"Like poetry, fashion does not state anything. It merely suggests."-Karl Lagerfeld

Monday, April 30, 2012

One For the Ages


WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE TO BE 120 YEARS OLD—AND WHAT WOULD YOU WEAR? AMBER VALLETTA TAKES A DECADE-BY-DECADE TRIP THROUGH A CENTURY’S WORTH OF ENSEMBLES.


September 29, 1929: A month before the stock market’s Black Tuesday, our heroine’s opium-tinged 29th- birthday party in the Blue Room rolls on.



November 16, 1936: With Edward VIII threatening to marry Wallis Simpson and the national economy still in the tank, one needs all the help one can get.



October 2, 1947: Having a bun in the oven makes it impossible to wear those divine new look wasp silhouettes—but that’s no excuse to turn down an invitation to El Morocco.





October 10, 1958: Finally! There had to be an upside to the stifling corset trend all those boring housewives have been so excited about.






September 27, 1966: Just back from Mary Quant’s party to celebrate her O.B.E. and now living out her own swinging sixties, our heroine gets ready for her close-up.






September 22, 1979: Her beloved Studio 54 is on its last legs—and, frankly, so is she. It’s a long way from the nightclub’s balcony to the floor, but the wall-to-wall helps cushion the fall.






October 18, 1986: After a strictly enforced “Just Say No” regimen, our material girl is back in action and ready for the Neo- Geo opening at the Sonnabend Gallery.






September 6, 1998: A chance encounter with Tom Ford—an old friend from Studio 54—leads to a glam wake for the last days of disco before escaping for some much needed R&R.






September 10, 2009: Several years into her second century, it’s time for Fashion’s Night In: a moment for reflection, tenderness, and…




September 30, 2019: Girding herself for another decade—and another new generation—our heroine heads out for dinner. There’s a place just around the corner she’s been going to forever…