In 1997 Concord unveiled its 18 gold La Scala collection, perfectly geometric- an art deco inspiration. Jaeger- LeCoultre's Reverso Grande Taille utilizes pure geometric shapes an art deco icon.
Art Deco swept through a changing era: old Victorian petticoats were flung away for a modern streamlined form. Women cut their hair, hemmed their skirts and skipped away from prohibitions. It was the roaring twenties. Lines were straight, mathematical and geometric. Products were made with the consumer in mind, aerodynamic cars and boats, sleek with sharp pristine angles. The heavy frills made way for clear lines. In the United States, Art Deco influenced building architecture (The Chrysler Building), cars, fashion, furniture, subway stations, jewelry and watches. Watches of the 1920's an 30's were mathematically geometric in design, and drew inspiration from modern clean cut shapes. Art Deco was more than just an art it was an entire movement lasting from 1925 to 1939, sandwiched between two world wars.
Art Deco was advertised in 1925 as the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Moderns (the International Exhibit of Decorative Arts and Modern Industries), in Paris, the worlds most influential artists and designers met to share their visions of design for the future. The event basked in international attention, it was "the event" promoting the evolution of design. Culminating from this movement was the Art Deco, then known as Style Moderne and in 1968 coined Art Deco. Today Art Deco is sometimes referred to as retro modern or vintage modern. "Retro" is a Latin Prefix meaning "backward" or in "past times", the modern of the then, the modern of the twenties. Whatever the term used, the look is still refreshingly edgy and undoubtedly modern.
