Clean It Up

Part I - Trend topic: tie dye.

On this Earth Day I think it is important to acknowledge the fact that we don't necessarily want to be dirty hippies. It is nice of us to recycle (a law in NYC), hug a tree, be nice to a bird, etc. I love tie dye. I'm going to go ahead and shamelessly say that Vieve and I called this trend in the Fall of 2007. I love it when done in moderation, not in rainbow or with peace signs, and of course when someone brilliantly uses it like the Marni tie dye rug for The Rug Company (cannot find a picture of that yet).

Here is my warning. Use tie dye sparingly. Moderation is key with any trend; let's not waste tie dye or paper. When embracing the trend, be sure to wash your hair, wear shoes in decent repair, maybe don't pair the tie dye tunic with the cut offs (also back in style thanks to Vieve and I speaking it into existence)...

Part II - Clean it up, folks.

My forecast for the next 4-10 months is that we begin to shed the messier looks and go for more tailored pieces. Is it a coincidence that the people whose personal style you admire most are almost always wearing a jacket? The framed bag in all shapes seems fresh compared to the slouchiness of leather trash bags all around us. Stripes, a cousin to tie dye, are always clean and orderly. This look above is great. Comfortable, casual, yet clean and concise. Trend is not driven by some mysterious inspiration (well, some of it is). It is born from boredom and necessity.

Designers are exhausted by the collections they have poured themselves into and often either: a) do it better a second time giving us two+ seasons of similar looks; or b) swing the other way in order to maintain interest in what they are doing.

Necessity plays the part when what is readily available/affordable/interesting becomes a street trend and takes on a life of its own. Please refer to Malcolm Gladwell's fantastic book The Tipping Point for incredible examples of trend and epidemic. He discusses the rise and fall of the Doc Martin trend that will make you see life as a consumer in a whole new light.