Like a true neurotic, fashion is constantly looking back at its own past and repeating it, but designers are equally fascinated with what’s coming next. The video above satisfies both urges.
In this 1939 newsreel, American designers predict the clothing of the future, imagining what women would wear in the year 2000. Although some were false forecasts (the convertible dress has sadly not yet become a wardrobe staple), other predictions were surprisingly accurate. One designer created a dress made out of “transparent knit” (a.k.a mesh) probably worn, the announcer says, “to catch the males.”
And although skirts have hardly disappeared “entirely” as another designer predicted, the white jumpsuit included in the video looks surprisingly modern. So does the styling, which consists of a pair of “cantilever heels” (wedges) and a wide belt. (However, the designer thought the belt would be more than merely decorative, with a technological component that would “adapt the body to climactic changes.” We are obviously not there yet.)
[h/t]
