Devoid of the personal experience one would have by living thorough modern history, we only have whatever is available to give us an idea of how those lived before our arrival. Of course we have more information at our disposal as our technology allowed a more thorough reach, and we have archived more details than ever before. You would think that this allows us a better understanding of how the world was in eras we haven't been present to experience. But the reality is more complex than that and the truth is that one has to have lived it to know how true that is.

For example, in the movie franchise "Back to the Future” the main characters travel into the future. Here we get glimpse of what our reality is supposed to be, but interestingly enough it also details how we, in our future, would view our past. Those of us who were living that past found the portrayal of our present reduced to sound bites and trend aspects were quite amused. The reason was largely due to our inherent awareness of what living in our decade encompassed and how our culture was more richly layered. It is true that those elements, such as Max Headroom, MTV, acid wash and big hair were a few components. But those who were more immersed and aware recall a more sophisticated aspect of that decade where the avant garde had a fundamental role in shaping the expressions of the culture.

For every Perry Ellis and Ralph Lauren Polo there was a Jean Paul Gaultier gender-bending defiance and romantic Vivienne Westwood declaration. We saw the amazing explosion of Japanese design break every rule to bring us forward. The exploration we take for granted owes much to the humble barrier testing of Comme des Garcon, form exploration of Yohji Yamamoto and the technical innovation of Issey Miyake. We were left awestruck by the sweeping architecture of French master Claude Montana and monumental structural sex appeal of Thierry Mugler. These were highbrow designers at a time when inspiration took years, not days, to influence the larger masses who found their designs too unconventional.

The class elevation through mass consumption and wealth flaunting included fashion as a determining component of social relevance not before experienced. In fact, fashion’s significance was boosted by the connections we further enhanced in this decade of exclusion. It was true status to come home from a shopping trip in Manhattan, London or Paris wearing a coveted garment from a designer collection because knockoffs just didn’t appear and fast fashion not only took too long but also could not hold a candle to the actual pieces’ design. Our technology was just not there to support the kind of immediacy we have today. Nor was it status to have an imitation. Innovative unknown designers were excitingly embraced, but no copies would get you past a velvet rope in an exclusive venue. Fashion grew in this era as we celebrated individuality and got caught up in the value of being relevant to the times.

This connected with knowledge of other cultural highbrow territories such as art and music, and those who knew about the influencers who started the trends, i.e. the avant garde or underground, were part of the status set. However, general history never was generous when it came to acknowledging the significance of the avant garde or was as aware of the importance of those groundbreakers. The commercial distillations that the general population took from these innovations are what stay with us.

It’s not limited to that decade. Investigations into each prior decade uncover a wealth of amazing groundbreaking expressions that were the true sources of the pop versions of history we go-to today, and someday we will have a comprehensive archive to celebrate those who produced incredible forward-thinking expressions. In fact, many of them were so ahead of themselves that we find their results relevant beyond today. The Dadaists influence in design is a fine example when looking at our art and modern architecture. Much of what we accept as current would have stunned generations of that decade. It was an aesthetic they could not relate to that we identify with now, and even then some of the concepts from that period would still be considered the outer periphery of design expression today..

So the “Back to the Future” film underscores how we can bypass what was truly relevant in favor of what was popular as a hallmark of a decade without giving proper credence to the actual forces that shapes our cultural expressions. And there is a charm that comes from seeing how that world appears in the eyes of youth that only has limited access of what we know of that decade as it finds its way back into our trend influence today. Think carefully and you’ll see this is something we all have experienced.

One post from trend conglomerate WGSN’s Twitter feed recently expressed surprise of seeing Issey Miyake’s runways show as a collapsible design was pulled out of a bag to be worn on the spot. However, those who have lived longer know that this theatric is a Miyake hallmark; long before Chalayan, Miyake had modular aspects to his designs for all to see.  And a post from Style.com on Gareth Pugh’s show mused of the unifying theme, when the unifier appears to be recognition of source in context with the larger trend thread in the Paris collections today: late 80s design. The grand architecture and sweeping elements remind of Claude Montana, the cocooning elegance of Romeo Gigli, and the stoic experimentation of materials of Issey Miyake. These were clever and beautiful reimaginings of what stunned us decades before, their intelligent beauty rediscovered and brought forth with the same spirit that it was back then.

This is not to dump on the expertise of WGSN or Style.com, for these organizations have incredibly knowledgeable professionals who deserve respect. Their work is hard and their dedication is to be admired. They lead in the dissemination of fashion information, and that carries a lot of responsibility. Rather, it underscores that some details require having lived in the prior eras to appreciate the nuances that a designer would incorporate. Remember, many of these designers also lived through that same decade. They would recall many of those awe-inspiring elements to include in this round of retro appreciation. It’s just not possible to recall these aspects if one hasn’t actually lived…no, immersed one’s self by living through that decade.

Many of the collections coming out of Paris for the Fall Winter 2014/2015 season incorporate volume and structure, the shoulder emphasis and material experimentation plus the ostentation of opulence that accompanied a similar climate as back then. And there are too many doing so to mention here, it’s so prevalent.  In the 80s, amidst the status clawing, there was an attitude blending denial and cavalier devil-may-care risk-taking. The fashion industry saw a need to generate excitement while the economies sit precariously between idealistic hope inflated by careless credit abuse and vague knowledge of impending collapse. The climate supported expression to keep interest and continue the buying spree as those with genuine wealth were conspicuously spending while our pop culture cheered it on in admiration, much like what we’re doing today.

Does this mean we are heading towards a similar outcome? That is not so simple. One only has to look at the multiple influences to see that there are combinations of elements at play to illustrate our awareness of current events. Look carefully enough and you may get a few clues…or wait until the next few articles whole you draw your own conclusions.