Book Review: "Forgotten Fashion: An Illustrated Faux History of Outrageous Trends and Their Untimely Demise"
Filed under: Runway Trends, Books
The publishers of the new book, Forgotten Fashion: An Illustrated Faux History of Outrageous Trends and Their Untimely Demise by Kate Hahn, swear that it is a parody of the fashion world. Just for laughs! The book describes 28 faux fashions that took the world by storm then faded away, all of them such dead on parodies you'll keep checking to make sure this is a humor, not history, book.
And it is totally funny. But after reading it, we have to admit, the fashion world is so over the top that these humorous essays seem completely plausible!
For instance, there is a chapter on Safari Pajamas, made of satin khaki and "inspired by a 1935 screwball comedy." In the film, a spoiled American heiress and a rugged big game hunter go on safari for their honeymoon. Every time they try to consummate their marriage, their elephant Jinx interrupts. Hilarity ensues as they romp about in Safari Pajamas. Adoring fans of the film adopted the look, wearing them to run errands and lounge around on the weekends.
That's not even far-fetched! We're positive we saw the movie on AMC this weekend!
The Ponchette, "Stylish clothes for spiritual quests" from the 70s, seems even more real. We hate to name names, but there are plenty of pious eco-designers who will read this entry and grind the enamel off their whitened teeth for not thinking of naming their limited palette of beige, grey and white "sand," "storm," and "clarity." Namaste, indeed.
Nine artists contributed illustrations to the book, including Andrae Gonzalo from Project Runway, and they add another layer of humor and realism to the concept.
In the gallery, a sampling of the funny-because-it's-sorta-true Forgotten Fashions.
