When Time Goes By, Deco Aficionados Go Back to Play in Past

Like ghosts from another time, the revelers arrive in the warm night air.

Willowy men in top hats and tails disembark from Model A Fords, their pencil-thin mustaches twitching with every step. An evening breeze catches the fringe of one flapper’s dress, while snippets of conversation ride the notes of a swing band out to the street.

“You’re looking swell, darling.”

“You’re just too marvelous for words.”

It’s the Art Deco Society of California’s 12th annual Preservation Ball, and about 350 history buffs have gone all-out to replicate in meticulous detail the finery of that magical period between World War I and World War II.

Their wingtip shoes and cigarette holders are from the most expensive vintage clothing stores in the city. The finger weaves in their hair are done by an expert in the styles of the time.

Check your ‘90s attitude at the door. This night in late March is about the styles, manners, music and designs of the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s.

The society’s official purpose is the “preservation of architecture, art, dance, fashion, film, music and transportation of the period in American culture between the two world wars.”

But for many members, it’s just an excuse to get dressed up and pretend they live in another time.

“I think there’s a sense [among participants] that something is lacking in contemporary society,” organizer Laurie Gordon says. “There’s a feeling that an element of glamour or excitement is missing.

“We’re such a casual culture, with T-shirts and jeans and tennis shoes. This is an opportunity to really appreciate the idea of getting very dressed up in gowns and tuxedos.”

The night isn’t just about clothes, though. For one evening, time moves backward, gender roles return and a certain formality reigns. Women are ladies, and gentlemen lead as couples whirl to the fox trot and two-step.

“It’s just wonderful to be dancing again,” said ball-goer Carole Lyons, whose foot-long cigarette holder barely cleared the feathered shoulders on her floor-length evening gown. “Couples are really dancing. They aren’t just bouncing up and down.”

Society members range in age from 20-something to 80-something. They come from all over the world. But they have one thing in common: a passion for the elegant lines and Egyptian, Aztec and Greco-Roman influences that characterize Art Deco.

Envision the feathered hats and draped gowns of an Erte painting. Picture the Charleston, Lalique glass, Radio City Music Hall and the Empire State Building. Remember Duke Ellington and Duesenbergs.

It’s a period that has fascinated people for decades. Similar societies have formed across the United States and created an outspoken lobby to save the architecture of the time from the wrecking ball.

But while most enthusiasts are content to get their fill from Saturday afternoon movie classics or preservation efforts, some prefer to take it a step beyond.

And that’s where San Francisco’s society is different. It allows members to actually relive the era at the annual ball, the yearly summer Gatsby picnic, fashion and hairstyle workshops, lectures and walking tours of the city’s architectural gems.

Antiques dealer Elizabeth Lauricella is one of those who went the extra mile. She bought an entire outfit from a vintage fair, then took lessons on makeup and hairstyling before attending the ball with her husband.

“I love old films,” she said as she waited for him to park the car. “To dress up one night and be just like a glamorous movie star is fun.”