“We women should go back to strength - and the sober side.” These were Miuccia Prada’s sentiments on women, not just fashion, as she presented the Prada F/W 2006 Ready-To-Wear collection back in February. Sending out looks of bondage-inspired strips of fur, utilitarian parkas, and purposefully constricted tops, the looks stood in stark contrast to her ladylike look that has seen commendable critical and commercial success for the past several seasons. 
In fashion, there is the generally accepted theory that fashion reflects the temper of the times. In the 1980’s, for example, the booming economy was reflected in the dominance of mini skirts, while the emergence of shorter hemlines in the 1920’s reflected a paradigm shift in society’s thinking about female autonomy, authority, etc.
If this theory were to hold true, then current fashion would suggest that the state of the world would be shrouded in bleakness, no? I’m not convinced. At least in the media, the discussion of a terrorist threat has subdued, NASDAQ is sitting at a high not seen in the past 5 years, and Britney Spears has finally discarded the low-life vrius commonly referred to as K-Fed. And yet, the fall runways were inundated with heavily armored, utilitarian looks that would, if theory were correct, suggest economic downturn and political angst.
Okay, so maybe Miuccia is simply a prophet; After all, she did see something incredibly charming about tiny Nylon backpacks before the rest of the world. So is Miuccia foretelling of a disaster of Armageddon-like proportions? I doubt it. After all, she herself declared that her pre-Iraq F/W 2003 collection was motivated by “a desperate search for beauty as we wait for war.” If fashion reflected the times, wouldn’t the threat of war suggest hard, no-nonsense clothing instead of the decadent crocodile coats and dresses of lustrous lining silks she showed that season? And it wasn’t just Miuccia that pushed the ladylike trend. I’m sure you’ll recall the slew of tweed pencil skirts, piles of pearls, and grandma-chic brooches that flooded your local mall.
The fact is that the H&Ms and Topshops of the world have changed the game of fashion. Their mass-produced replicas of runway items have shortened the lifespan of a fashion trend to less than a business quarter or a political news story. Why? It’s simple - overexposure. The polka dot top that was once an item of exclusivity for a year, will now likely become a uniform, of sorts, in under 2 months.
This insatiable need for “the new” and “what’s next” has turned fashion into a game of premeditated style flip-flopping. Fashion doesn’t reflect or forecast the economic or political state of the world, but simply what’s new enough that people aren’t sick of. While rising hemlines reflected female liberation in the 1920’s, today they represent simply the opposite of what was done last season.
And if you don’t agree, you finance students can still sleep well tonight. Much to your delight, Miuccia’s spring collection of brightly-coloured satins and short hemlines would suggest a profit-generating quarter to come.
The militant outfits of late are capturing political “unrest” or just plain old dissatisfaction - not necessarily economic downturn or war.
Very interesting analysis….because as a matter of fact, the reason why fashion no longer is the barometer of the times is because it has being “genetically” manipulated so to speak by the big conglomerates…the “alchemists” of fashion have being replaced by the “chemist” of fashion…What I mean is fashion follows the market…the market doesn’t follow fashion…anymore…and as for predictions of what is going to become the next hot item that is now rather a thing of the past simply because people are no longer impressed and do not want to be dictated (unconciously)..and as for the ” armour look” forget it !…women just want to keep their hard fought freedoms from the
“tyrants” that used to rule “taste” in fashion..thanks god for that !…………the conglomerates added insult to injury by killing the dream of ever owning a Gucci or Dior Bag (ex-symbols of status) because they are easy to purchase now by anyone who can quicklyrun to the next store…I mean it is more complex and such complexities have a lot to do with social and current issues now days……….so no more “prisons” in the mind ……….just fun…fun..fun….., if you ask me ” girls just want to have a good time !..remember before the first world war ?..it was just fun…fun….fun….in Berlin.
And as for Muccia Prada..well she must do her best to convince people to buy her next look……if only people were less ademant to believe her because after all she is ” Muccia Prada”……but unfortunately those days are long gone……The new barometer of fashion lies with the ability of the designer to spot the right clues………because now days what matters is how comfortable you feel in those miniskirts !…..
The last three paragraphs are a dead-on analysis of how I perceive trends/fashion. It really has become wearing whatever you’re not sick of. Which may lead to more individuality in some ways as it’ll become more of a personal choice what trends of the moment someone picks & discards, something I definitely would see as a positive.
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and did i mention, smart?
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