To tie in with the Met's upcoming Costume Intitute show, Vogue produced an editorial (allegedly) offering modern takes on classic American fashion. Vogue calls them "historic archetypes of our national style." We call them reductive stereotypes of bygone ages.

Vogue says it can tell us how these "six quintessential looks are bold (again) today." We say, is this actually intended as a manual for getting dressed? Because that leaves us with some important questions.