In Love with the Forties

I miss the styles of the late 1930s, early 40s. We've never found any cut for jackets, skirts, or trousers that was quite so flattering as the lines from those days. I love the derbies and long trenchcoats all the men used to wear, the nipped-in waists for women's suits and the rakish little hats tipped forward over their eyes. I saw a women's suit in a 1940s style and almost bought it last week - but the look was too strong, too daring for me. It would've looked great, but it also would've made me stand out when the point of a suit, for me, would be to blend in and look unremarkably professional. I'd buy it if I went to lots of charity concerts, autumn picnics under pavilions, or retro fashion shoots. Alas, I do not. Anyway, everyone says that things come back into style if you wait long enough, but it seems to me we're stuck in a loop that's too short, cycling around bell-bottoms being in/not in style. We never make it all the way back to the sophisticated and elegant styles from the pre-war days.