Catwalk celebrities: 20 best trends in fashion
July 28, 2006 | 12:00am
Trends are like celebrities. They can be the toast of this season, the bottom-dwelling has-beens of the next. Some gain super-stellar success and a walk down the 15-minute catwalk of fame before crashing into oblivion, while others don’t even get off the ground.
The best ones are those that become part of people’s mindset, reincarnated every few seasons and then (just like Madonna) revamped with every comeback. These are the trends that people incessantly love and reject and embrace again with every seasonal cycle: the real catwalk celebrities.
• Metallics
Fashionistas have been shine-struck since way before the California gold rush. From Victorian royalty’s gold-threaded gowns to Paco Rabanne’s chainmail garments to the disco era’s lame jumpsuits to Yves Saint Laurent’s mini dress, metallics have always been one of the fashion industry’s highest currencies.
• Oversized totes
Carrying around your daily necessities – iPod, Palm Pilot, 3G phone, makeup essentials, a wallet bursting with expired credit cards, and pocket anti-frizz spray – eliminates the need for free weights at the gym. Over-sized totes, however, are one-size-fits-all helpers that make the bearing actually worth grinning about.
• Low-rise jeans
Those wonder pairs that rest on the hipbone and save our bums from looking like a roast turkey swathed in Cling—On plastic wrap have survived various rise-and-fall cycles throughout the gene-rations , and will continue to do so as long as there are women with figure issues.
• Faux fur
Cruella De Vil never stood a chance when faux fur started infiltrating the market in the ’60s. A cheaper alternative to real fur, this imitation material can also be dyed in brilliant colors – plus you can rest easy that they didn’t blunder to death any seal pup making your coat.
• Stilettos
Because, really, the world is so much better seen from a higher, albeit cantilevered, level.
• Grecian
Whoever thinks you have to wear tight-fitting Lycra from head to toe to look sexy has been watching too much Cirque du Soleil. Grecian-style clothing, with its draping silhouettes and asymmetric cuts, proves that you can look smashingly sexy even if your clothes aren’t Velcroed to your body – it’s all in the clavicle.
• Designer sportswear
Stella McCartney for Adidas, Marc Jacobs for Vans and Christy Turlington for Puma, all have given fashion-philes a valid reason to stake out the gym. To be fair, these designer sport suits don’t only make us look better pedalling away in spinning class, they also allow us to breathe better, run faster, and sweat it out more luxuriously.
• Black and white
No combination is smarter, cleaner, or more elegant. The stark contrast between these two neutrals has inspired the minimalist movement, ’60s Op Art, and many a designer’s best collection. The monochromatic combination of black and white is clean, bold, and a no-brainer to wear.
• Chunky accessories
More is more, at least when it comes to bling. Heavy chains, huge charms, cocktail rings, and chandelier earrings are now seen in both costume and fine jewelry. Whether you’re wearing Marni’s resin bracelets or Harry Winston’s stunning chokers, size does matter.
• String bikinis
Yellow polka-dot or otherwise, the string bikini more than paved the way for subtler tan lines and testosterone hypnosis. It became a cause for women to become more comfortable with their bodies – and phased out those unflattering one-piece tank suits only the likes of Summer Sanders should have the license to wear.
• Wrap dresses
The very first one, created by Diane von Furstenberg in the ’70s, had long sleeves, a fitted top and a skirt that wrapped around the body to tie at the waist. Although sitting in it is a study in modest leg movement, the wrap-around has become a classic, recreated for casual wear, for the beach, and even for red-carpet evening occasions.
• Printed matter
Pucci psychedelia, Marimekko prints, Cacharel’s florals: dizzying as they are, these set off fashion lovers’ imaginations and encouraged experimentation. Vertigo was never an issue.
• Tailored pantsuits
Marlene Dietrich started it all in the ’30s. What was first accused of being a manifestation of penis envy is now a certified corporate must – and, if you’re channeling Bianca Jagger, even bridal wear alternative.
• Knee-high boots
Popularized during the ’60s, high boots have weathered many incarnations, either attached to impossibly high stilettos, made in plastic or vinyl, buckled or laced up. No one can resist the sleek leg silhouette calf- knee-high boots can give, not even tropical country residents.
• Mini dresses
How else to showcase those snazzy boots?
• Empire-cut dresses
Bust enhancer, tummy concealer. Need we say more?
• Color explosion
We probably overdid it a little when the world seemed to have been afflicted with color myopia during the ’80s, but it’s undeniable that color is an integral part of fashion. ROY G BIV and his offspring have made dressing worthwhile and have made print, pattern, and texture so much more arresting. Imagine this: without color, the world would just be one big London cityscape.
• Embroidery
One of the bastions of vintage wear, embroidered pieces connote an intricacy and dedication no other embellishment or fashion detailing can match. Though not all that is embroidered is handmade now, a canvas of threads is still considered, if not a masterpiece, at least a conversation starter.
• Statement/logo tees
Hey, everyone has something to say.
• Preppy
Prim pique shirts, sweet pleated skirts and crease-free cotton trousers all give a clear view of the clean-cut aesthetic inspired by university prep school students from Northeastern United States. Fashion’s adherence to it has always been tongue-in-cheek: we all love looking like models from a Ralph Lauren but hate being called a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant), the term associated with preppies. Mind the sting.
The best ones are those that become part of people’s mindset, reincarnated every few seasons and then (just like Madonna) revamped with every comeback. These are the trends that people incessantly love and reject and embrace again with every seasonal cycle: the real catwalk celebrities.
• Metallics
Fashionistas have been shine-struck since way before the California gold rush. From Victorian royalty’s gold-threaded gowns to Paco Rabanne’s chainmail garments to the disco era’s lame jumpsuits to Yves Saint Laurent’s mini dress, metallics have always been one of the fashion industry’s highest currencies.
• Oversized totes
Carrying around your daily necessities – iPod, Palm Pilot, 3G phone, makeup essentials, a wallet bursting with expired credit cards, and pocket anti-frizz spray – eliminates the need for free weights at the gym. Over-sized totes, however, are one-size-fits-all helpers that make the bearing actually worth grinning about.
• Low-rise jeans
Those wonder pairs that rest on the hipbone and save our bums from looking like a roast turkey swathed in Cling—On plastic wrap have survived various rise-and-fall cycles throughout the gene-rations , and will continue to do so as long as there are women with figure issues.
• Faux fur
Cruella De Vil never stood a chance when faux fur started infiltrating the market in the ’60s. A cheaper alternative to real fur, this imitation material can also be dyed in brilliant colors – plus you can rest easy that they didn’t blunder to death any seal pup making your coat.
• Stilettos
Because, really, the world is so much better seen from a higher, albeit cantilevered, level.
• Grecian
Whoever thinks you have to wear tight-fitting Lycra from head to toe to look sexy has been watching too much Cirque du Soleil. Grecian-style clothing, with its draping silhouettes and asymmetric cuts, proves that you can look smashingly sexy even if your clothes aren’t Velcroed to your body – it’s all in the clavicle.
• Designer sportswear
Stella McCartney for Adidas, Marc Jacobs for Vans and Christy Turlington for Puma, all have given fashion-philes a valid reason to stake out the gym. To be fair, these designer sport suits don’t only make us look better pedalling away in spinning class, they also allow us to breathe better, run faster, and sweat it out more luxuriously.
• Black and white
No combination is smarter, cleaner, or more elegant. The stark contrast between these two neutrals has inspired the minimalist movement, ’60s Op Art, and many a designer’s best collection. The monochromatic combination of black and white is clean, bold, and a no-brainer to wear.
• Chunky accessories
More is more, at least when it comes to bling. Heavy chains, huge charms, cocktail rings, and chandelier earrings are now seen in both costume and fine jewelry. Whether you’re wearing Marni’s resin bracelets or Harry Winston’s stunning chokers, size does matter.
• String bikinis
Yellow polka-dot or otherwise, the string bikini more than paved the way for subtler tan lines and testosterone hypnosis. It became a cause for women to become more comfortable with their bodies – and phased out those unflattering one-piece tank suits only the likes of Summer Sanders should have the license to wear.
• Wrap dresses
The very first one, created by Diane von Furstenberg in the ’70s, had long sleeves, a fitted top and a skirt that wrapped around the body to tie at the waist. Although sitting in it is a study in modest leg movement, the wrap-around has become a classic, recreated for casual wear, for the beach, and even for red-carpet evening occasions.
• Printed matter
Pucci psychedelia, Marimekko prints, Cacharel’s florals: dizzying as they are, these set off fashion lovers’ imaginations and encouraged experimentation. Vertigo was never an issue.
• Tailored pantsuits
Marlene Dietrich started it all in the ’30s. What was first accused of being a manifestation of penis envy is now a certified corporate must – and, if you’re channeling Bianca Jagger, even bridal wear alternative.
• Knee-high boots
Popularized during the ’60s, high boots have weathered many incarnations, either attached to impossibly high stilettos, made in plastic or vinyl, buckled or laced up. No one can resist the sleek leg silhouette calf- knee-high boots can give, not even tropical country residents.
• Mini dresses
How else to showcase those snazzy boots?
• Empire-cut dresses
Bust enhancer, tummy concealer. Need we say more?
• Color explosion
We probably overdid it a little when the world seemed to have been afflicted with color myopia during the ’80s, but it’s undeniable that color is an integral part of fashion. ROY G BIV and his offspring have made dressing worthwhile and have made print, pattern, and texture so much more arresting. Imagine this: without color, the world would just be one big London cityscape.
• Embroidery
One of the bastions of vintage wear, embroidered pieces connote an intricacy and dedication no other embellishment or fashion detailing can match. Though not all that is embroidered is handmade now, a canvas of threads is still considered, if not a masterpiece, at least a conversation starter.
• Statement/logo tees
Hey, everyone has something to say.
• Preppy
Prim pique shirts, sweet pleated skirts and crease-free cotton trousers all give a clear view of the clean-cut aesthetic inspired by university prep school students from Northeastern United States. Fashion’s adherence to it has always been tongue-in-cheek: we all love looking like models from a Ralph Lauren but hate being called a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant), the term associated with preppies. Mind the sting.
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