Stanley Kubrick’s vision of 2001 is starkly different from the real thing. He imagined a forward-looking world ruled by technology and devoid of sentimentality. But while computers have revolutionized many aspects of our lives, we are still drawn to the past. As we leap into the new millennium, we can’t help but look back.
“Everything is derivative, but everyone is derivative in the same way,” says Vicki Ross, an independent fashion consultant based in New York. “There’s a homogeneity of food, music, media and fashion, and the term is going ‘glocal.’ No matter what country you’re in, we’re all listening to the same music, watching the same award shows–even fashion is the same. You can no longer tell a French person from an American or an English person these days, because we are all going back to old styles from the ’70s and ’80s and we are all doing the same type of reinterpretation.”
Why are we so stuck on the past?
Is it merely a case of the Baby Boomers becoming more self-indulgent in middle age? Is it our way of dealing with an uncertain future?
Richard Leonard, vice president of the Zandl Group, a New York-based youth trend-watching agency, says we’re in a creatively dry period.
“In the entertainment industry, there’s this proliferation of new technology that is leading to an insatiable appetite for new products,” he explains. “But there’s insufficient talent to generate the new products.”
As a result, we’re settling for souped-up versions of past entertainers or reissues available for the first time on CD or DVD. And for the time being, these products of the past are filling a void. To someone shy of 30, they may even appear new. But to those on the other side of that rainbow, everything from film to fashion strikes us as one big case of deja vu.
Whatever happened to the modern age? In most every aspect of today’s culture, it seems, there is nothing new under the sun.
FASHION
Concert T-shirts: When Filth Mart, a small boutique in New York’s East Village, started reworking concert T-shirts last year from big-hair bands like Def Leppard, the ’80s were officially exhumed. These pricey collector’s items have become the rage with the fashion crowd and have spawned many imitations. The ’80s metal concert T is back–studded and stitched together at that.
Designer jeans: You know we’re fresh out of ideas when a company like Jordache trots out its commercial from the ’70s–“We’ve got the look you want to know better”–and doesn’t even update it. “Only a small fraction of people will get the irony of it,” says Leonard. That isn’t stopping Sergio Valente from remarketing its tight stretch jeans for the in crowd. Will Brooke Shields get back together with her Calvins?
Like a virgin: There’s nothing “very first time” about Dolce & Gabbana’s spring collection, an homage to the ’80s Madonna. Marc Jacobs and Anna Sui tipped their hats to such ’80s icons as Cyndi Lauper and Norma Kamali. Helmut Lang referenced Azzedine Alaia and the bondage looks of Grace Jones.
Fiorucci: That bastion of ’70s funky fashion is making yet another comeback. Unlike previous attempts that have resulted in a junior line available at Macy’s, the new owners have staked out a building in downtown Manhattan that will be their American flagship. The boutique will hold a cafe, hair salon, and of course their signature Safety Jeans and logo T’s.
FILM
“The Family Man”: This film starring Nicolas Cage and Tea Leoni may appear to have a fresh plot–a young man caught up in the material life has a brush with death, revisits his life thanks to a guardian angel and gets a second chance. But scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find “It’s a Wonderful Life” with a few twists. In Frank Capra’s 1946 classic, the hero, played by James Stewart, must sacrifice his career for the good of his community. He also comes to realize that family is richer than money–a nice moral to a postwar-era story. The latest version shows that you can have both–a six-figure salary and the wife and kids. In other words, these days you don’t have to make sacrifices to have a warm, fuzzy Capra-esque ending.
“Autumn in New York”: Starring Winona Ryder and Richard Gere, this weepy romance had a lot more to cry about at the box office than the 1970 film that inspired it, “Love Story,” starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw. That’s usually the case with remakes. “Four out of five of them bomb,” says the Zandl Group’s Leonard. The big exception? “The Nutty Professor.”
“Down to Earth”: Chris Rock’s newest movie credits “Heaven Can Wait” (1978) with Warren Beatty, which was an adaptation of “Here Comes Mr. Jordan” (1941) with Robert Montgomery. The genesis: the 1937 play “Heaven Can Wait” by Harry Segall.
MUSIC
Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs: If listening to the music of Puff Daddy makes you think of some other song, that’s exactly what it is. Forget about sampling a lick or chord from someone else. Puffy lifts the whole ditty, note for note, word for word, and merely raps over it, such as “Every Breath You Take.” Sting, for one, doesn’t seem to mind. There’s a reason they call them royalties.
Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake: In the ’60s a former Mouseketeer named Annette Funicello made beautiful music with one Frankie Avalon, and the wholesome twosome set off a teeny-bopper explosion. These days, we have Timberlake of ‘N Sync and Spears, who also got their start as Mouseketeers. Is Britney’s strip routine more risque than Annette wearing a bikini in the early ’60s? You bet. But that doesn’t mean it’s anything new. She seems to be taking her cues from Madonna, who wrote the book on how someone of limited talent can stay on top of the charts by constantly reinventing herself. Is it any wonder that the two are collaborating on a song?
Destiny’s Child: This chart-topping R&B group burst on the scene like a Y2K version of En Vogue. Except Destiny’s Child is so prefabricated, it has changed members and no one even seemed to notice. Sound like Menudo? Still intent on presenting themselves as legit, they posed on a recent cover of Vibe magazine as rivals to the Supremes. Perhaps a cover of the song “My World Is Empty Without You” is in order.
Kid Rock: Decked out in his stiff denim jeans, his porkpie hat and black leather jacket, Kid Rock positions himself as the originator of a new hybrid: rock-rap. But everything about Kid Rock, from his garb to his gab, has its roots in Run-DMC, who collaborated with Aerosmith on “Walk This Way” and fused the guitar with the turntable.
HOME
Postmodernism: From Eames chairs to Knoll furniture to shag carpets to “space-age” TV sets, home design is steeped in the modernist ’60s. Magazines such as Wallpaper and Nest champion this retro aesthetic and stores such as New York’s Moss, Kartel and even Ikea offer newfangled versions of these “futuristic” designs. Of course, you can scavenge flea markets and used-furniture stores for the originals. Even the pod-shaped house that Woody Allen used in “Sleeper,” which had been abandoned in Colorado for years, has been purchased and revamped. Can a new version of the orgasmitron be far behind?
FOOD
Fondue: When a store like Crate & Barrel offers fondue kits, you know food trends, too, can be regurgitated. “It’s a communal food and communal is in, from shows like ‘Will & Grace’ to shopping at the mall instead of on-line,” says Ross, the fashion consultant. Other retro dishes that are whetting the appetites of today’s eaters are meatloaf, chicken pot pies and stews. “It’s homespun and comforting, like hand-knit sweaters.”
TELEVISION
“That ’70s Show”: Now that mood rings, smiley faces and lava lamps have re-entered our homes, it was only a matter of time before “That ’70s Show” hit the airwaves. You can also see that era’s influence on shows such as “The Sopranos” (an updated version of “The Godfather”) and even in VH1’s endless fascination with the fates of ’70s rock icons. If you need more of a fix, you can tune in to TV Land and catch your favorite reruns.
