RETROCYCLE at the SCIENCE GALLERY

RETROCYCLE: THE OSCILLATIONS AND FEEDBACK LOOPS OF FASHION
4 April 2013 at Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin.

Our bodies follow regular sleep-wake cycles, and those are connected to the daily rotation of our planet. The orbit of Earth around the Sun governs the seasons and influences everything from our spending patterns to the clothes we wear.

Fashion also oscillates. Classic styles that have been shaped and influenced by key moments and movements in history regularly make a return, this time around labelled as 'retro' or 'vintage'. Retrocycle explored these cycles in fashion and answered questions like - Why do some fashions return, years after their original context? Is it driven by our need for nostalgia or romanticism? Are these cycles regular, and can they be predicted?

Retrocycle assembled a team of fashion fans and experts to deconstruct what constitutes a retro fashion, the historical moments that shaped it, and our cultural relationship with it years after its origin. The event was hosted by stylist and broadcaster Darren Kennedy from HELP MY STYLE, and featured a panel that included fashion writer, stylist and historian Ruth Griffin, and NUI Maynooth anthropologist Pauline Garvey.

And, to make Retrocycle a little more than a straight-up panel discussion, Trinity Fashion Society styled and modeled a series of retro styles on the night, each outfit resulting in discussions, questions, and generally nerdy banter on fashion, history and anthropology.