Dresses in the style of the art deco skyscraper are everywhere, proving that ‘fitted’ is no longer the be-all and end-all
The Chrysler Building in New York was not originally a great success. In 1928, the automobile magnate Walter P Chrysler set out to create the greatest skyscraper on Earth, but the record for the world’s tallest building was held for only 11 months before it was overshadowed by the Empire State Building. The terraced crown that is the Chrysler’s most distinctive feature – a seven-storey decorative shell without floors or glazed windows – was dismissed by critics as a gimmick.
But, in 2020, the Chrysler is the height of fashion. It has become an architectural icon, a beloved art deco treasure, as symbolic of Manhattan as the Eiffel Tower is of Paris. And the signature silhouette – the elegant, wedding-cake tiers, graphic but graceful, tapering skyward – is the most on-trend shape. The tiered dress is to fashion today what the hourglass was during the New Look craze of 1947 or what the bellbottom was to 1971. The first trend of the new decade is here – and it is 2os skyscraper chic.
This is a modern take on dressing up that is more about glamour and less about sex appeal
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