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A lovely 4 year old once told me that her favorite food was in any Japanese restaurant. She was enamored of miso soup, crab salad, seaweed, and eel. Underneath that platinum haired, blue-eyed exterior of my little friend lived a black haired beauty with kimono and obi. When a preschool teacher brought in such attire, I could understand why little Maya wore her Japanese clothes for the entire day.

It’s believed that the younger a person is, the more they connect to a prior life elsewhere. How many instances have we read where very young children have a musical or artistic gift, or seem to know about places and things to which they’ve never been exposed? Many religions do not promote the belief of reincarnation or rebirth, but I wonder why else would a person be drawn to a relatively foreign life.

Do you have such attractions? I’m drawn to styles from American in the 1940’s and 1950’s. As a young girl, I would watch “I Love Lucy” over and over (and still do, when I can) and found Ms. Ball’s clothes fascinating. Women seemed emphasize more femininity then, and it’s not just the case of us now wearing pants for most of our waking hours.

I truly loved the 1940-1950 accessories, and still have a good many of my mother’s. But it was my grandmother who had the true creations of rhinestone chokers, multi-colored gemstones set into large pins, and elaborate bracelets. You can still run across them at flea markets, but I rarely have places to wear such finery. One of the shows that always stuck in my memory was when Lucy wanted to buy a new hat, and she described it as “turquoise, with lace and netting and little pearls” to a swooning Ethel. Would we see any woman wearing such a creation today? I very rarely see women wear hats in the winter, for fear of getting static electricity in their hair. But back then, hats topped off an outfit and set off a woman’s face. It really is a shame that hats are passé, except for events such as the Ascot races or society weddings…I also really liked flower rings or barrettes worn around Lucy’s hair bun. (As a ballet student years later, I made my own collection of similar hair ornaments.) And, you can’t forget the inevitable gloves that matched every outfit, even in summer…

Women seemed to always have polished red nails, nylons, and pumps. With the longer full skirts or straight peplum dresses, the look was classy, yet showed off curves. Even housedresses had embroidery, and I noticed that both Lucy and Ethel weren’t afraid to wear the same dress in various shows-just like real housewives. In my January jeans articles here on Fashion Blog, I mentioned a line from this show, where Ethel said, “I’ve never worn my blue jeans downtown and I’m not about to now.” That seems to sum up the fashion opinion of that decade-dress for where you’re going, and dress just a bit better than you need to be.

Since men’s styles don’t change as dramatically as women’s’, they may not be as susceptible. Even if they are, a gentlemen with leanings towards top hats and tails would be hard pressed to live out his fantasy, at least with any regularity. The funny thing is, 60’s and 70’s looks often return as retro, and even a few 20’s looks, but, no 40’s or 50’s. Was it just too fussy and involved for today’s woman? About 20 years ago, I found a great pink coat that was very reminiscent of that time, wore it for several seasons, and always felt right in it. That was probably the first and last time I’ll ever be able to enjoy a fashion from that period in history.

It’s fun to think we’ve had more exotic lives before this one. Most writings say that if such a thing exists, it’s an opportunity for continued growth and evolution. It’s good to imagine that we have a few more chances. So, the next time you’re drawn to an unexplainable place or time in clothing, don’t worry about the whys. Enjoy it whatever the reason!