Nothing is new. Again. Much has been made of the spring 1995 season, when ready-to-wear designers time-traveled through the 20th Century, ripping off everything from the Gibson Girl to Rosie the Riveter to Charlie’s Angels. Granted–as you’ll see in a few pages–retro glamor has its distinct advantages. But there is an alternative to the nostalgia fever sweeping the country. A clean-cut modernism that takes the classics and turns them upside down in right-now-not-yesterday fabrics. Of course, you won’t be able to completely escape the influences of the past–nor will you want to. The key: Pick silhouettes that whisper, rather than shout, about days gone by. Look closely and you’ll see a hint of Marlene Dietrich in Jil Sander’s glassy pantsuit. Touches of “Saturday Night Fever” in Marc Jacobs’ sequined jeans.
