Consumers of a Certain Age Trivia Quiz

Answer: Flapper Girls

The 1920s, especially the latter half, were known as the "Roaring Twenties" as people tried to forget the horrors of the First World War. Women found a new freedom and the "Flapper Look" became all the rage. The Flapper's hairstyle de jour was a short, sleek bob, often topped by either a close fitting hat such as the cloche or with a headband worn round the forehead and often adorned with feathers and jewels.

Hemlines rose on low-waisted dresses which allowed women to move freely. The look was boyish with a flattened bust line and few curves. Make up was dramatic with bold eyeliner and red lipstick being popular.

Answer: Coco Chanel

Considered to be an essential component of every women's wardrobe no matter what her age, the "Little Black Dress" or "LBD " is an enduring item in a world known for change and fleeting popularity. Although versions of a black dress had been around for years, given that black was the colour of mourning, it was Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel who made it the staple item in the wardrobes of millions of women.

The publication of her design of a simply cut, short black dress in the American version of "Vogue" in 1926 introduced the "LBD" to the world and it has never really left. Today it is still the first choice of millions of women when faced with that awful dilemma - what to wear.

Answer: Mood Rings

Created in New York in 1975 by Josh Reynolds and Maris Ambats, the mood ring took the fashion world by storm and became the "must have" item of the day. A mood ring contains, either within the band or in the stone of the ring, a thermotropic liquid. This liquid changes colour as a reaction to a change in temperature. Now the theory behind its ability to reflect a person's mood works as thus. People's moods are correlated with their body temperature and their skin will become hotter or colder depending on their emotional state.

The ring is then supposed to react to this temperature difference and change colour to reflect the mood. However, there are a number of outside factors which could influence the ring so it wasn't very accurate. They were fun though!

Answer: Go-Go Boots

If you really wanted to be hip and at the height of fashion in the mid sixties, a pair of Go-Go boots were an essential item in your wardrobe. These boots were the brainchild of French designer, Andre Courr­eges, back in 1964. The original boots were white, calf length and had a low heel.

However, the heel height and boot length tended to vary quite substantially depending what they were being worn with. There was also, at one stage, a rash of candy coloured boots. The term "Go-Go" takes its name from an old French term "a gogo" which means "in abundance". Go-Go boots are forever linked with Nancy Sinatra who wore a pair while performing her 1966 hit, "These Boots are Made for Walking".

Answer: Beehive

Most consumers of a certain age are likely to remember or even have worn a "Beehive". It was one of the most popular ways for a woman to wear her hair in the 1960s. The style takes its name from the way in which the hair is wound into a pile on the top of the head until it resembles a beehive.

The style was originally developed by a Illinois hairdresser named Margaret Vinci Heldt in 1960. Her brief from the magazine "Modern Beauty Salon" was to come up with a hairstyle which would reflect the new decade.

The style struck a note and was soon being worn by everyone from the First Lady, Jackie Kennedy to pop stars such as Dusty Springfield and actresses such as Audrey Hepburn to the ordinary woman in the street.

Answer: Miami Vice

The TV show "Miami Vice" starring Don Johnson as Detective James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Detective Ricardo Tubbs changed the way the "cool" man about town approached his leisure wear. To look good, he needed a T-shirt, preferably pastel coloured, a sports coats, preferably Italian, smart pants, preferably linen and slip-on loafers, definitely sockless. Team these with a five o'clock shadow (definitely groomed) and voila!, he had the look nailed.

Answer: Shell Suit

Consumers of a certain age will no doubt look back either in horror or with affection, depending on your taste preference, at the "shell suit". Once voted the worst fashion item of the last century, the shell suit enjoyed a brief, but very popular spell in the fashion limelight.

It is derived from the tracksuit, a two piece outfit intended for sports use. The shell suit comprised of pull-on pants teamed with a zippered jacket top. They were usually made of a shiny synthetic fibre such as polyester or nylon and came in a eye-watering variety of garish colours and patterns.

Answer: Power Dressing

Power dressing was the most prominent trend in the 1980s. This style was an attempt for women to establish their gender as an authority especially in the professional realms that were dominated by men in the era. The style was informed, in part by John T. Molloy's books 'Dress for Success' (1975) and 'Women: Dress for Success' (1980).

The type of outfits were divided into two parts: upper body favoured jackets to de-emphasise body curves but the lower body was covered with a skirt to highlight femininity.

The look was completed with discreet but feminine jewellery such as pearls, gold necklaces and earrings. Feminine florals were out replaced by masculine hounds-tooth and pinstripes. Colours like grey, black and navy were preferred.

Answer: Platforms

"Kabkabs" were shoes made of silver studded wooden stilts which were frequently used by Middle Eastern women to keep their feet dry and the bottoms of their garments clean. They were one of the forerunners of today's platform shoe. Platform shoe is the name given to any footwear that has a thick sole that raises the wearer's foot from the ground.

There are various styles and heights of platforms available depending on the wearer's taste. Platforms have been around, in some shape and form, throughout the ages and across various cultures.

They never really seem to have gone out of fashion despite their propensity for giving their wearers a twisted ankle or an ungraceful fall. Notable wearers include Elton John, The Spice Girls and ABBA.

Answer: Jeans

Jeans are probably the most recognized and most popular fashion item in cupboards around the world. Statistically it has been estimated that every American owns at least seven pairs! First invented in 1871 and then patented by Jacob W Davis and Levi Strauss in 1873, jeans were first known as "waist overalls".

It is quite easy to see why that name did not set the world alight. Quite simply, jeans are trousers made from either denim or dungaree cloth. Today the variety of styles, colours and fits are mind boggling and the manufacture of jeans is a multi-million dollar industry. No doubt, consumers of every age will be familiar with these versatile garments.