Filed under Cautious Pause, Consumer Crunch, Fashion journalism, Future Classics, Looks that Last, Silhouette, Source of Influence, Trend cycles, Zeitgeist

Dramatic titles do catch a reader, but when those readers have the ability to respond in the comment section, it can get snarky while being informative. The JC Report, a professional site “Inside Global Fashion Trends” has a three part series titled The Death of Trends. After reading through the first installment and the firestorm of comments (some admittedly in the “Let me show you how I know more than you” category) including the author’s responses, perhaps a more accurate - albeit less exciting - title could have been “The Evolution of the Fashion Trend Phenomenon.” They are certainly worth a read, comments included.

(Photo note: I did a Google image search for ‘fashion trends’ and this is the first one that popped up. Given my heritage as a dyer and my delight that ombre is all over the place, I decided to go with it. I pulled it from a post on the blog My Life, My Obsession, My Things. She did a great job interpreting some of the macro-trends for Spring 08)

Part 1 introduces the topic and discusses the change from overarching seasonal directives of ‘right and wrong’ towards an increasingly more ‘post-modern’ bricolage assortment of accelerated micro-trends that consumers mix and match in their own personal way.

Part 2 considers how new media (bloggers and the like) are contributing to this phenomenon.

Part 3 discusses how this interfaces with retail; how consumer expectations of constant novelty have transformed the old two season cycle into collections every few months, and what effect the consumer crunch might have when the cheap, ‘disposable’ clothing that facilitates this is no longer quite as affordable for the masses.

My take on the whole matter? The ‘bricolage’ thing has been around for quite sometime. Although ‘boho’ might be spreading to somewhat wider circles, I still believe the majority of consumers (those ordinary folks less likely to be featured in ’street style’ blogs) prefer a little direction and lack the confidence - or interest - to create novel looks. The difference is that they now have a more segmented and targeted assortment of retailers to choose from. But head to any college campus or mall or even church and people still look remarkably similar to others in the demographic groups they are a part of.

As for the consumerism issue, I think this quote from part 3 is prescient - when people have less disposable income and have to more carefully consider their purchases as investments - remember that ‘cautious pause?‘ - then the thrill of buying into every fleeting trend diminishes into anxiety and - dare I say - there might just be more demand for designs with at least a few years of longevity. Pieces that signify ‘now’ (why buy more of what you have that you can find in thrift stores) but you can project yourself wearing for a while.

Despite the rise of micro-trends and their impact on the rest of the industry, the current economic slowdown may prove fast fashion isn’t as invincible as it seems. According to a recent report by JP Morgan, non-food retailers are being faced with the biggest inflationary costs in a decade, which may lead to higher prices for the consumer. If the day comes when that tribal-printed maxidress can no longer be purchased for less than a margarita, shoppers may become more discerning about which trends they buy into. And, by virtue of natural selection, this could ultimately lead us back into the headline trends of yesteryear.

by Claire