Trend Report

by ANDREW LOVESEY for Urbane Magazine
FROM VOL I: Issue 1, Spring 2010

Photo by Kampol Likitkanjanakul

The New Year signifies new beginnings; in the world of fashion it means new trends, new styles and of course, new designers. Yet in a time where everything seems to have been done before, how can one differentiate between what is truly fresh – and what’s simply reappearing from the back of our parents closet?

Growing up, one would look through their parent’s belongings, tossing away the very trends of our future. Taking a closer look at what is hot now; plastic-framed glasses for instance, have been rejuvenated. Major fashion houses have revived their frames after this 50s/60s style. The fashion icons of then, once perceived as odd, could now walk down the street without even a second glance. The metal-framed glasses of the 70s period are soon to make a comeback. Keep your eyes tuned to the new eyewear collections of 2010, all of the major designers will be releasing at least one pair in hopes of reviving this once popular design.

A recent story featured on the Fashion Television website highlighted the resurgence of psychedelics into the spring 2010 collections. Notable designers whose hued spring collections were previewed include Pucci, Diane Von Furstenburg, Anna Sui, Louis Vuitton, Versace, and of course the late Alexander McQueen. Fashion forecasting predicts upcoming trends based on the buying patterns of the past. Well tuck, not toss, away your plastic-framed glasses it is rather probable you will be reaching back into that chest of goodies for them once again.

…we are able to see such trendsetting designers as Alexander McQueen who drew much inspiration from the Gothic age or Yohji Yamamoto who takes from traditional Japanese design.

Not only optical trends resurface, looking at what is deemed as in-style nowadays, one not only sees eyewear and clothing trends being recycled, but even hairstyles and aspects of interior design. The mod design of the 60s has ambushed interior design with a new sense of direction. Whether it is an avant-garde piece in the living room, or the cast-iron-foot tub encrusted in the foundations of any modern, luxurious lavatory – trends resurface throughout all aspects of design not just in fashion.

Fashion and its face are forever changing, moulding itself alongside the shifts in popular culture. The ‘Teddy Boy’ look of the 50s has returned with the tailored velvet-trimmed waistcoats, leather jackets, slicked back hair, and suede shoes. The bohemian, hippy trends of the 60s and 70s, have always been teetering on the fringe of sub-culture for ages, battling against the more restricting aspects of the main stream. We have welcomed back the high waist into women’s fashion, seen now in pants, and skirts alike. The shoulder pads of the 80s have returned with a vengeance, sneaking their way back onto the shoulders of blazers and dresses strutting down the streets of Toronto.

Today, we are able to see such trendsetting designers as Alexander McQueen who drew much inspiration from the Gothic age or Yohji Yamamoto who takes from traditional Japanese design. Fashion is forever drawing from the past, and reshaping it with a more modern perspective. So why are we always looking back to the past for inspiration? Is it a matter of originality; has it come to the point where one cannot be unique without mimicking what used to be? How do we stay fresh when the industry is forever spoiling what we cherish the most…our creative image.

So in a time when most has been done before; how can one be truly original without drawing inspiration from somewhere? One must just take fashion as it comes, assessing the trends, sampling them like a child would taste candy in a couture candy store. The question is, not what is coming, or what has been; it is simply how you will style it into your wardrobe. Each season brings us a wonderful new selection to tickle our inner fashionista, leaving you with the choice of fashion now, or then.