Fall Fashion Trends: Decade Dressing

Fashion repeats itself, that's for sure, and the fashion industry has embraced decade dressing as the trend du jour this season — probably in order to survive, due in part from the soured economy and stiff competition from vintage and consignment shops. It really is all about "anything goes" for fall and winter, as long as you take a studied approach to fashion and mix period pieces with modern staples.

Here's our Shoestring study guide to the current fashion trends in retail stores and on the runways, broken down by decade, making it easy to find something to fit every individual's personal style — and budget. (Huzzah!) Finally, a season where being resourceful, mixing new with old and borrowed, is not only embraced but exalted. That's the Shoestring way.

Victorian
Button boots, lace and ruffles dominate this fall, with overtly feminine yet coquettishly conservative looks some of the most popular. Avoid looking like a head-to-toe Gibson Girl (or just plain gaudy and overly adorned) by mixing lavish textiles with more modern elements, like a structured 80s blazer, punky black leather boots and jackets, or layering on Gothic-inspired chain and black-hued jewelry.

Pre-War: Flappers and Furloughs
The post-Industrial period from Prohibition to World War II was full of fantastic fashion: the beaded and fringed satin and chiffon frocks of the Flappers; the architectural elements borrowed from the Art Deco movement; curve-hugging pencil skirts and slip dresses, the latter showing off great neo-Classical draping; red lipsticks and cocktail jewelry; and sexy stockings, be they seamed or fishnets. The key to getting this truly vintage look right is often showcased on the modern red carpet: choose one element and play that up, rather than playing an entire character. Go for pin curls and red lips for your makeup with a classic LBD, or go modern with your beauty choices when sporting a great vintage frock. Be inspired by Bettie Page, don't try to bring her back to life.

Post-War: From Rosie the Riveter to Stepford Wife
When the men returned from the "Great War," propaganda campaigns pushed newly-liberated women back to domestic life from the late 40s through the early 60s — but left us with some truly great fashion. Cocktail dresses and crinoline with perfect pumps (think Donna Reed), tailored tweed and boucle suits, hats and gloves with embellished flats (think Jackie O and Coco Chanel), shawl neck collars, swing coats, and capes, and brazier-showcasing sweaters with brooches over animal print skirts (think Marilyn Monroe) are all stylish pieces finding new life through the Mad Men generation. Choose a few favorite vintage or vintage-inspired pieces and mix them up with more modern pieces you already own. You want to look more like a guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien than the lead character in a rerun on Nick at Night.

The Swinging 60s
Boy, did the Summer of Love change practically everything about fashion, and practically overnight. The Woodstock Generation and feminism busted open the conservative, controlled look of the postwar era and ushered in the Earth Mother era. Exotic and Native American prints and weaves; boots, boots and more boots; feathers and Western fringe; and military or band jackets (think Sgt. Pepper) are all looks that epitomize the original hippies. The more European looks of this era still convey an enlightened attitude towards sex and love, borrowing color, bib necklaces, wide sailor stripes and scarves from ingenue French actresses of the decade, like Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve. Find the right pieces that convey your own personal stylistic independence, but leave the jam band look where it belongs (in your college photo albums) unless you can follow the modern lead of Nicole Richie, in which case, you're allowed.

The Saturday Night Fever 70s
Studio 54 provided a forum for all the glitz, glamour and gold lame that are now associated with the iconic disco looks of the 1970s. Rompers, high-waisted trousers, metallics, goddess looks, one-shoulder tops and dresses all congure up the Saturday Night Fever of our country's other biggest recession, but make sure to pick either feathered hair or polyester, not both. Look to Sharon Stone in the first half of Casino or the original Charlie's Angels for inspiration and dance your buns off.

Prep to Punk: The John Hughes 80s
John Hughes perfectly captured the dichotomy that was the Reagonomics 1980s: you were either a punk kid (didn't have money) or a prep kid (did have money), and while those two looks may have some stylistic elements in common, their attitudes are complete opposites. (That is, until Madonna came along and created some middle ground for the middle class.) Neon colors, fashion sneakers, Basquiat-inspired graffiti prints, zippers, safety pins, chain jewelry, leggings and ripped jeans are all trends that some hoped would stay alive solely in films like Desperately Seeking Susan and Pretty in Pink, but they're back, whether we like it or not, and in a big way. Unless you're young enough not to have worn them the first time around, keep these elements toned down and minimalistic in order to achieve a modern, not flashback, fashionability.

Gap to Grunge: The 90s
Soon after The Gap went public in the early 80s, stores started spreading like wildfire to malls everywhere in America, creating easy and affordable access to plaid shirts, cotton tees, wool sweaters, and "Boyfriend jeans" for teenagers across the land — most of whom were at home, listening intently as Pearl Jam and Nirvana sang to their suburban angst. Katie Holmes, herself a child of the 90s, is bringing the look back, and let her lead by example: be careful not to go overboard with oversized. The modern interpretation is feminine and tailored far better than anything we had access to when Kurt Cobain was still alive.

Futuristic
From Christian Siriano and his mentors (Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen) to Lady Gaga, we're not sure where the future of fashion is headed, but we know it's fierce. Volume, pleating, texture, Techno fabrics, prints of vintage objects (like mid-century chandeliers and chairs screened onto a dress), and T-shirts adorned or embellished with their own jewelry are all indicative of a post-modern fashion aesthetic. If you're a true fashionista, this is where anything really goes. Have fun with it, just don't hold us responsible when you look at photos of yourself ten years from now.