'Is there any doubt that nostalgia is in?
If "Forrest Gump," "The Flintstones" and news items about Barbie's 35th anniversary aren't proof enough, then how about the arrival in bookstores of "The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book"?
Evidence is as close as the nearest mall, where this season shoppers will find an array of gift items that reflect America's love affair with the pop-culture heroes, symbols and traditions of the past.
What fuels this nostalgia?
"The past was a less pressured time," explains Arnold Borenstein, creative merchandising director at the Hecht Co. headquarters in Arlington, Va. "With all the chaos in today's world, people want things simpler."
WARM, FUZZY FEELING
Nowhere is that backward glance more apparent than in toy stores.
"Two forces are at work," says Christopher Byrne, editor of Market Focus: Toys, a New York-based toy-industry newsletter. "Parents are buying presents that they remember from when they were kids, and they have a desire to create a home that's safe and warm. Toy manufacturers are tapping into parents' nostalgia of a world that was relatively safe."
That helps explain why Barbie and G. I. Joe are perennial favorites, and why Creepy Crawlers were recently reintroduced.
"Children are aware of the level of violence today and parents want to create a safe world for their children," Mr. Byrne says. "Barbie and G. I. Joe have survived three decades because the fantasy isn't prepackaged. It's a pure kind of play: to make something or to imagine something.
"We live in uncertain times and we want the warm, fuzzy feeling that things will turn out OK. If we can get that, even for a relatively short period, it keeps us culturally in touch with higher values like security, creativity and a sense of family."
Mom and Dad Baby Boomer have been bitten by the nostalgia bug.
"Barbie is again this year's hottest property," says Ian McDermott, senior buyer for New York-based F. A. O. Schwarz, which recently opened a store in Towson. "Winnie-the-Pooh, which goes way back to 1926, is this year's most-wanted bear. Our Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm doll is extremely popular in our mail-order catalog."
The 35th Anniversary Nostalgic Barbie Gift Set ($80) re-creates the original Barbie in all her '50s splendor, including her swimsuit and Roman holiday and Easter parade fashion ensembles. The Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm Book & Doll Set ($39) features a 12-inch doll with a silk-screened face, braids and lace-up shoes. A 15-inch Winnie-the-Pooh ($42) is fully jointed and covered with curly plush. These are available at F. A. O. Schwarz.
"Years ago, just about every American household had a red wagon," adds Mr. McDermott. "This year, there's a huge demand for Radio Flyers." The red steel wagon, introduced in 1917, retails for $39.
Another toy that evokes the past is the Flexible Flyer Racer Sled ($59.95). This fall, Mr. McDermott says, "It's become a best seller with us -- and without a threat of snow."
NOSTALGIA FOR HER
The latest looks in women's fashions recall the glamour of decades past.
"There's a big return to a '30s and '40s glamour look," says Heather Femia, fashion director for Nordstrom in Towson. "Strappy high-heel shoes in a velvet peau de soie fabric make glamorous evening footwear. And a fabulous red lipstick is a great idea."
She suggests Stuart Weitzman evening footwear, which features rhinestone trim and lots of straps; prices range from $150 to $200.
"Christian Dior's Festive Red lipstick [$17] looks great with the dark clothes worn around the holidays," Ms. Femia says. Other glamour-look lipsticks this season are YSL's Expressive Red and Forbidden Red; both $22.50.
Ms. Femia also has noticed a resurgence of interest in classic clothing.
"It's all about being 'dressed' in an ensemble meant to go together," she said.
For example, the '50s look of the twin set is back. It's a pair of go-together sweaters: a cardigan over a matching short-sleeved top or shell.
Twin sets from designers such as Donna Karan, Calvin Klein and Liz Claiborne range in price from $110 to more than $500.
Evening wear has taken a cue from recent movies set in the 19th century.
"Big, full-length ball skirts -- like the ones worn in 'The Piano' and 'The Age of Innocence' -- can be worn with a sweater twin set for a fabulous look," Ms. Femia says. "A ball skirt by Farinae without a waistband and with an A-line shape [$198] is a modern interpretation of the old ball skirt -- and doesn't look like a costume."
Other classic clothing gifts are the monogrammed robe and the monogrammed pajama set, says Ditas Mauricio, a spokesman at Talbots corporate headquarters in Hingham, Mass. Available in three different lengths and in a spectrum of pastel colors, the robes sell for $66, $72 and $78; add $5 for monogramming. Awning-stripe pajamas with a monogram (reminiscent of those Rob Petrie wore on "The Dick Van Dyke Show") are $48 plus $5 for the monogramming.
Talbots also carries the traditional boiled-wool jacket.
"It's a classic, and we've carried it for many years," he says. "They wear very well with little plaid skirts and turtlenecks." Available in nine colors, the jackets retail for $88; versions for girls are $58.
THE 'DAD' LOOK
This season, nostalgia is being sold as an antidote to stress.
"A man in his 30s who is engrossed by computers during the day needs to balance it with something warm and fuzzy in the evening," says the Hecht Co.'s Mr. Borenstein.
"V-neck sweaters in solids and tennis sweaters with tipping around the neck are doing well for a couple of reasons," he says. "Layering reminds us of a time when men wore a lot of clothing -- heating wasn't as good in the past -- and it evokes the 'Dad' look of 'Ozzie and Harriet.' "
The fabric pattern that appeals is plaid.
"Plaids are nostalgic on several levels," Mr. Borenstein says. "It connotes the outdoors and natural fibers. And when matched and mismatched with other things, you get a lot of texture, mixture, warmth and fuzziness."
He suggests flannel plaid shirts by Van Heusen ($22), rib-knit sweaters by Claybrooke ($30) and fleece-lined slipper-socks ($19) at the Hecht Co.
For nostalgia with a Western twist, there are oilskin dusters from the Australian Outback Collection ($100 to $245). They look like those worn by cool cowboys. The rough-oiled sailcloth coats are fully lined and available at Jake & Jake's Country Store in the Gallery at Harborplace, downtown.
Mush, you huskies: Blanket jackets made in a traditional red and black plaid evoke the rugged outdoors; they're $295 at Brooks Brothers in the Gallery at Harborplace.
AT-HOME TRADITIONS
This season's trendy gifts for the house are unpolished and simple, taking a cue from traditional styles.
"Contemporary styling is getting cleaner and less 'hard-edge sleek,' " says Ted Pearson, vice president of Rita St. Clair Associates, a Baltimore interior design firm. "For seasonal items, we're seeing the use of natural products and materials that were more typical in earlier times."
For example, this season kitchen supplies at Crate & Barrel include hand-painted ceramic muffin pans ($21.95), perfect for baking a batch of fresh muffins on frosty winter mornings. A white stoneware shortbread mold ($19.95) uses a traditional heart motif in each of the eight wedges.
"Baby boomers want to remember their childhoods and return to a safer time," says Pat Eckerstrom, a spokesman at Crate & Barrel's headquarters in Northbrook, Ill.
For them, the store sells a jelly cabinet ($199) that is reminiscent of Shaker kitchen cabinets for food storage. This version, made of poplar, painted sage green and hand-sanded to a weathered look, can also house CDs and cookbooks.
SOUNDS AND STORIES
What will shoppers find on store shelves for book lovers? For anyone over 30, it'll be books that evoke feelings of deja vu.
"It seems that this season, there are a lot of new books on the Beatles, Elvis, 'Star Trek' and baseball," says Susan Arnold, a spokesman for Waldenbooks. "They're all very popular figures and people never seem to tire of reading about them."
For Beatles fans, great gifts include "A Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song" by Steve Turner (Harper, $20) and "The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia" by Bill Harry (Hyperion, $20). Elvis lovers will appreciate "Good Rockin' Tonight" by Joe Esposito (Simon & Schuster, $23) and "Last Train to Memphis" by Peter Guralnick (Little Brown, $25).
For "Star Trek" fans, there are "The Nitpicker's Guide for Classic Trekkers" by Phil Farrand (Dell, $13), "Star Trek Movie Memories" by William Shatner with Chris Kreski (HarperCollins, $22.50) and "Beyond Uhura" by Nichelle Nichols (Putnam-Berkley Group, $22.95).
Other nostalgia-theme books include "The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book" by Vince Waldron (Hyperion, $15) and "Baseball: An Illustrated History," by Geoffrey Ward and Ken Burns (Knopf, $45), based on the public-television series.
Around the holidays, music often hits a nostalgic note. This year, some of the sounds will be barely a decade old.
"It's nostalgia for people in their 20s and 30s -- the new 30-somethings," quips Roberta Cowan, general manager of An Die Musik in Towson. "Everybody's going back to the '70s and '80s."
Great compact disc gifts include "Phat Traks," five volumes featuring funk, dance, and rhythm and blues from the '70s and early '80s (Rhino, $12 for each CD). Artists include Funkadelic, Cameo, Gap Band, and Rufus and Chaka Khan.
For new wavers who can't wait to wax nostalgic, "Just Can't Get Enough" (Rhino, 10 volumes, $12 each CD) should do the trick. The compilation includes music by Haircut One Hundred, Culture Club, Men at Work, Modern English and Adam Ant.
Jazz fans aren't forgotten in the rush to nostalgia. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Verve has just released "The Complete Bud Powell" ($80), a five-CD set of recordings of the legendary bebop pianist.
For pop fans, singer Gloria Estefan's new CD, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" (Epic, $17), showcases covers of standards from the '60s and '70s.
Heavy-metal musicians Jimmy Page and Robert Plant team up on "No Quarter (Unledded)" (Atlantic, $20). They've reworked some material from the glory days of Led Zeppelin.
If money is no object, consider the ultimate music-nostalgia gift: a jukebox. The Wurlitzer CD Jukebox from the Sharper Image is computer-driven. It's housed in an antique-style cabinet. It plays up to 1,250 songs from 50 CDs (not included).
"It features a '40s look, with an arch and lots of bubbles," says Brian Ahearn, marketing manager at the Sharper Image headquarters in San Francisco. The cost? $7,995.
SHOPPING GUIDE
PAST PERFECT
WOMEN'S FASHIONS, Page 8: Donna Karan black crew, $250; cardigan, $325; pearl necklace, $325; and black high-heel shoes by Stuart Weitzman, $190; all at Nordstrom. Red boiled-wool jacket, $88; plaid pleated skirt, $98; silk holiday scarf, $48; red beret, $20; and muffler ($58); all at Talbots.
TOYS, Page 9: Radio Flyer red wagon, $39, at Toys-R-Us. Erector Set, $69.95; Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore stuffed animals, $19.95 each; and Curious George and book, $24.95 and $13.95, at Imaginarium. Wooden trains, $24.95, at Crate & Barrel. Wind-up Elephant with Ball, $12, at Nouveau.
HOUSEHOLD GOODS, Page 10: Wire-handled basket, $38.95 for set of two; muffin pans, $21.95; shortbread mold, $19.95; red ceramic cruets, $13.95 and 15.95; popcorn maker, $24.95; and green print napkins, $5.95; all at Crate & Barrel.
MEN'S FASHIONS, Page 10: Plaid wool jacket, $295, at Brooks Brothers. Plaid flannel shirts by Ralph Lauren and Gant, $35 to $85; white oxford shirt, $34.95, wool sweater vest, $197, by Ralph Lauren; leather slippers, $25; and red suspenders, $18; all at the Hecht Co.