secret that the big vintage clothing sales in New York attract representatives from companies like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Donna Karan. They go to buy examples of old clothes that will inspire their collections, they borrow ideas of color, cut and draping to incorporate into a new look.

Since the early 70s it has been possible to wear vintage fashionably, mixing it in with new clothing to tweak a look, making it unique for its wearer. I remember seeing women in the 70s wearing black velvet theatre coats from the 30s over modern evening gowns, and I knew a lot of women who sought out peddle pushers and cardigans in the 80s because they were better quality and cheaper than the nearly identical modern ones available.

Since the late 1990s it has become easier to buy vintage through the expanded marketplace of the internet. It used to be that the best vintage could only be found in London or New York. That is no longer the case. Now, thanks to the internet, you might find the perfect vintage dress or accessory that is exactly what you are looking for and is in your size in Antwerp or Saskatoon!

Also, since the late 1990s it has become a badge of distinction, a sign of wealth and style to have at least one or two pieces of vintage in your wardrobe. Actresses like Demi Moore, Rene Zellweger, and Reese Witherspoon frequently wear vintage gowns on the red carpet. The first time I remember this being a big thing was in 2001 when Julia Roberts wore a vintage Valentino dress (that was barely 15 years old) to the Oscars where she won for Erin Brokovitch. Every newspaper and television station reported on her wearing vintage to the Oscars. Since that time magazines like Vogue have been promoting wearing vintage to its readers, so it really has become a trend for the new millennium.

I hope that answers your question Sally -- it's a big topic and one that is very interesting! Good luck with your paper, or should I say 'break a pencil lead' -- maybe its bad luck to wish a writer good luck!

Mr. Vintage

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