Are We Doomed?

Fashion Trends: Are We Doomed?

By Michele Benza
Image & Style Fashion Consultant

It seems that our society has become ultra-casual in dress and manners. Dress codes have evolved, however there are still certain conventions that must be respected.

Not so long ago, men and women used to dress better and appeared to take pride in their appearance. Now days, it is not unusual to see young and not so young people wear pajamas to shop (even to fly)…. to wear jeans full of holes (too often in the wrong places) and clothes that do not fit i.e. too small for large bodies.

2011 Fashion: Have we become slobs?

I dislike slobs, bad manners, and lack of etiquette be it professional or social. Are we doomed to be this way and, will it become worse in the future? (Is that possible?)

In the past, men and women took pride in walking down the streets in elegant attire. People did dress tastefully although it took time and effort. Comfortable dressing was not important, what was important was to project a good image of oneself and one’s honor.

And yes, every day they took time with their grooming and they would be impeccably dressed. I am not saying that we have to go back to the fail-safe uniform of power suits.

I recommend that we dress for our personality, that we do not leave our personal style outside the picture. A creative personality should be creative with its clothes. An innovative thinker should dress like one.

There are no two identical human beings, so why dress like everyone else and disappear into the wallpaper? We are all different is sizes, personality and all and that is what makes us interesting.

Fashion Trends Have Always Created Conflict

Am I crazy to think that way? Or maybe as the years go by I have a difficult time understanding a certain ‘mode’ (fashion). This generation conflict is not new; it does exist and always will. In the past, our grandparents were shocked with our parents’ jeans and our mother’s slacks. When I attended grammar school and high school (in Brussels) pants for girls were a no-no.

Coco Chanel introduced our Mothers to little suits that we now find a bit ‘old’ fashion unless worn with a je ne sais quoi.

Brigitte Bardot brought us La nouvelle vague (the new wave) and the cute ‘Vichy’ dress or slim ankle length pants and flats.

Madonna topped it all with her sexy outfits and scandalized our parents.

To this day, I still like the beau chic beau genre of Audrey Hepburn, I sometimes wonder if it is nostalgia. Thankfully, extremes usually self-correct, and sure enough, young women have become more careful about their string showing and most young men are now pulling up their pants to a normal waist height.

Fall/Winter 2011 Fashion Trends

But all that said, I wonder sometimes if fashion designers hate us that much that they want us to wear such unconventional outfits (see below). Here a little aperçu of what FW2011 has in its sleeves for both men and women:

A la prochaine,

Michele