Drab colors at Christmas? Does fashion reflect our times?

I'm not sure if you noticed it, but the colors are quite drab this season. I'm not saying this as a challenge for you to 'but, what about...' me, but to merely point out what I've noticed from a few retail sites that send me marketing emails regularly: Drab, dreary, dark clothing, ironically during a season most known for bright, vibrant colors. Has anyone else noticed this trend? 

This first got my attention in October when I was actively looking for a robe as a Christmas gift. I prefer shopping Canadian (I plan to make a blog post about this soon) so I went to the various sites that I thought might have something that I had, at the time, considered to be quite simple. I wasn't looking for a robe with a specific and distinct style. I wanted a long, warm robe. I preferred one that was high or reasonable quality, not the kind of garbage you'd buy for $20 at a discount store. I also wanted something with a pretty color. 

All I found were either short robes that barely covered your ass (the gift is for a 70-year-old, so she probably prefers something a little less provocative) or dark, dreary, gross colors. Some were white, which sounds pretty and luxurious until you spill coffee, get a nosebleed, and drop food on it, possibly all on the same day. But that's a whole other story.

That's when I noticed from my various emails that most of the clothing being advertised was depressing colors. Where were the rich red sweaters? The fun, pretty holiday colors? What about the flattering, beautiful dresses and shiny high heels to match? Most of the colors that I'm noticing are tame compared to what I was expecting. Perhaps it has always been this way, and I dreamed up something more, or maybe it's a reflection of our times. 

This brings us to the real question: Does fashion reflect our times? And what does this fashion say about our current times? 

Women's magazines have changed a lot in 100 years 😮

I was recently fortunate to come across a box of magazines from the early 1900s. Being a bit of a nerd (which is a bit of an understatement) I carefully checked out a few editions, intrigued by the changes in what could be found a hundred years ago as opposed to today. The comparison is vast. 

The articles are more practical and less provocative. 

No clickbait articles. There were no attempts to suck you in with bizarre titles and flashy images. The magazine offered common sense ideas and suggestions for readers' homes and lives.  I assure you, there were no articles on sex positions with the flexibility of Gumby or how to make your boobs look massive (while your waist remains 22 inches) in that $7000 designer dress.

The magazine was denser.

Although Modern Priscilla wasn't as thick as today's magazines (granted, they're getting much thinner in the last ten years) it was denser in information. The print was smaller and the articles were longer. Like many things today, I feel like reading a magazine only gives me a small percentage of quality. The watered-down version of a magazine, in comparison. Back then, it would appear that the magazine was more about the articles than the ads, but now....

And speaking of ads...

This older magazine had lots of them, but guess what? They weren't grabbing you by the throat every time you turned a page. Ads in Modern Priscilla were almost discreetly on the side of the pages, not as noticeable, which in a way made them feel more legit than the ads we see today. Most were at the back of the magazine. Many advertisements, like the articles, were practical. They sold you things that made your life better, rather than things that you were told would make your life better. 

Religion was a thing.

I don't recall ever seeing anything about religion in a magazine in my life. This edition spoke of Jesus on page one. I had to go back and reread it because it caught me off guard. I had never seen, expected to see, or heard of a woman's magazine writing about religion in any capacity. Was this just naturally more acceptable at that time?

I haven't read the entire issue yet, but these are the observations I've made so far. I'm anxious to read the issue from cover to cover, to understand the information geared toward women a century ago. Was this what they wanted? Was it simply a much more innocent time? 

I will say that some things never change. Women still like pretty things, want to lose weight, and improve their appearance. I saw ads for 'the prettiest dress I ever had' and another for whitening teeth. I believe there was also an article on picking clothes that were slenderizing. Again, some things never change. 

UPDATE!!!

Found this while rereading the magazine. Can you imagine that today??