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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April 29, 2015 – Fantasy Brand Ambassador Picks for New York Fashion Week: Men’s
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Industry experts chimed in on who they thought would be the perfect brand ambassador for the inaugural New York Fashion Week: Men’s shows. Fashion-savvy celebs like Tom Brady, Pharrell and Nick Jonas were just a few top picks, as seen in WWD on April 29, 2015.
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April 26, 1971 – Ossie Clark Loves ‘Womanly Women’
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media British fashion designer Ossie Clark loved women who understood their bodies, quipping, “Whores know everything about their bodies, and that’s why they look so good,” as seen in WWD on April 26, 1971.
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April 24, 1968 – Penelope Tree’s Fast Track to Fashion Fame
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Model Penelope Tree was discovered one fateful night at Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball and quickly rose to fame. Eighteen months later, the 18-year-old was a regular in Vogue, sparked trends with her polarizing personal style and had already designed her first fashion collection, as seen in WWD on April 24, 1968.
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April 22, 1981 – Calvin Klein Fits Iman in His Sensuous Silhouette
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Calvin Klein went big on femininity and drama for his fall ’81 collection, with a voluminous floral tunic cinched with a wide belt brought to life on Iman, as seen in WWD on April 22, 1981.
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April 19, 1966 – Saint-Tropez Sun Ushers in Spring Style
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Spring in Saint-Tropez meant that people-watching season was in full effect, as scene-seeking tourists flooded the streets in fitted bell-bottom suits and leg-baring shift dresses, topped off with sunglasses balanced on long-haired heads, as seen in WWD on April 19, 1966.
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April 17, 1992 – Marc Jacobs Mixes Things Up at Perry Ellis
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Marc Jacobs was known to break the rules during his years at Perry Ellis. Case in point: a clash of animal prints, polka dots, fringe and top hats somehow all made a convincing combo on the catwalk, as seen in WWD on April 17, 1992.
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April 15, 1977 – Norma Kamali Stays Cool as Her Brand Heats Up
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Norma Kamali kept a low profile as big names started to wear her clothes, often made from unexpected fabrics, like antique silk parachutes ballgowns or Chinese hand-embroidered tablecloth dresses, as seen in WWD on April 15, 1977.
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April 12, 2010 – Christopher Bailey Blends Tradition and Technology at Burberry
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Christopher Bailey was thinking well beyond the classic Burberry trench when the then-chief creative officer spoke to WWD about modernizing the heritage British house with livestreaming runway shows and see now, buy now collections, as seen on April 12, 2010.
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April 10, 2012 – Raf Simons Takes Over Dior
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Christian Dior ended its painstaking search for a new designer when Raf Simon was named creative director of womenswear, marking a distinct shift toward minimalism and futurism for the house, which had become synonymous with John Galliano’s dramatic flair, as seen in WWD on April 10, 2012.
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April 8, 1976 – Truman Capote on ‘The Swans’ and ‘Answered Prayers’
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media After the release of the scathing, high-society tell-all “Answered Prayers” left Truman Capote spurned by his beloved “Swans,” the sharp-tongued writer flippantly downplayed the betrayal, saying, “[The Swans] won’t understand, they’re so dumb,” as seen in WWD on April 8, 1976.
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April 5, 1985 – Donna Karan’s First Look
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Donna Karan made a name for herself designing for Anne Klein, but she stepped out on her own with an eponymous debut collection of “clothes [that] balance the tailored with the sensual and ignore the ins and outs of fashion,” as seen in WWD on April 5, 1985.
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April 3, 1968 – A Royal Romance in Sikkim
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media Sarah Lawrence College student Hope Cooke found herself adapting to life as Queen of Sikkim, a small Buddhist kingdom high up in the Indian Himalayas, after a chance meeting in Darjeeling with the then-Crown Prince led to royal romance, as seen in WWD on April 3, 1968.
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April 1, 1987 – A Newport Beach High School That’s in a Class By Itself
Image Credit: Fairchild Fashion Media A trip to Newport Beach’s affluent Corona del Mar High School made it clear why the idyllic teen lifestyle in Orange County, Calif. would one day capture the attention of the masses, as seen in WWD on April 1, 1987.