Welcome to the Era of Archival Fashion
A theory: whoever said that “Everything old is new again” was actually trying to buy a nice lightweight sweater or jacket for fall 2018.
That’s because everywhere you turn, the newness that designers constantly espouse looks increasingly…old. And that’s by design. Brands ranging from Burberry and Versace to Ralph Lauren and J. Crew are counting on old chestnuts from their very own archives to be this year’s hottest sellers.
For her spring men’s and women’s collections, Donatella Versace deployed archival prints with the subtlety of an atom bomb, decorating everything with curlicues, Roman statuary, and distorted checks and zig-zags with glee. They were pulled from the vast Versace archives but never before used. Still, that sense of throwback permeated her spring women’s showing with the introduction of the Tribute Collection. A quick whirl on the Italian’s brand’s site shows the men’s offering is also robust: Andy Warhol pop art Marilyn Monroe prints, cheetah prints and Vogue covers, and plenty of gilding in increasingly baroque patterns fill out the collection.
Similarly, one of Christopher Bailey’s last moves at Burberry before he departed as its longtime creative director was the introduction of the From the Archive collection, now available online. Scarf prints from the 1980s and 1990s and the brand’s vintage logo decorate sweatshirts, button-ups, sneakers, and line the iconic trench.
Just last month, on the eve of his big 50th anniversary collection, Ralph Lauren reintroduced his Polo Hi Tech collection, a colorful and sporty line from the early 1990s. J.Crew, meanwhile, has brought back a line of rollneck sweaters, an anorak, and twill shirts from three decades hence, each labeled with the year that they were originally introduced (1988, 1989, and 1987, respectively). Even Calvin Klein is embracing its history with the logo-heavy Calvin Klein Jeans Est. 1978 collection.
Of course, the 20-year fashion trend cycle is no doubt at play here—everywhere you look, the 1990s are experiencing a revival. It’s perfect timing for a new generation of plugged-in teens to see old clothes with fresh eyes, while aging millenials can look back fondly (or not-so-fondly) with a sense of ownership—they, after all, helped to spearhead these sartorial movements.
But there’s also a nice sense of familiarity here, of nostalgia. We instantly understand these visuals. We get how these items fit into our wardrobes and, more broadly, the world at large—even if the rest of the world seems to be simultaneously on fire and falling apart.
Perhaps the most telling aspect about all these dips into the archive is how well they work. Shockingly, nothing looks dated or feels out of place. In fact, it’s as if they never left, old familiar friends who deserve a spot in your closet. Maybe the biggest flex this season is to say, “This old thing? It’s brand new.”
