A Resurrection of an era ... or two?

I'm not the biggest fan of Angelina Jolie (something about her just bugs me to no end), but when I stumbled across a photograph of her in one of her more recent films, set in the 1920s, I couldn't help but be blown away by the stunning, picturesque beauty of her character -- and more specifically, the costuming of her character. I think in that moment I fell in love with clothing from that era -- the design, the fashion, the close-fitting hats, the coats, even the hair. The complete head-to-toe picture is just so beautiful. What a fabulous era, the 1920s.

I then embarked on a fun little exercise and posed a question to myself: what era of fashion would I want to resurrect? I was born in the 1970s and had my fill of horrible hair and uncomfortable fabrics wrestled into some pretty dorky styles. I went through the '80s, which was a lot of fun for a girl, with the big hair and flamboyant clothing (but hideously embarrassing, looking back as an adult). I saw a bit of the '60s restored while I was in college, mixed in with the 1990s earthy, granola, grunge theme (that I embraced whole-heartedly). Then in my early married years a bit of the "better '70s" influence seeped in, only to find that now -- gasp! no! -- I see, again, the '80s making a very unfortunate comeback (just walk through Target and you will see what I mean).

My point is this: history repeats itself, not only in ... well, history, but in fashion as well. For good and for ill. OK, so I now have the power to resurrect a fashion era ... so what will it be?

Let's get back to Angelina Jolie and the gorgeous clothing from the 1920s. I love, love, love this outfit:
The hat, the coat (oh, that stunning coat!), even the gloves and shoes ... yes, I believe this is the era that I would want to resurrect. Even the beaded, feathered, turbaned flapper garb would be a blast, as well as the day-to-day outfits as worn by Ms. Jolie (or whoever her character is). I would wear this in a heartbeat. A return to true classic would be lovely.Or ... how about we go back a few hundred years?

Oh, wouldn't this be fun? The jewels and diamonds and gold-and-silver thread all sewn together into sumptuous gowns ... ruffs made of the most intricate starched lace imaginable, as if woven out of clouds ... shoes and headpieces encrusted with jewels ... oh! What fun!

This is Queen Elizabeth I's original christening gown (below), apparently re-discovered in Sudeley Castle during a "spring cleaning," almost 500 years later. How cool is that?!

OK, so I'm leaving out the shorn heads (in order to better fit those hideously ornate wigs), the white lead pancake make-up (and the illnesses and madness that went along with it), the bone-crushing corsets, and the total weight of clothing on your body ... COMFORT is not a word that goes along with this era of fashion. But oh, how cool it would be to resurrect this for, say, a week. Just to try it out for a while.

What's your vote on an era to resurrect? The Edwardian period (also very fun, but more formal)? The June Cleaver era of the 1950s (drag out those aprons, ladies!)? I'll stick with the Golden Age of the 1920s and hit a few vintage clothing stores along the way -- I would love to see this come back. However ... I must, in all honesty, admit that, with my daunting task today of scouring the house from top to bottom in preparation of my sister-in-law's overnight stay Friday into Saturday (so we can travel to Virginia sans kids ... more on that tomorrow), I am more than happy in my current outfit: cotton/knit stretchy, comfortable pants, a long-sleeved cotton/knit t-shirt, and sneakers. No flapper dress with hose and heeled shoes while dusting and vacuuming; no starched ruff, bejewelled gown, and corset while on my hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor. Some things aren't so bad. :)