Recession and retro-design: are they connected?

In a post for BrandChannel, "For Recession, Designers Revert To Longtime Wardrobe Staples", Sara Zucker outlines her thesis that links recession with retro-design. She writes:

"The worst trends never really seem to go away, don’t you think? Fanny packs, bellbottoms, babydoll dresses – they just won’t disappear.

This time, irony is at its peak, but it may not be such a bad thing; designers are finding inspiration in another major American “depression” to fashionably cope with this one. Michael Bastian’s spring 2010 menswear collection will feature a three-piece glen plaid suit.

Sound familiar? Such an outfit has been a staple in the closets of men since the beginning of the 20th century.

Ralph Lauren turned The Grapes of Wrath into a runway of torn overalls, felt hats, floral dresses, and oxfords. The Wall Street Journal hit the nail on the head in observing that every move, especially a trend, has its purpose:

"There's a quest to reassure the consumer that this is safe, this is good, you're putting your money in the right place. You're going to feel good," says Isham Sardouk, senior vice president of trend forecasting for trend-tracker Stylesight.

Footwear in particular is making great strides in stepping back. Timberland Co. recently issued a collection of shoes and boots inspired by styles seen from 1900 to 1945. The company calls that particular period of time "an era of hardship, war and industrialization—marked by a shift to cities and women entering the work force." The economy may not have been sturdy, but the clothing sure was".

I'm not convinced that this slender data, by itself, is persuasive. Retro-design and the drawing of inspiration from the past is not quite as old as design itself but can't be much younger and I suspect that there's as much evidence of retro-design as a novelty selling-point in times of boom and affluence.

The more recent past is also a great inspiration for design, as can be depressingly seen by anyone who looks at the applications for invalidity before the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market.