Take a trip through time with the WWD archives, a treasure trove of the most fascinating moments in fashion, beauty, culture and beyond.
Trends may come, go and come back again, but the pages of WWD have never gone out of style as a trusted source to the fashion industry, covering some of the most compelling news stories for more than 100 years.
Fashion has the ability to inform, reshape and, perhaps most importantly, inspire. In the spirit of keeping inspiration alive, here is a nostalgic look back at the archives from On This Day in fashion history.
On This Day is a recurring column in WWD that spotlights fashion moments of the past from the WWD Archives.
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September 30, 1969 – New Yorkers Flock to Central Park for Weekend Relaxation
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Central Park offered a convenient respite from city life, with both locals and tourists gathering to enjoy New York’s simple pleasures, as seen in WWD on Sept. 30, 1969.
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September 27, 1974 – The At-Home Perm Gets a Glow-Up With the ‘Unpermanent’
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Long gone were the at-home perm’s frizzy, smelly, toxic hassles with the advent of the Unpermanent — a salon solution to achieving the perfect permanent hair wave, as seen in WWD on Sept. 27, 1974.
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September 25, 2014 – Alber Elbaz Looks Back on Reigniting Lanvin’s Flame
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September 23, 1982 – Valley Girls Totally Make Their Way Into the Mainstream
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Just as the Valley girl phenomenon was taking off, WWD observed the distinct social cues, dress patterns and unmissable dialect of these California girls in their natural habitat — the mall — as seen on Sept. 23, 1982.
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September 20, 2004 – Front Row Celebrities Reveal Their Runway Must-Haves
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Celebrities attending fashion shows has become almost as important as the clothes themselves. Here, front row darlings like Lil’ Kim, Ashley Olsen and Mandy Moore chimed in on what caught their eye on the runway, as seen in WWD on Sept. 20, 2004.
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September 18, 1985 – ‘Fierce’ Teens Redefine What It Means to Be Very Good
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Being “fierce” hit the mainstream, as teenagers adopted the term to describe anything exceptionally cool, especially their outfits of oversized tops, faded jeans and flowy skirts, as seen in WWD on Sept. 18, 1985.
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September 16, 1965 – Designers On Why Jackie Kennedy Is More Than What She Wears
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media More than just a fashion icon, nearly every facet of Jackie Kennedy became a subject of national interest. Seen here, walking daughter Caroline to her first day of school, designers including Bill Blass and Halston discussed why style was only a small part of her enduring allure, as seen in WWD on Sept. 16, 1965.
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September 13, 1974 – Plastic Surgeons See Patients Seeking Individuality Over Famous Faces
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Plastic surgeons chimed in on the then-current state of their industry, with less patients interested in looking like their favorite all-American celebrities in lieu of enhancing their own individuality and ethnic backgrounds, as seen in WWD on Sept. 13, 1974.
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September 11, 1991 – Donna Karan ‘Bridges’ the Gap Between Designer and Affordable With DKNY
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Donna Karan’s DKNY helped create the blueprint for modern-day designer diffusion lines, which she told WWD she created after not being able to find jeans that fit, as seen on Sept. 11, 1991.
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September 9, 2011 – Fashion’s Night Out Invades NYC
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Fashion’s Night Out, the industry’s short-lived answer to getting people excited to shop again after the 2008 recession, sent WWD tweeting all over the city to share the retail spectacle, as seen on Sept. 9, 2011.
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September 6, 1983 – Small People End the Summer With Big, Adorable Style
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media New York kids teetered the streets in overalls, nautical get-ups and sundresses with enough cuteness to sooth the end-of-summer scaries, as seen in WWD on Sept. 6, 1983.
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September 4, 1968 – Truman Capote Escorts His ‘Swan’ Lee Radziwill to Lunch
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Lee Radziwill and Truman Capote appeared effortless and carefree as the friends headed to one of their infamous lunches, as seen in WWD on Sept. 4, 1968.