By Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com
James Laver and Laws on the Timeline of Style
James Laver the famous costume historian and a past Keeper of the Robes at the London Victoria and Albert Museum, was a noted authority on dress and its relationship to society. When you assess any fashion look bear in mind his ideas on the timeline timetable of style.
Laver's Law says that fashions have a timeline and are considered to be:-
Laver's Law
Indecent
10 years before its time
Shameless
5 years before its time
(Outré)Daring
1 year before its time
Smart
----------Current Fashion
Dowdy
1 year after its time
Hideous
10 years after its time
Ridiculous
20 years after its time
Amusing
30 years after its time
Quaint
50 years after its time
Charming
70 years after its time
Romantic
100 years after its time
Beautiful
150 years after its time
James Laver was very astute, and in the 1970s Dr. Roy Strong wrote about Laver's idea in The Times many years after it was first proposed. Why not check your wardrobe now and eliminate dowdy, hideous or ridiculous items. Perhaps anything older has a certain museum quality or will come in handy for those 70's revival nights.
Seriously if it is older than 20 years and it has a good label and in good condition, it may well be valuable - ONE DAY - it is almost certainly already being collected by someone somewhere in the world and is described as vintage. If you are philanthropic consider donating the item to a museum and leave them to decide if an item has historical value. Alternatively, check out some of the Vintage Fashion sites on the web and find out if you can do a deal.
