Coming Attraction: "American Style"

A four-part series called "American Style" will air on CNN in two chunks on Sunday, January 13 and Sunday, January 20.

The series will examine "how America’s changing style through the decades has mirrored the political, social, and economic climate of the time. Using archival footage and interviews with fashion experts and cultural figures including Tim Gunn, Donna Karan, Carson Kressley, Vanessa Williams, Beverly Johnson, Isaac Mizrahi, Christie Brinkley, John Varvatos, Diane von Furstenberg, André Leon Talley and more, the series highlights the most iconic moments from fashion and pop culture, giving audiences a front row seat to the runway of American history." The promotional video has fast cut snippets of Jackie, Elvis, "Sex and the City" and a winking 1950s housewife.

Power dressing, American style

 
The first episode will look at the 1940s and '50s and how World War II and Hollywood helped to define American style. The second episode covers the '60s and '70s; the next two bring us up to the present.

This promises to be a veritable feast for the fashion-possessed eyes, though I doubt it will break any new ground, especially if you have lived through all those eras (check). Sometimes the talking heads just talk too much; I hope visuals are allowed to speak for themselves. Will four hours really be enough??? No doubt there will be controversies. Will someone as important as Claire McCardell will be left out (love to be proven wrong)? In any case this treat is already on the calendar.