Walking through recent trends: Love or Hate them?

It is really rather interesting, the way people relate to ‘trends’, either with disinterested contempt, expressing a vague interest or approaching trends the way a conqueror approaches new found land. Love them or be simply bored by their continuous demands on your purse, they are key to the way we all dress. Even by wearing trousers you’re following a post 1940s historical trend. What really is a trend then, you may ask thoughtfully: A general direction in which something is developing or changing, is google’s helpful answer. With that vague definition floating in your minds I am going to outline a few of my favourite and hated trends from the past five years and the present day.

Hated Trends.

The Motel Dress: Hate may be too strong a word for this trend and I didn’t hate the items in the beginning. The problem with this dress, and you will know the dress I am talking about: navy, white or black on a tight top and flowery beneath, is that everyone had it. True, it was flattering, but it was over-done, and became the sign of the un-imaginative easy-to-wear purchase.

Tiny shorts and boob tube with tights: Possibly Lana Del Rey can wear a tiny pair of shorts, with a boob tube, tights, and look interesting. For most, it says either child, or adolescent on a night out. Like the trend above, it is un-imaginative and in addition says One Thing.

Posh dresses with cut-outs: Call me old fashioned, but dresses that resemble pretty ball gowns are cheapened by incisions beneath the bust. I am sure the designer asked, how can we expose more flesh, in a new and irreverent way, and this is how these triangles of flesh on an unexpected part of the body was born. It really does work on a casual ‘let’s hang out on the beach’ dress, but not for sweeping across the red carpet or dance floor. (This point does exclude the open back, ball gowns with an open back look fabulous.)

Cheap lace dresses: I am partial to bit of lovely lace, but more vintage looking than the recent high street lace dresses that have flooded the low-end high street. Cheap lace attached to some polyester, with a bad design, does look cheap. Lace should say an old-school kind of luxury, something even a bit gothic. The way lace interacts with material is important – and can go easily wrong. If you love lace and can’t afford the high-end side, try vintage as an alternative.

Favourite Trends.

 The collar (with a necklace underneath): This is a recent trend that at first I wasn’t too sure about. However my colleague Talia introduced me to wearing it, either as a separate accessory with a cashmere jumper, a scoop neck dress, a sheer top, or an over-sized t-shirt. White on white is preferable, and pearls beneath the collar is a fun preppy addition. Why is this one of my favourite trends? It’s a quick way to smarten up any outfit and it looks great. Rita Ora agrees!

Best buy: They were selling beautiful metal and sequin collars at the V&A: Want.

Translucent: This trend may be a bit too done, especially when it comes to translucent shirts, but they are still a great way to look casually sexy, especially if it is good material.

Best Buy: For a more original take on the translucent, try this vintage dress

Thigh high socks: Okay, I know socks are a bit school-girl, which makes what I am about to say sound slightly wrong. But at university, there were no outfits that felt more sexy, than wandering around in a pair of thigh high socks, an over-sized blue man shirt and loose tousled hair. There were variations to this outfit of course, and the truth was that socks were extremely useful when there was student accommodation with no heating and shoes that gave blisters without socks. Though post-university, I have designated thigh highs to a more youthful age, there will always be a place in my heart for them.

Best Buy: M&S, great staples.

Long oversized shirt with leggings or shorts: It is seriously comfortable, perfect for hangovers, studying and for chilled out excursions. An acceptable form of pajamas; may this trend stay forever.

Best Buy: Fun over-sized shirts.

Head bows, head-pieces, feathers and flowers: Wearing scarves tied up into a bow- the head bow trend, particularly suits girls with short hair, it is fabulous 1950s chic. It is a trend that has been around for a while, and I still love it. Flowery wreaths are a festival trend must, as are feather crowns. My favourite head piece trend is the golden head-piece, which to me is an acceptable form of a tiara, but a bit more sophisticated. Best Buy: It’s all about the golden headpiece.

Have any trends you particularly hate or love and want to tell us why? Write to us and we can feature you in our next blog!

By Rosalind Kendal