26 trends that need to die now
Beauty, as anyone with a subscription to US Weekly would know, is in the hands of our dermatologists. And stylists. Take the magazine’s “Who Wore It Best” section, which pits up-and-coming starlets and veteran actresses like gladiators at the Roman coliseum. Or recently-converted vegetarians at an all-you-can-eat buffet. You get my drift. Nothing is sacred. Not Meryl Streep. Not Miley Cyrus. Not even that purse you slaved over for three months, in lieu of your daily Starbucks frap.
In this month’s issue of Elle, starring the suddenly-interesting newly-single Katie Holmes, Joe Zee attempted to decode the lingua franca of his peers. Under the heading “How to talk like a fashion editor,” Zee and co break down convoluted language. “Genius” means innovative. “Major” means important. (P.S.: This is not a joke. This sidebar actually appears on page 72 of the magazine.)
Most amusing was the translation of “So street style,” which, for those who spend hours of the day perusing blogs of the same provenance, unfortunately translates to tragic wannabe.
Starting as what many considered a kind of down-to-earth from-the-streets revolution, street style — like many trends that merited substantial popularity — has become a circus: head-to-toe labels, garb worn not for the sake of personal style but to catch the eye of a sought-after photographer or blogger.
Which brings us to our topic. All trends come from a place of good — from a well-intentioned designer or stylist or makeup artist in search of the new. But trends, being what they are, become perverted, corrupted, bastardized. Until it arrives in its fifth incarnation in the nearest high-street shop in your corner mall containing only a figment of its original DNA.
For the anniversary issue, I polled tastemakers — designers, editors, makeup artists — on trends they’d like to send to the retirement home. Some trends deserve a long and worthy burial. They’ve done their part and made their mark on the Topshops of the world. While others, to be honest, warrant a visit to the guillotine. Sooner, rather than later. (I’m looking at you, heel-less platforms.)
