>Apparently fashions weren't ever going to change!
It is very sensible of them not to attempt to predict fashion IMO, because it is by its very nature unpredictable, and possibly irrational and random, depending on how you look at it.
Imagine how much more ridiculous these would have been were all the people depicted in one-piece silver jumpsuits or something.
Also, using fashion from their own era enabled the artist to describe the social contexts. So you know who are wealthy people, who are servants, policemen etc, because they wear the stuff you expect them to. Otherwise you'd have to explain "the guys with the red jumpsuits are police, the yellow..."
It is very sensible of them not to attempt to predict fashion IMO, because it is by its very nature unpredictable, and possibly irrational and random, depending on how you look at it.
Imagine how much more ridiculous these would have been were all the people depicted in one-piece silver jumpsuits or something.