Fashion from the vault

As we mull the fruits of FW0910 - and, as The New York Times’ Guy Trebay suggested yesterday, some of the industry's key players ponder their own possibly imminent demises – New York's Film Archives has, coincidentally, just started uploading a raft of old footage onto the net. Among the gems on its YouTube channel, this vignette on Paris Spring fashions from 1954, a time when of course not only were Christian Dior and Cristobal Balenciaga still alive, they were the kings of fashion. Showing just how times change, the voiceover notes: “A Dior creation is always news the world over”.

Some of the videos are highly amusing - particularly the more recent Patrick Swayze and Jackson 5 ads and some hilarious anti-drug commercials, the LSD version (last video) looking like a cross between The Prisoner and Star Trek.

Frockwriter can't help thinking that some of the older videos might provide some much-needed ideas for designers and retailers who are grappling with the Recession and need to grab consumer attention.

Of note, some footage of a female roller derby. Following Jean Paul Gaultier's mud wrestling finale this week, presumably it's only a matter of time before we see Natasha Poly, Raquel Zimmermann and co engaged in similar roller combat.

There are also several underwater fashion shows, notably one staged by the Texan retailer Soggy Scroggins (second last video), whose underwater wedding stunt was designed to "stimulate sales".