Let’s Bring Back

This week, Let’s Bring Back made its official debut as a book—and in honor of its release, I’ve compiled some of the most popular items mentioned in the column over the years.  From zeppelins to sealing wax, from turbans to typewriters, from Auntie Mame to the Ziegfeld Follies: we’ve covered a lot of ground.

Today Ms. Blume’s new book, Let’s Bring Back, makes its debut.  To honor its release, we present our tenth and final ICONS OF STYLE subject: DIANA VREELAND, history’s most joyous fashion editor, queen of the bon mot, and ultimate Let’s Bring Back muse.

70s film icon Ali MacGraw—who donned scarves as turbans and tablecloths as skirts—launched a hundred trends and influenced millions of women who wanted to emulate her breezy, irreverent style.  The ninth subject of our ICONS OF STYLE series, honoring the release of Ms. Blume’s new book, Let’s Bring Back.

Today the Marchesa Casati—extrovert, hostess, patroness of the arts, and high priestess of eccentricity—makes her debut as our eighth ICON OF STYLE subject.  Unlike our other style icons, Casati had her true heyday before World War I—yet her occult-ish look continues to inspire history-minded fashion insiders generations later.  Read the article above to learn more about her decadent parties in crumbling Venetian palazzos and exotic pets (cheetahs! albino crows! snakes!).

The seventh subject in our ICONS OF STYLE series, celebrating the release of Ms. Blume’s new book, Let’s Bring Back. Edith Head is no run-of-the-mill Hollywood costumer: many argue that she is the most important and famous costume designer of all time. Responsible for some of the most memorable film wardrobes in history (her credits included Vertigo, Sabrina, and Sunset Boulevard, to name but a few), Head was nominated for dozens of Oscars throughout her career.

Behold Nancy Cunard: heiress, activist, and provocateur—who shunned a spoiled existence to wage war on the racist attitudes of her generation. Her silhouette remains unique and instantly recognizable even today: an exclamation point-thin frame; dark, kohl-rimmed eyes; arms invariably heavy with bracelets.  The sixth subject of our ICONS OF STYLE series, celebrating the release of Ms. Blume’s new book, Let’s Bring Back.

Meet Suzy Parker, the first fashion model to earn $100,000 per year: a staggering sum for the 1950s.  Widely considered the world’s first supermodel, “[she] had the hautiest of cheekbones and nobody angled an elbow better.”  The fifth installment of our ICONS OF STYLE series, celebrating the launch of Ms. Blume’s new book, Let’s Bring Back.

Actress Marlene Dietrich is the fourth subject of the ICONS OF STYLE series, honoring the release of Ms. Blume’s new book, Let’s Bring Back. The epitome of Old Hollywood glamour, Dietrich also exuded sex appeal - and yet never veered into crassness.  Mystery and subtext were Dietrich’s forms of currency; today’s bare-all stars could take a lesson or two from her.

Coco Chanel once famously dismissed her rival as “that Italian artist who makes clothes.”  But Schiaparelli was a fashion powerhouse in her day, and her influence remains strong today.  Revisit her life in the third installment of the ICONS OF STYLE series, honoring the release of Ms. Blume’s new book, Let’s Bring Back.

Meet Lilly Daché, the second subject of our ICONS OF STYLE series, honoring the release of Ms. Blume’s new book, Let’s Bring Back.  This flamboyant, wildly-creative mid-century hatmaker was beloved by Dietrich, Garbo, and Harlow, and you will love her too.

November 1 marks the debut of Ms. Blume’s new book, Let’s Bring Back—and in honor of its release, the Huffington Post’s Style section will spotlight ten historical style icons featured in the book’s pages.  Over the next two weeks, you will become reacquainted with some of the twentieth century’s seminal tastemakers, designers, and muses—many of whom are now unjustly fading from public memory.  Our first subject: the ever-astounding Josephine Baker.  A front page feature.

The Mad Men world makes a fetish of ornamentation and deifies mysterious artifice. For those of us who grew up in the subsequent era of Gap-sponsored khaki casualness and fast food, Mad Men represents a glamor lacking in our lives today.  Let’s bring back some of the flourishes that made the 1960s glamorous: fedoras, supper clubs, red lipstick, and much more.  My front page feature on The Huffington Post.

Gazing at the glamorous finery of eras past in the Costume Institute’s new ‘American Woman’ exhibit, as usual I found myself wishing back certain flourishes and trappings, from hand-held fans to white gloves to turbans. So, I decided, why not do a special Let’s Bring Back edition, devoted to the historical fashions showcased in the show?

Decadent Champage towers, fruit hats, three-martini lunches, and other divine culinary delectables from the past ... my latest Let’s Bring Back feature, in honor of The Huffington Post‘s brand-new Food section.

Today’s adrenaline-pumped fashion shows are a relatively recent phenomenon.  In eras past, designs were presented to clients at chic poolside presentations or at delightful little department store luncheons (Waldorf salad, rather than global outreach, was the order of the day). In this special edition of Let’s Bring Back, I look at the fascinating evolution of the American fashion show.

Christmas goose, ice skating parties, and fur muffs: a Let’s Bring Back list of delightful holiday-season nostalgia.

A special edition of my Let’s Bring Back column, honoring the Obamas’ first state dinner tonight.  The Kennedys touted the virtues of aspic, the Franklin Roosevelts scandalized the polite world with an all-American entrée, and George Washington gave new meaning to the phrase “no frills.”

Fashion Week is underway in New York City, and American designers are showcasing their visions of the future. I’m watching the proceedings with great interest, but also thinking about celebrated designers of bygone eras, whose works once shimmered on runways.  In this special edition of Let’s Bring Back ..., let’s wind back the clock and spend some time with Paul Poiret, Elsa Schiaparelli, Oleg Cassini, and six other colorful designers of yesterday.

Since moving into the White House, the Obamas have thrown poetry slams, hosted glittering galas, and planted a First Vegetable Garden. Michelle Obama in particular has ushered in new era of style and entertaining - and she’s chosen to include us in the fun.  This special edition of Let’s Bring Back celebrates several of the White House’s most inclusive hostesses, including Lucy Hayes, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

This special edition of Let’s Bring Back—my recurring column that celebrates personae and rituals from past eras—looks at some of the twentieth century’s most prominent models, from Lisa Fonssagrives to Twiggy to Iman.

No anniversary should have to endure the saccharine waft of Hallmark cards and roses. Let’s bring back and reinvent traditional anniversary gifts. Here are some whimsical and unlikely suggestions, from cotton teepees to red silk parachutes.

Things would be so much lovelier if powder puffs, old theater marquees, and Surrealist fashion were still a part of our lives. Because nothing makes a lady of fashion stand out more than a lobster-shaped hat perched on top of her head.

These days, litigation is too bloody cost-prohibitive, and it takes so long. So let’s bring back duels, and get things done quickly and with great fanfare.  Also due for a comeback: honeybees, elevator operators, and eloping.

This week, I’m wishing back hourglass figures, charm schools (because we all know someone who needs some education in this regard), and the Roman Gods (they were just so damn entertaining).

Who wouldn’t want to receive a telegram, bearing the news of an unexpected inheritance or some such? Let’s bring ’em back, I say — along with live-in butlers, subversive pamphlets, and curvacious fashion models. 

Sex and politics are a time-hallowed, natural mix. So let’s bring back political cabarets. Garters and fistfights—what could be better? Fifteen things that deserve to be resurrected.

I’d give anything to re-open El Morocco or the Stork Club. Imagine those discreet curved leather booths, palm trees, and a wonderful old-fashioned ebony telephone on each table.  Fondue, picnics, and the Carol Burnett show also make appearances on this eclectic list.

A man in a hat just looks so cool. Not to mention polished and confident. So let’s bring back fedoras. There was a time when no self-respecting man would leave the house without one. And while we’re at it, let’s wish back fountain pens, white tennis clothes, and manners.