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Fashion Observed


Trend observations with a sociological eye from afar...

by Darryl S. Warren  

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Circling The Wagons

Here we are, covering 2016 Pre-fall collections and already Fall Winter 2016/17 (albeit men's wear) is rolling in. Feel for editors and design teams; the pace is relentless now. It's wild and untamed as is the lawlessness and senseless violence that permeates news broadcasts all over. We aim to control while knowing we can't control everything. And for each answer we get more questions, or so the saying goes. In our information age, the revelation of unknowns is exponential as are the discoveries that propel mankind further into the future. But despite the vast amounts of information at our fingertips, we find we know little and cannot control what we do know.

We may understand how the global economy is where it is today and where it is heading yet are certain of how to tame its pace or path. We are aware of the psychology behind the behaviours that have shaped political and social landscapes yet debate on the best course to take. our "knowns" are fraught with "unknowns", theories into uncharted waters as far as experience is concerned. It is, for all of us, a sophisticated frontier  awaiting clarification and definition.  

Years ago, this sense of wildness coupled with the forays into uncharted territories meshed well with Victorian sensibilities to show the more homespun prairie Victorian elements that found its way into collections (dig deep for the article "Frontier Living", Oct 28, 2011) and this uncertain navigation through our evolving wildness continues in some collections again in similar expressions as well as some Western influence in shirt detail, such as from Antonio Marras, BCBG Max Azria, Cedric Charlier, Coach, Giamba, Lanvin and Rebecca Minkoff. And, as the last article alluded to, our entertainment (and let's add The Revenant" to that list) is reflecting an affinity with this wildness we feel, no matter what landscape we are in.

We are forever pioneers. We seek to explore, to know to progress as we venture forth. The tools are as new as the future we have yet to live through, armed with a sense of history and a faith in...and awareness of...our humanity. Let's see how the next wave of collections reflects if this is still how we feel as those come out soon. 

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