Think of the connection between the poor materials, bland design, “millennial gray”, and other neutral colors that have become popular in many modern homes and apartments and the poorly constructed women’s clothes in stores today, with their bland shapes and subdued color palettes.

“As a glance down any street in America quickly reveals, American women have forgotten how to dress. We chase fads, choose inappropriate materials and unattractive cuts, and waste energy tottering in heels when we could be moving gracefully. Quite simply, we lack the fashion know-how we need to dress professionally and flatteringly…” The Lost Art of Dress

“Before World War II, the American fashion industry was built on the conviction that the French were the only possible arbiters of style, with centuries of savoir faire to back up their claim. The clothes that were produced by American manufacturers, sold in American stores, promoted by American tastemakers, and covered in the American press were rarely the work of American designers, who spent most of their professional lives imitating or simply copying the output of their Parisian colleagues…” Empresses of Seventh Avenue