{ the jaunty magpie }

Whew, let me catch my breath for a moment... Can you believe we've entered into another year? A fresh, shiny, new-car-smelling 2013 is upon us. And we're faced with an endless supply of options, adventures, decisions and promises for the next three-sixty-five and change. 

It's daunting to consider all these possibilities ahead, but I have one item in particular that I had the pleasure of admiring over the holidays that I think is both fitting and fetching for a year ready to take flight. I was very lucky to meet boutique owner, style influencer, and author, Cameron Silver, at an event at Tiffany and Co. in December, presenting his new book, Decades: A Century of Fashion.  He's the owner of a gorgeous boutique in Los Angeles, also called Decades, which speaks to his expertise and appreciation for mixing classic with modern. Vintage clothing paired with contemporary jewelry and accessories, ways to bring time periods together and reinvent new looks. Just because it's a new year doesn't mean we have to only look ahead -- sometimes a trip back in time will inspire where we will move forward. 

Cameron Silver's book is an outstanding collection of fashion photography and portraits. I misspent many productive workdays dreamily paging through the different eras and I was very much in love with the 20s and 30s pieces. Periods where photography wasn't as prevalent as now are particularly stunning because the photos are a rare, beautiful look at a time that seems both far away but very familiar. We can recognize dress styles and shapes, details and accessories that we still see today, and that speaks to the timelessness of true style. 

As you go through the the chronology of photographs, you start to see trends, like Hollywood stars becoming stylemakers, the evolution of silhouettes from pinched-in waists and full skirts, to more simplified, ultra-modern lines that almost erase gender. The book touches on the Reign of the Supermodel, hip-hop/street style -- many recent looks and trends that I definitely remember. And then it softly lands on present-day style, which is that many of the looks we find compelling now are ones that incorporate trends spanning those decades. Fashion is a form of history, one that we see every day and may not take the time to notice, but in the context of a book that views our wardrobe through a historic lens, an item that simply drapes on a hanger gains new relevance. So as we enter a new year, consider Decades a guide book to inspire for how we wish to present ourselves, moving forward.

Jaunty Fine Print: Photos from Cameron Silver's book, Decades: A Century of Fashion