Day 2, Trend Thoughts

from Tumblr. Do you like it because it's fashion?

I had another post I was planning on writing today, but this is more relevant to what I'm feeling this afternoon.

British fashion is dominated by the highstreet; there are very few successful boutique stores available outside the cool parts of London. Fashion in this country moves at speeds so quickly that it's impossible to keep up, I remember seeing Sir Philip Green of Arcadia (Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis etc.) in an interview on TV once saying that the turnaround time for seeing a style on the catwalk to having a version available in the stores in his group is 3 weeks. 3 weeks!! To re-design, pattern cut, send samples to and from Asia and London, source fabrics and components, teach factory workers how to make the garment, prepare for website, set into production, iron out kinks, transport across the globe and be hung up in stores. It's baffling.

This fast pace means that every time you go into Primark or Miss Selfridge there is always something new on the shelves, we as consumers have come to expect that. From the perspective of the designer, this means that there is pressure to continue to come up with new product, new concepts, new everything, but the fact is that there are only so many trouser silhouettes or skirt hemlines in the world to choose from. Trend recycling is something that has always been a thing, but now it seems forced. It seems like the highstreet is moving too fast, we need to re-evaluate what women want to wear, rather than forcing trends on them at such a rate that it's simply impossible to keep up.

Flared and bootcut jeans went out of fashion just over 5 years ago, but now just as people are settling into skinnies and embrace them as a way of life, bam, psych! Go buy something new. Well I don't want to. Not just because I think ankle space is unnecessary, but because as soon as I've got used to wearing them the style will change again, so what's the point? I wonder how many people actually want to feel controlled by fashion like this? Last year it was the 90's, this year the 70's... It's getting desperate. I'm only just starting to get into 90's dressing, things should slow down and evolve naturally rather than be dictated and changed as they are.

I have the hugest respect for people who ignore fashion but have amazing style. People who could be walking down the street in any country in any year and still draw in attention because they look amazing, whether that style is classic and feminine, boho layering, sportswear inspired, or an exhibit of a collection of pieces from across the globe.

Don't be a slave to the changing dictatorship of fashion, just own your style and let it grow organically. Feeling pressured into wearing what Tumblr is full of just because it's there even if you don't like it won't make you feel awesome in your clothes.

On a side note, you should take a look at this video, it's about a very strong, stylish woman and more people should hear her message