LYNN – With a half century among the nation?s leading interior designers, Lynn native Carleton Varney said one inevitability is that if a style was popular once, it will be again.?Technology has allowed for the creation of instant prints and the ability to reprint old prints,” said Varney, owner and president of Dorothy Draper & Co., the nation?s oldest interior design company based out of New York City.Varney, who recently returned to Lynn for the 60th reunion of his Lynn English High School Class of 1954, has often explained how his hometown inspired his career, particularly the vibrant colors inside the former Paramount Theater that he said have not faded in memory.He attributes his longevity in design to America?s appreciation for classic style and his own acceptance of its evolution.?Styles from another era have come back into the current system,” he said. “Classic things will never go, and there are certain styles that will always fit.”Varney said that while society craves fast fashion, “America has to preserve – you don?t have to change. Once we change, we often want to go back.”He said technological advancements now allow the design world to change styles quicker than the seasons. Retailers with the ability to mass produce their own goods speed up the design, manufacturing and delivery process exponentially.However, Varney has found this advancement to be a double-edged sword. While there are economic benefits to mass production, he said fast fashion is created for the moment, not for permanency.?Technology can help or hurt. These companies copy wonderful classics that you can?t afford and they make it available,” he said. “The problem occurs when they do knock downs (offs) because the item loses quality.”Varney has realized a major change in the workmanship in modern clothing design. While some retailers rely on computer software to measure out and produce accurate clothing sizes, Varney takes the old fashioned route.?Everything about a dress is the fit, if you have the right fit and cut it will look great,” he said. “But to get a cut that fits well you need a human body, so I use live models and cut to their dimension. Others technically take a form that hopefully works! I feel you still need the basic ABC?s, like using a live model, to make things work.”Ultimately, Varney said it is the consumer?s responsibility to know what they are purchasing. “You have to be a careful buyer in everything you do – including clothing and furniture,” he said.He also mentioned that people don?t need to buy brand new pieces to find value.?The world of flea markets and antique markets offer lots of great hand me downs that can be bought inexpensively,” he said, acknowledging that cost has little do with the integrity of the product.Varney has continued to adapt to his clients? needs by incorporating elements of the past with the contemporary. Changes in style today, he said, are partly related to the reduction of space. “It?s about flexibility and fit. We need to provide areas for sleeping, eating and entertaining, all the elements in one room. Now we fill a room so that all the components are designed for living, even in a studio it can happen.”Varney said he is creating all the time and credits his children for keeping him ?educated? on current trends. He is moving full speed with various projects and he is the new face of Front Gate Catalog, a company producing indoor and outdoor collections that are slated to run next year.He also continues to teach at the Dorothy Draper School of Decorating, revamp the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, write the news column ?Your Family Decorator,? and design pieces for his online shop.Kristin Bornstein may be reached at [email protected].