They say that everything in our life is developing in a spiral. The same saying concerns fashion as well. Remember, “everything new is simply well forgotten all”? It is just about fashion, thus, we’ve come to the conclusion that fashion, as well as all our human history, is cyclical. The main point for understanding is that in our life we don’t live through so many cycles, and sometimes cannot even notice these obvious changes.
Some things travel from one generation to another. They stay with us for a while and then are replaced by the new coil of fashion. Sure thing, they bring the fashion of 2008 with them, but original design and form remain the same. Here are some typical examples.
Slim trousers have been in the ascendancy in men’s fashion for almost a decade now. From their first daring suggestion on the catwalk, through gradual acceptance as the norm in high-end tailoring, to the point now where it is hard to find anything other than straight or skinny jeans in high-street stores. This is the end point: as soon as your mate Dave (who knows as much about fashion as he does about French literature – Beckham and the three musketeers is about it) is wearing narrow jeans, the trend is finished. The high street is saturated and the designers are searching for something new.
Some things travel from one generation to another. They stay with us for a while and then are replaced by the new coil of fashion. Sure thing, they bring the fashion of 2008 with them, but original design and form remain the same. Here are some typical examples.
Slim trousers have been in the ascendancy in men’s fashion for almost a decade now. From their first daring suggestion on the catwalk, through gradual acceptance as the norm in high-end tailoring, to the point now where it is hard to find anything other than straight or skinny jeans in high-street stores. This is the end point: as soon as your mate Dave (who knows as much about fashion as he does about French literature – Beckham and the three musketeers is about it) is wearing narrow jeans, the trend is finished. The high street is saturated and the designers are searching for something new.
That was the cycle. The next cycle will see a different shape dominate – bootcut is the current favorite. But because the cycle is so long, it could last the whole of your twenties. You will identify slim trousers with your youth, and bootcut will seem like a breath of fresh air – a more mature, flattering shape. It will seem like an original trend since, even though it was popular in the past, you weren’t around to wear it.
The same would be true of baggy jeans or flairs. They may not be original, but that hardly matters. You didn’t get to wear them before.
You really only get two of these cycles, possibly three. By the time you are into your thirties, you may stop noticing anything about trends or fashion. And even if you end up wearing the dominant shape of the times, you will hardly notice. You may even keep the same pair of jeans for decades – many men do.
So don’t criticize fashion cycles for being unoriginal. You only get two or three – enjoy them while they last.
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