From the Puppini Sisters to footballers wives, women everywhere are embracing the chic glamour of times gone by, says Carrie-Ann Skinner
As Christmas fast approaches, New Year is getting even closer. However, you could be forgiven for thinking that we are hurtling towards 1947 rather than 2007! For the last year, fashion has been dominated by the 1940s and 1950s. We’ve seen a huge come back in pencil skirts, nipped in waists, peep-toe shoes all topped off with lashings of red lippy.
And it’s not just fashion that’s turning back the clock. We’ve a number of celebrity style icons turning towards the decade for inspiration for their red carpet outfits. In fact, the obsession with the 1940s and 1950s has even made it on to our cinema screens and in to our pop charts. As we turn back the clock, are we turning into our grandmothers?
A few years ago, Gwen Stefani was simply known as the girl who fronted ska-rock band No Doubt and had a passion for fluttering eyelashes and pouting red lips. But in the last two years she’s blossomed into a solo star, a yummy mummy and a style icon, whose trade-mark red lipstick and 1940s style has become the benchmark for females across the globe. It doesn’t matter whether you’re strutting down the red carpet or simply down to the tube station, it’s now cool to wear fishnets, fake eyelashes and corsets.
The look isn’t just for America’s sweethearts though. Many UK-based celebrities have also adopted the look. Kelly Brook ditched her slightly risqué look when she dumped fiancé Jason Statham and has instead opted for Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn inspired clothes, make-up and hair dos. In the process she’s also netted her own Clark Gable in the shape of US actor, Billy Zane.
If that’s not enough, she has also managed to transfer her look to the UK high street by designing a range of swimwear and lingerie for New Look. With her gingham bikinis, corsets, French knickers and suspender belts flying off shelves (and at prices suitable for all pockets) the range has certainly been a success, proving the public are also adopting the look.
Girls Aloud, Coleen McLoughlin and even Victoria Beckham are just some of the endless celebrities that have courted the very glamorous and feminine look. One celebrity who has embraced the decade dramatically is Christina Augileria. After gaining a gold band on her ring finger, the once ‘Dirrrrty’ singer who sported dreads, leather chaps and a nose ring, has been spotted stepping out looking incredibly elegant and graceful in short tight blonde curls, cashmere cardigans and knee length skirts. The 1940s influence can even be seen in her music, with her ‘Back to Basics’ album featuring some boogie-woogie, jitterbug and jive-esque tracks. Although, she’s not the first.
The Puppini Sisters created something of a stir on the UK music scene this year with their debut album Betcha Bottom Dollar which took modern tracks (I Will Survive, Wuthering Heights and Heart of Glass) and gave them an Andrews Sisters feel. Think smooth vocal harmonies and lilting melodies. The album also offers up some cover versions of classics such as Mr Sandman and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Meanwhile Film-Noir, the movie genre most commonly associated with the 1940s has even made reappearance in the noughties. Uber-glamorous Scarlett Johansson stared alongside Josh Harnett in The Black Dahlia – an adaptation of James Ellroy's thriller about the murder and dismemberment of a failed actress, nicknamed The Black Dahlia.
But why are we turning to all things retro in the noughties? It’s a combination of glamour and femininity. The 1980s was a decade that saw women becoming as powerful as men. Women were making the same amount of money and gaining the same rights and power as their male counterparts. This was quite clearly reflected in the fashion - boxy shoulder pads and masculine tailoring both topped off with ostentatious and flashy jewellery.
Meanwhile as the 1990s took over, the public turned to Mother Earth. As environmental protesters such as Swampy made their way into our hearts and minds, fashion took on a grungy feel. Combats and trainers a la All Saints became a heavily adopted look during the decade and as we progressed into the noughties this was replaced by Heroin Chic. Runways sported models that were boyish in looks and figures were becoming alarmingly skinnier.
Now as we head towards 2007, the tide has quite clearly turned. Women are seeking a more feminine and glamorous look. We’ve got tired of dressing as men or androgynously – we now long for the glamour and elegance our grandmothers had. So dig out your sky scrapper heels and pencil skirt and wear your red lipstick and flash eyelashes with pride – feminine fashion is here to stay!
Carrie-Ann Skinner is a freelance journalist and PR executive specialising in fashion, music and property. She can be contacted at carrieannskinner@hotmail.com
