Top 10 best trends of 2007

Let’s balance it out. Where there’s bad, there’s bound to be some good. Thank God. And here are the trends that squeaked past the heinous to garner a thumbs up, heck, even two. We know you’re bound to agree.

Eco-fashion

Beyond Anya Hindmarch’s endlessly riffed-on “I am not a plastic bag” canvas tote, the year saw an explosion of Al Gore-friendly yet fashion-forward clothing brands that use hemp, organic fibers, bamboo, recycled fabrics and environmentally-safe dyes. Being green doesn’t mean you can’t steal the scene.

Luxury

While haute never goes out of fashion, luxury in 2007 meant more than just owning the latest designer handbag whose pricetag could have microfinanced a small African nation. Luxury became a state of mind wherein you treat yourself to the very best, whether it be in travel, gastronomy, gadgets or experiences. Because you deserve it!

Young Pinoy fashion makes it big

With retail havens like the Ramp at the Crossings and Archeology at the Power Plant mall proudly purveying hip and local designer brands such as United Pop by Richie Ortega and Salsa Trends by Arlene Sipat, young Pinoy fashion has never had it this good. Big-name local labels are also looking to young talent to jazz up their retail racks, such as Ivar Aseron for Folded & Hung and Mel Orlina for Freeway, giving more jazz to the  local RTW scene.

Celebrity babies

Coddled and adored since conception, Hollywood’s cutest babies have toddled into print space and Internet celebritydom, sometimes even upstaging their A-lister folks. We can’t wait for their adolescent years, when Suri rejects Scientology to run off with the Mormons and Shiloh goes into therapy to deal with her feelings of inadequacy from being born white.

Foreign exchange

East meets West, North and South in a street style mash-up of cultures, trends and references. From ikat weave on Parisian runways to the ubiquitous Arafat scarf draped around necks of every hipster from New York to Manila, global style reveals itself in the globe-trotting, boho, multi-layered look of philanthropic supermodels and well, the Olsen twins.

Waisted silhouette

Wide belts that add an instant touch of class to a simple blouse, shapeless tunic or day-to-night dress; they literally pull your look together. It’s a cinch. Plus it lets us show off the result of our daily gym drudgery.

Empire cut/ Babydoll

This style comes back in full force every few years, usually during summer when we feel innocent and carefree, and want to waltz around with the unstructuredness of youth, the nostalgia of the past, and the space to let our bellies hang loose.

High hemlines

Hemlines are pretty good economic indicators, as discovered by George Taylor in the ’20s who saw the correlation between rising hemlines and the rising stock market. With all the bare legs and flashed underwear we saw this year, let the good times roll.  

Chunky accessories

Forget the B-word. This year we loved accessories that made a statement by being big, loud and fun in a part kitschy, part rock and roll way, like stacked bangles of colorful Lucite, rocketing platform shoes and multi-stranded, studded necklaces.

Facebook

Social networking phenomenon of the year, if not the decade. Send virtual cattle or margaritas in kb form. Virtually slap, smack and sucker punch your friends when they tag heinous photos of you. You know you love it.