Fashion nostalgia isn't what it used to be

In these times of economic, social and tiresomely general doom and gloom, your fearless sartorial correspondent finds her mind turning to the last remaining certainties - the timelessness of a cool black dress; the thrill of a flash of red sole; and to an all-round warming sense of serious style nostalgia. For sure as Faberge eggs is... well, a trifle gaudy, when the chips are down, we frock-fanciers will enter a state of yearning for days gone by - when life was simpler; when summers lasted months; and when nasty terrorists were surely some kind of mispronounced lapdog. When looking forward gets scary, fashion heads backwards - knowing our emulation of days gone by will transport us, wardrobe-wise at least, to somewhat gentler times.

'So how is this translating to next season!' I hear my fellow fashionistas cry. Where is style transporting us - are we charlestoning back to the rip-roaring 20s, bobs and flappers at the helm? Could that be the hearty cry of 40s landgirls I hear? Or are we starching our arches and heading back to the buttoned up frills and spills of Victoriana? Believe it or not (and I for one, dear reader, am feeling so old at what I am about to impart that I can hardly bear to type the words), nostalgia has suddenly become frightfully recent - just over ten years ago recent at that. Yes, gels, the 90s are back - which is a terrible bore to those of us who feel the 90s just popped out of the room to find a pen. Silky slip dresses, tiny cashmere cardis, and floral everything abound. For frockspiration, I implore you to think Courtney Love, Amanda DeCadenet and a slash of bright red lipstick that absolutely must look like it was smeared drunkenly in the corner of a darkened club. Think Paula Yates flirting wildly with Michael Hutchence on the Big Breakfast bed. And, for your 90s-fabulous evening look, just think Cannes. Think Our Lady of Kate. And see her on Johnny's arm, hair scraped back, beautifully poured into a pared-down cocktail dress.

Now if you ask me kittens, the high street head-honchos must be leaping with collective joy at this remarkable (re)turn of events. With patterns barely packed away long enough to gather dust, the same 90s designers can take up where they left off the first time around. So stores have embraced this revisiting of our recent past, and the decade before we knew the horror of saying 'noughtie' is everywhere. We see it in Oasis' printed camis and snug, round-neck cardis. It's all over French Connection's Edelweiss dress (the tills are alive!,) and their delicate, Bronte embellished knitwear. Topshop's new Meadow collection - online and in-store now - is a beautiful updating of the whimsical, romantic trend we last saw on ladies-in-the-know as they spilled out of Voyage (google it if you're the lucky sort that's too young to remember. Darling, it was all about the cardigans). And florals - dear goodness the ditsy, bitsy florals. The high street is looking like a summer's day cranked up to ten, and one must grudgingly admit that fashion has indeed followed socio-logic and gone retro. And the results are surprisingly fresh. Now, if only it didn't make me feel so old...

Til next time,

xx