October 15, 2025
The gala is Fri., Nov. 7, 2025, from 5-10:00 p.m. at Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot. Grab your ticket here!
Attendees are invited to pick their favorite decade and dress the part. Check out our Pinterest board 90 Years of Style: Dressing the Decades for more fashion inspiration.
1935-1945 – Movie stars influence dress, democratization of fashion, pants for women
Source: Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Women: Bias cut dresses, which created “a fluid, body-skimming garment.” Backless gowns. Ankle length gowns. Wide leg pants for women. Salvador Dalí collaborating with designer Elsa Schiaparelli to create trompe l’oeil and surreal dresses.
Men: More causal looks, like blazers and sports jackets with flannel trousers and open-necked shirts. Wide leg trousers. The rise in popularity of trench coat and the leather bomber jacket.
“Every woman could imitate and buy into, at relatively little cost, the look of her favorite stars, if only through copying their makeup and hairstyles: cinema democratized the empire of fashion by making glamour accessible.”
Sources: https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1930-1939/, https://www.vogue.com/article/1930s-fashion-history-lesson
1945-1955 – The New Look, Katherine Hepburn style, and the Zoot suit
Women: The new look created by Christian Dior after the war ended, which featured “a cinched waist and very full skirt.” High-waisted slacks with a button-down shirt, ala Katherine Hepburn.
Men: The rise of the Zoot suit, which “evolved from the popular ‘drape’ suits that were seen on the dance floor in Harlem in the 1930s... The suit consisted of an oversized jacket and voluminous trousers that were tapered at the ankle to avoid tripping. The look was completed with a wide tie.” Brightly-colored Hawaiian shirts became acceptable casual attire.
“Featuring rounded shoulders, a cinched waist, and very full skirt, the New Look celebrated ultra-femininity and opulence in women’s fashion. After years of military and civilian uniforms, sartorial restrictions and shortages, Dior offered not merely a new look but a new outlook.”
“Servicemen who returned to mainland US from Asia and the Pacific islands brought with them a trend for brightly colored Hawaiian shirts. Though they had gained popularity in Hawaii in the 1930s, the trend spread in the postwar years and into the 1950s as the relaxed American style was widely adopted.”
Sources: https://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/HD/dior/hd_dior.htm#:~:text=Christian%20Dior's%20reputation%20as%20one,femininity%20and%20opulence%20in%20women's, https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1940-1949/
1955-1965- Jackie O. and a fashion liberation with hippie styles and the miniskirt
Women: First Lady Jackie O. inspired lady-like boxy skirt-suits, sheathes, and A-line dresses, accessorized with white gloves, pearls, and a matching hat. The introduction of the miniskirt. Hippie/bohemian styles, including strings of beads, caftans, peasant blouses, and the maxi skirt.
Men: More color and patterns! The collarless jacket. Brightly striped or patterned suits, heeled boots, slim-fitting trousers. Hippie styles for men like tie-dye, loose-fitting shirts, velvet vests, flared pants, and long hair.
“Suede, headbands, kaftans, Afghan coats, beads and other non-Western elements of adornment were embraced, as were flowing skirts and secondhand clothing.”
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy “was admired around the world for her put-together, lady-like look consisting of boxy skirt-suits, sheath and A-line dresses, and luxurious coats–all accessorized with white gloves, pearls, and a matching hat.”
Sources: https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1960-1969/
1965-1975 – Womenswear inspired by menswear, the wrap dress, disco dressing, leisure suits
Women: Menswear like Diane Keaton in “Anne Hall” and Biance Jagger’s iconic white tuxedo, disco dressing with sequins and sparkle, prairie dresses from designers like Gunne Sax, the wrap dress from Diane Von Fürstenberg, more bohemian styles like patchwork, crochet knits, and embroidery on clothing and accessories.
Men: Turtlenecks, slim-fitting shirts, and tight-fitting flared pants, patterned velvet suits, leisure suits, wide belts with large buckles, bright and bold prints.
“Classy, full-length figure-huggers battled with short, sparkly halter necks and hot pants for center stage. Lycra, satin, and velvet were the fabrics of choice, while feathers and sequins added extra sparkle.”
Sources: https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1970-1979/
1975-1985 – Power dressing, preppy style, and sportswear for men and women
Women: Preppy style like polo shirts with popped collars, penny loafers, plaid and gingham button-down shirts, and blazers with logos and shoulder pads. Power dressing, featuring bright colors and bold shapes, which included blazers with shoulder pads, puffy sleeves, bold accessories, and oversized, bright sweaters and t-shirts.
Men: Preppy style featuring polo shirts with popped collars, sweaters thrown over shoulders, penny loafers, boat shoes, plaid and gingham button-down shirts, and seersucker suits. Power dressing included pin-striped, double-breasted suits with wide lapels and large overcoats.
“As more women entered traditionally male-oriented work environments, they found it advantageous to dress as though they were in command, and sure of their sexuality. This meant jackets with heavily padded shoulders, vibrant colors, big hair-dos, bold accessories, and shoes with pointed toes and spiked heels.”
Sources: https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1980-1989/
1985-1995 – Minimalism, grunge, and dressy casual
Women: Grunge, featuring slip dresses with combat boots, chokers, vintage cardigans, Mary Jane shoes, and flannels. The iconic safety pin dress from Versace. Minimalism ala Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy with simple slip dresses, a white button shirt paired with an elegant black skirt for evening, jeans with a simple white t-shirt, a tortoiseshell headband, and her signature oval sunglasses.
Men: Grunge style, including flannel shirts, often over t-shirts with baggy jeans, cardigans, and Converse. The Fashion Institute of Technology states, “A ‘dressy casual’ style emerged as jeans and khakis were worn with blazers and dress shirts for a hybrid formal look.” JFK Jr. epitomized this style, a slouchy Ivy League style. Minimalism for men with black suits, black sheer shirts ala Helmut Lang.
Of Bessette-Kennedy, Vogue states, “[Her staples were] Levi’s 517s, button-up shirts, loafers, black shoulder bags, a black turtleneck, black pointy-toe slingbacks.”
Sources: https://www.elle.com/uk/fashion/celebrity-style/a62333051/carolyn-bessette-kennedy-style/, https://www.vogue.com/article/elements-of-style-carolyn-bessette-kennedy#:~:text=All%2DBlack%20Formalwear,red%20lip%2C%20a%20sleek%20bun, https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/1990s-fashion-history/index.html, https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1990-1999/
1995-2005 – Bohemian, skin-baring styles, emo/mod style
Women: Grunge turned into bohemian style (boho), featuring flowered dresses, peasant tops, and flared jeans. According to the Fashion Institute of Technology, “skin was in,” which meant denim miniskirts, low rise jeans, and cropped shirts. Also, the iconic red carpet fit from Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake dressed head to toe in denim.
Men: Sportswear, featuring “tracksuits, polo shirts (sometimes layered or with the collar popped), cargo pants, and rugby shirts.” Inspired by indie music, the emo/retro mod style emerged with skinny suits, skinny ties, black fingernails, and black everything.
The Fashion Institute of Technology states, “[Dior designer Heidi] Slimane, inspired himself by indie music, favored slim-fit trousers with blazers, skinny ties, and bedraggled hair.”
Sources: https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/2000-2009/
2005-2015 – Denim with everything, from flared, low-rise to skinny jeans, boho style, hipster and Mad Men style
Women: Boho styles, like those worn and designed by Stella McCartney, including flowy fabric, fringe, lace, over-the-knee boots, layered beads, velvet blazers, and oversized sunglasses. Jeans with everything, and the rise of skinny jeans.
Men: Hipster style, featuring skinny jeans, horn-rimmed or thick glasses, slouchy stocking caps, groomed beards, and man buns. Mad Men style with skinny ties, pocket squares, shawl collars sweaters, cable knit sweaters and cardigans. “The look was a natural progression from the 1960s-inspired tailoring, with elements of suiting, oxfords and brogues, and skinny ties all contributing to the style.”
Sources: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/a62349991/boho-chic-fashion-trend-resurgence-explained-2024/, https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/2010-2019/
2015-2025 – Athleisure, maximalism, and gender-neutral style
Women: Maximalism, featuring bright colors, bold textures, and cartoonish proportions from designers like Marc Jacobs. Brocade coats mixed with athletic shorts and sneakers. Sheer dresses with bloomers underneath. Sneakers with everything. Athleisure styles have proliferated, especially during and after the pandemic. Adidas partnered with designer brands like Liberty of London, Stella McCartney, Gucci, and Farm Rio. Gender neutral styles for women by designers like Thom Browne, featuring blazers, trousers, button ups, and long shorts.
Men: Gender neutral dressing. Men wearing dresses, skirts, and gowns, along with more feminine patterns and designs. Men carrying purses. Athleisure styles, featuring jogger pants and designer sneakers.
Sources: https://medium.com/@dotsod/the-empowering-evolution-the-rise-of-gender-neutral-fashion-ed094d4826e0, https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/2010-2019/