Of the Valley
Fashion week and the trickle-down
Originally published in the UVU Review on Sept. 22, 2008.
Media Credit: Jordy Kirkman
Spring 2009′s fashion shows began and ended last week at Fashion Week in New York, and admittedly, Utah didn’t blink an eye. The Beehive State is notoriously far removed from the frontier of fashion, but we still can’t help but be affected by the goings-on of the fashion elite. Taking note of the trends beginning on the east coast now can help us prepare for what we’ll be wearing when the wave hits us, traditionally about two years later.
A classic example of this is in the movie The Devil Wears Prada. Meryl Streep (who plays a character molded after infamous editor of Vogue U.S. Anna Wintour) delivers a monologue to her assistant Andy, played by Anne Hathaway. In a scene where the magazine’s executives are choosing which trends to promote, Hathaway is wearing a casual unassuming blue sweater, thinking herself above the fashion madness.
Streep informs her that several seasons ago, that same color of blue popped up on the runways, and that “that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs, and so it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room.”
The same is true for us in Utah.
So what will trickle down from the high-street goings-on of last week to our humble state? It could turn out to be a bit wonderful and a bit terrifying.
First of all, accept that you will eventually let your waistband rise back to your actual waist. This trend returned after years of low-rise silhouettes a couple years ago, and it can already be seen outside of mainstream Utah style.
The jumpsuit trend took root in the fashion-blogging world this summer, and jumpsuits were seen on several celebrities. As predicted, Fashion Week showed several collections with a working-class inspired jumpsuit. This could possibly mean overalls are making their way back to the mall. This is one thing that states like Utah do very well — take an innovative silhouette and interpret it as permission to lean back on old habits.
As for this fall, the standout trends from the shows (which took place in March and April) point to tweed, plaid, peplum, longer leaner skirts, and simple color palettes.
My personal favorite place to check up on the latest fashion shows is style.com, the online branch of Vogue magazine. If you’re looking to just see the best of, there are always more fashion blogs to peruse. Start at the most popular ones like StyleBubble.typepad.com, KingdomOfStyle.typepad.co.uk, or Liebemarlene.blogspot.com and go on from there.
