When I was asked by the Observer/Guardian to talk to them about StreetStyle for their piece not long ago (link's on my sidebar, if you're curious), one of the questions was 'what's the most annoying trend this season?' While I laughed and felt it was a great question, I didn't feel that I was up to speed on trends, having spent less time in the blogosphere in 2012, and more in the real world. So I asked my friend Pearl.
Within minutes, she came back with 'Pastels.' And then I realised: oh yes, that's what the mainstream media has been banging on about. Pastels, sorbet colours.. which I've always liked, always owned and worn, especially in winter. So when they then added to the brief that we'd have to be shot - by one of their own photographers - and they asked me to wear something 'glamourous and trendy', I suddenly found myself in a muddle. Because I just have this aversion to the concept of 'trendy': it gives me the heebie jeebies. I mean, I understand that's meant to be the whole point of our blogs, but I really don't give a toss about trends. And when all these PR people send me their PR stuff to 'share with my readers..' I just don't want to be part of that machinery. Don't want to be a cog in that wheel.
What I was always interested in - since childhood - was the way trends moved naturally. Organically. Like the way my friends and I would wake up on a Tuesday and all feel like wearing lime green, without planning ahead. Like there was a lime green meme in our head. And I understand, I respect, that what most women (and some men) want is to be told what to wear - they want to fit in. Fair enough. But since what I'm drawn to is STYLE, to me that feels like the opposite of following 'trends'. Especially since I've noticed that the Industry cannot dictate what we women want to wear.
Case in point: harem pants. Remember them? Of course not. They were meant to be huge (well, literally: they were) back in the Spring of 2009, when I started my blog. And I ranted and ranted and ranted about the trend.. anyway, I'm wondering if pastels and sorbets and ice cream colours are this season's harem pants. Because I'm not seeing them on the street. Except on me.
Ironically, in my conversations with the Guardian editor about what to wear for the shoot, when I brought up pastels she leapt at it. Yes, please, wear pastels. So I did. Head to toe on a freezing cold day and the shoot was so unlike what we streetstyle shooters do: it was all 'turn your foot that way, no that way', til I nearly fell over several times. And it was so not a good look. Because the truth is, we can't wear it head to toe because we're not, you know, six years old. Still, a bit of sorbet, in moderation, can be a good thing, I feel.
Shot this in passing, stepping into the glorious sunshine after the V&A Design show. More of which coming up.
Posts
