Fashion comes and goes in cycles and, very often, what was fashionable a few decades ago turns into a new trend for future generations (mind you, that can be stated also about music…).
At the moment there are actually very few designers coming up with fresh and innovative ideas as most of them seem too busy revisiting and reinventing ideas from the past.
The most annoying thing, though, is seeing people reinventing a trend from the past and being hailed as cutting edge designers.
Take Rick Owens’ Autumn/Winter 2011-12 collection (actually worth of being included in my I.P.F.O. post series...): yes, fine, we have now understood he can do saleable separates and leather jackets; we also know he likes the layered look and enjoys adding a sort of hieratical touch here and there to his designs.
Yet the A/W 2011-12 didn’t seem to include anything new as the main look revolved around a floor-length wrap skirt, matched with a sweater and a jacket or cape and accessorised with elbow-length leather gauntlets.
For the next autumnal season Owens added to his layered look in a palette that comprised grey, brown, black and taupe, wool or mink rocket-shaped hoods that gave you a sort of déjà vu feeling about the entire collection.
Indeed the so-called “astro hood” first became popular in the ‘60s with the early space discoveries.
At the time, inspired by an optimistic faith in the future, quite a few designers created dynamic clothes that incorporated rocket-shaped hoods.
As the years passed designers found new ways to reinvent the “astro hood”, giving it a new meaning: in the ’70s, the Fontana Sisters did a collection inspired by ecclesiastical styles that referenced the Middle Ages.
The dresses included in this collection - made using exquisite materials and featuring embroideries and appliquéd motifs - had a streamlined silhouette and included a sort of rocket-shaped hood very similar to the hood sported by the models on Rick Owens’ runway.
There was also another inspiration in this collection: Owens' jackets and coats with angels' wing -shaped padded sleeves (a feature that appeared in some of the designs from Alena Akhmadullina's S/S 2007 collection) moved from the structural and sculpted creations by American couturier Charles James and were modern interpretations of James' padded jackets from 1937 (View this photo).
There is essentially one difference between the Fontana Sisters and Rick Owens: the former knew how to cut fabrics; Owens passes for a master tailor able to perfectly balance cut and proportions when all he does is wrapping and layering.
For many critics this was Owens’s best collection ever; in my opinion the collection proves that fashion is constantly re-vomiting itself.
Unfortunately most fashion critics do not even dare saying bad things about specific collections because they are afraid they will be banned from catwalk shows by angry PR agents, so they just enthuse about a specific collection using hyperbolic words such as “perfect”, “excellent” and “magnificent” and avoid telling us where some of these designs may come from.
So, after the “astro hood” what will be the next trend we will rip off from the past and re-launch once again into the future?
Who knows. Remember, though, that the key to spot a dead trend that can be successfully re-launched is to make sure that there are enough young people around who have never seen or heard about it (an approach à la Franz Ferdinand who successfully copied Orange Juice when a new generation that had never heard about Edwyn Collins’ band had turned twenty...genius!).
The reward for successfully re-vomiting a trend from the past is very high, as you may end up becoming the next big thing for the Spring/Summer 2012 season and even be hailed as a master tailor.
So, what are you waiting? Join the quest for the past trend waiting to be re-launched NOW!
Member of the Boxxet Network of Blogs, Videos and Photos
Member of the Boxxet Network of Blogs, Videos and Photos
Comments