’Roaring Twenties’Sensations

Art nouveau, flappers, strings of pearls and powdery colors… the 20s and 30s are a gold mine of inspiration for today’s designers. osMoz invites you to discover this ravishing retro feel…

The emancipation of women was an important influence in the 20s and 30s… at least in terms of fashion. Initiated by designer (and Rosine perfume creator) Paul Poiret, and flaunted by Louise Brooks and Josephine Baker, the boyish flapper look – short hair and streamlined, less frilly clothes – really caught on. Accessories like flower-shaped brooches and long strings of pearl were everywhere. And now they’re making a comeback, bringing women’s fashion a touch of retro-chic. This trend owes its existence to Coco Chanel, and indeed, it can be seen in the in the latest campaign for Coco Mademoiselle, with Kate Moss looking very 30s: camellia, string of pearls, boyish haircut and black hat.

There are other pre-WWI trends that are coming back too. Designers from Stella Mc Cartney to Alexander Mc Queen have brought powder pink back into the limelight. Starring on many a haute-couture runway, it has influenced perfume houses, too. Prada, Viktor & Rolf and Gucci (Eau de Parfum II) have all chosen it for theit their latest creations’ packaging.

Silk, embroidery, laceandlingerie are back with a vengeance. For Chloé, embroidered patterns have been used both in this season’s ready-to-wear lines and to illustrate the design of Chloé Collection 2005, the house’s new perfume. All of designer Chantal Thomass’s bottles (for Chantal Thomass, Ame Coquine and the latest one, Et Plus Si Affinités)
are decked out in lace garters.

envy me, Gucci

An heirloom feel is back in design as well. Surfing on the retro wave, monograms, a perennial sign of tradition, are everywhere. Gucci’s Envy Me bottle has the celebrated GG monogram, a symbol of excellence for this brand created in 1923 and worshipped by fashion addicts. Jean Patou was one of the first designers to use monograms ; way back in the 20s, his seal graced the house’s fragrances.

At Gucci once again, the latest successful launches (Gucci Eau de Parfum and Gucci pour Homme) were inspired by art nouveau: heavy glass, surprising caps and dense colors create a look that is retro, yet obviously luxurious. More recently, Art Deco inspired the creation of Cartier’s Baiser du Dragon bottle. And over at Jean Paul Gaultier, the work of designer Elsa Schiaparelli, particularly the Shocking bottle (1937), undeniably inspired the shape of the ‘Classique’ bust.

In terms of fragrance, ultra-luxurious, haute-couture style perfumery reminiscent of Patou, Guerlain or Chanel in the 20s is back . Thus Hermès offers the Hermessence line; Dior, the Dior Homme Colognes and Armani, the Armani Privé collection (almost) exclusively in their own boutiques… Just as couture houses offer custom-made clothes, certain fragrance houses like L’Artisan Parfumeur and Guerlain also offer custom-made scents.

Ambre soie, Armani privé

This new approach to luxury is accompanied by a return to stardom for traditional houses that were once the secret of the happy few. This euphoric trend is a boon for houses like Detaille and Acqua di Parma, which have both launched new fragrances recently.