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No-trend dressing – part II



While still pondering the concept of the ‘no-trend season‘, a little Googling threw up a gem. It seems we’ve been here before with this ‘no-trend’ business, eighteen years ago in fact. Amy Spindler debated the issue in this 1995 New York Times article. The bit that jumped out at me was a quote from Joan Kaner, the senior vice president and fashion director of Neiman Marcus. “The trend comes in and out every six months, and the customer is spending a lot of money on clothes she thinks will be obsolete in two or three months. She’s right to be angry.”

See? Fashion fatigue happened eighteen years ago too, this is a mere revival. Which proves alas, that today’s trend go-slow isn’t the sign of big changes I thought it was. Give it a season or two and we’ll be back to the must-haves and ‘It’ items that makes the fashion world go round. Individuality be damned, it is a business after all.

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We love Sprouse



This week’s Grazia has a feature on the new Louis Vuitton/Stephen Sprouse tribute range, showcasing some of the neon graffitied and rose-motif printed bags, clothes and accessories from the collection. My first thoughts? Crikey it’s garish! I must confess, I’ve always hankered for one of the original graffed-up wallets or pochettes but I just didn’t get there fast enough (nor could I justify the poundage at the time).

Having properly navigated the very chic, post-punk stylee website – www.welovesprouse.com – I can say it’s growing on me. I particularly like the videos that explain about Sprouse and about Marc Jacobs’ vision behind this offering. (Sprouse died a view years ago so Jacobs was channelling Sprouse’s vision with this collection.) Check out Debbie Harry’s contribution here.

To be completely honest, the only thing I’d consider buying from this range is the wallets or the Neverful bag, everything else is just too (oh dear) young for me!

I can see this scarf being the first to sell-out. Cue a Grazia DPS (magazine-speak for ‘double-page spread’) in a month or so showcasing all the sheep B-listers sporting it in their own ‘inimitable’ way.

Agyness Deyn would work this Neverful bag bashed up and teamed with Henry Holland’s holey jeans and an American Apparel hot-pink tee.

I can clearly see Vicky Beckham sporting this Speedy bag with a Dolce & Gabbana black shift, DVB dark shades and a grumpy grimace.

Paging Lindsay Lo! These have got your name (well not literally obviously) all over them.

The rose print is my least favourite but I can so see Vogue cover girl (grrr, Alex Schulman, what were you thinking?) Cheryl Cole giving it a whirl.

Over to you…what’s your take?

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Spring-Summer 2009: the no-trend season?




Until today I hadn’t bought a magazine for over a week and the magazine-withdrawal side-effects was starting to get to me (damn you Grazia for doing a Christmas/New Year double issue and thus denying me my fix last Tuesday). So thank God I found the new Elle on the news-stand today, complete with its excellent Spring-Summer Runway Edit supplement mag.

The introduction acknowledges that this season is less focussed on new trends and more about updating classics and wearing them with things you already own. How refreshing. Much better than pretending that florals, stripes and boho for Spring are something new. The magazine itself continues with this theme. As the editor’s letter proclaims; “This is the ‘NO TREND’ season. There are some amazing pieces out there – forever pieces – but no significant big trends to follow.” Yay to that. If more magazines follow the lead of many a seasoned blogger and show readers how to be imaginitive and Use What They’ve Got instead of buying one-season-wonders and copying celebrity looks (snore), fashion will naturally progress to its next phase of creativity. One certainly hopes so anyway.

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