Distressed Denim

Hello again!
Another trend that I’m expecting will make a comeback for men this fall is recycled denim. Although second-hand stores like Vinnies and Lifeline have never experienced a shortage of customers, people are increasingly embracing the old. With the onslaught of “hobbypreneurs” on popular sites Etsy and Finders Keepers, consumers are finding a more individualistic and “used and abused” approach to fashion (Evans, 2010). Economically, the GFC and the consequent rising cost of living has thrown the majority of consumers’ disposable incomes in the bin… This means that we have to (unfortunately) spend less on non-essential products – aka fashion! Although this precipitates luxury brands like Dolce & Gabbana getting a run for their money, it also opens up a market for sustainable and environmentally friendly products. For example, expect upcycled newspaper to become everyday objects – people are finding individualistic ways to recycle newspaper into items like shoes, frocks and writing utensils (TrendHunter.com 2011). Eco-friendly products like these fill the demand for consumers who want to participate in a green initiative. Consumers are looking to businesses to provide eco-friendly products or are simply purchasing second-hand items in order to extend the lifecycle of clothes. This is where denim comes in… Online style sites are fully endorsing this “distressed” denim trend; Ragtop Vintage is showing off some vintage Lee’s (Ragtop Vintage Clothing 2012) whilst Netherland blogger Ivana Carpio gives instructions on “how-to” reinvent old jeans (Carpio, 2012). Truly in time with the trend, I spotted a very groovy teacher getting off the bus. Unfortunately my camera did malfunction and I am only able to supply the left-over photos of detail to the jeans, but he was rocking some vintage Levi’s, a button-up shirt and felt hat. He said, “I think it’s important to source some of your wardrobe from second-hand stores, what’s’ one mans junk is another’s treasure!” Amen to that, I say!

(Lucy Kelly, 2012)














Crediting others brain juice:

Evans, Teri. 2010. “Creating Etsy’s Handmade Marketplace” Accessed March 24, 2012. http://craftandhobby.wordpress.com/tag/wall-street-journal/

TrendHunter.com. 2011. “Upcycled Print” Accessed March 25, 2012. http://www.trendhunter.com/protrends/upcycled-print-newspapers-are-creatively-repurposed

Ragtop Vintage Clothing. 2012. “Lee 91-J, 1930’s Chore Jacket” Accessed March 24, 2012. http://ragtopvintage.wordpress.com/category/denim-and-workwear/

Carpio, Ivana. 2012. “The Perfect Ripped Denim” Accessed March 23, 2012. http://love-aesthetics.blogspot.com/2012/03/diy-perfect-ripped-denim.html

Photo of Neil Simons is my own. Taken: Ashgrove, Queensland, on March 25, 2012.

Femme / Fatale

Gosh, my friends are fashionable! Isabella (a subconscious trend forecaster, hardy ha) mixed a simple mens button-up (my nickname for collared shirts) with a striped knit sweater and textured knit vest for a more tom-boyish side to corporate dressing one chilly day in Brisbane. Whilst her look reminded me of the exhausted “blazer” trend, it rang bells in terms of crossovers in roleplaying.
With the turn of the century came Australia’s first female Prime Minister and the U.S.A’s first female presidential candidate Hilary Clinton. These powerful femmes must be influencing women worldwide because U.S. Census Bureau has recorded 51.4 percent of American managerial and professional positions to be held by women (Hymowitz, 2012). The “stay at home dad” movement has rapidly increased as women become the breadwinner – traditional family roles have been reversed (Poulter, 2010). Media campaigns such as Dsquared²’s spring/summer 2011 tapped into the femme/fatale trend with the use of androgynous model Andrej Pejic (WGSN 2012) as did fashion house Hermes at Paris fashion week 2012. Designer Christophe Lemaire opened with knits and baggy leather pants tucked into boots – à la Aladdin. The Fall ready to wear collection moved hazily between mens- and womenswear. The “look of a big coat over a generously sized suit and sweater, all of them in the most meditative shade of gray” really echoed this androgynous theme (Blanks, 2012). On a final note, this masculine attitude has been really vibrant on the streets, with layering of button-ups (oh I do approve!), knits, sweaters, jackets, and blazers appearing on street-style blogs – my favourite being Tommy Ton for Style.com (2012). So take your pick of pattern and colour, but definitively get behind this thriving fashion trend.

(Lucy Kelly, 2012)


Crediting other’s brain juice:

Hymowitz, Carol. 2012. “Behind Every Great Woman” Accessed March 22, 2012. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/behind-every-great-woman-01042012.html

Poulter, Sarah. 2010. “Ten times more stay-at-home dads than 10 years ago” Accessed March 23, 2012. http://www.aviva.co.uk/media-centre/story/6344/ten-times-more-stay-at-home-dads-than-10-years-ago/

WGSN. 2012. “A/W 12/13 Season Analysis” Accessed March 25, 2012. http://www.wgsn.com/content/report/Catwalk_Shows/Seasonal_Analysis/AW12-13/WOMENSWEAR/aw12_13_w_seasonal_analysis/the_key_looks.html

Blanks, Tim. 2012. “Hermès” Accessed March 25, 2012. http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/F2012RTW-HERMES

Condé Nast. 2012. “Tommy Town” Accessed March 21, 2012. http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/stylenotes/020912_Tommy_Ton_F2012RTW/

Photo of Isabella D'Arcy is my own. Taken: Paddington, Queensland, on March 25, 2012.

Asian Fantasy

Good morning ladies and (unlikely but welcome) gents.

It would be foolish to ignore that we are in the midst of the “Asian Century” (Tourism prepares for Asian century, 2012), so I urge you all to jump on the Oriental inspired bandwagon of the industry that we oh-so-love… fashion! WGSN is naming the trend “Hyperculture” due to its global-pollination nature. Retail Editor Lorna Hall tells us to expect an extension of the colour-blocking trend with clashing, Asian-inspired prints in the WGSN YouTube video (2012). This is hardly a surprise though; it is projected that by 2015 China will be one of the largest luxury market stakeholders in the fashion industry (WGSN, 2012). With such buying power, brands will be designing with the Asian community as a target group. And as China has more “billionaires than anywhere except the United States” (Charlton, 2012), key players in the Paris fashion game have already embraced this thriving trend. Dries Van Noten, for example, showed very literal Asian-influenced prints in a “cut and paste” style for womenswear (Chernikoff, 2012). But don’t be naïve my fellow Australian fashionistas - out-of-the-way Land of Oz will most certainly be affected by the Asian “look” as our united tourism industries are booming. I mean… what’s the bet your next trip overseas will be to Asia? According to Oyster Mag editor Alice Cavanagh (2012), Australia is “part of the rapidly-growing Asia-Pacific region”, meaning that these trends will generate the Asian tourist as a key target group. The skirt I saw (below) on a businesswoman in the CBD shed some light on subtle Asian-inspired prints. She paired it with a simple black sweater and complimenting leather bag in order for the traditional oriental print to be the highlight of her outfit… voilà!

(Lucy Kelly, 2012)


Crediting others’ brain juices:

Tourism prepares for the Asian century. 2011. Accessed March 20, 2012. http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/tourism-prepares-for-the-asian-century/story-e6frfq80-1226215773053

WGSNOfficial. 2012. “WGSN womenswear trend seminar - Pure_Feb 2012”. YouTube video, posted March 14. Accessed March 22, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6cPnBtdaBQ

Charlton, Emma. 2012. “China's passion for fashion on show in Paris” Accessed March 23, 2012. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hw0fBwbArhsO6eHxym9I_VQnVL_g?docId=CNG.a1d7a98a8015306461d14dbfb1790828.e1

Chernikoff, Leah. 2012. “Dries Van Noten Fall 2012: Asian Influence, Bon Iver, and a Slower Pace” Accessed March 24, 2012. http://fashionista.com/2012/02/dries-van-noten-fall-2012-asian-influence-bon-iver-and-a-slower-pace/

Cavanagh, Alice. 2012. “Global Briefing: Behind the Flurry of Store Openings in Australia” Accessed March 25, 2012. http://www.businessoffashion.com/2012/01/global-briefing-behind-the-flurry-of-store-openings-in-australia.html#more-28784

Photo of Laura Fernado is my own. Taken: Brisbane CBD, Queensland, on March 21, 2012.