THE REDUX, AGAIN

Fashion is truly confounding.

(Bella or Xtina?)

The zeitgeist is all things 90s and early noughts and seemingly non-fashion. I'll explain. See all of Bella Hadid's recent outfits. The high waist, bootleg jeans; lace-up crotch; dark wash denim; stirrup leggings; cargo pants; wallet chains; fishnet tights; bucket hats; backwards worn flat caps... and this is all in one outfit.

(Yes, you are seeing Crocs on the catwalk)

See also jorts, practical trainers, tracksuits, kitten heels. It's a  rarefied hullabaloo of basically all things the antithesis of good taste. I feel now is a good time to mention Christopher Kane's collab with Crocs. *Pause to let that sink in*.

And herein lies the redux, again. Welcome to the rotational pull of fashion everyone.

It's not that I have a problem per se with any of the above, heck some I've even embraced myself - who knew that fishnet tights looked so good with every shoe made, like ever? However, some things I'm happy to leave in fashion's murky past, like bucket hats maybe, and wallet chains. I figured them a logistical nightmare the first time around, but check in with me in a couple of weeks and I may have done a 180. I guess I'm as fickle as fashion :)

(Plaid, Mom jeans & slip dresses - a veritable 90s cocktail if I've ever seen one)

It's difficult to determine bad taste or good taste, the one only existing in relation and opposition to the other. And of course everything is subject to one's own personal opinion. Yet, there did seem to be an unwritten consensus of those 'trends' that were considered universally undesirable (again, see aforementioned Crocs). It begs the question, what makes something fashion? Or maybe the question is, who? 

Quick quiz: A person is wearing cargo shorts, practical trainers, a white shirt and a bumbag. Is this high fashion, or a middle aged tourist's get-up? Tricky, right? Your guess is truly as good as mine.  

(Bella or Clueless extra?)

The summation of all this has to be 'wear what you like', but I do find myself somewhat surprised by what is mass desired nowadays. Challenging preconceptions and broadening inclinations from your preferred norm is healthy and certainly profitable for personal expression. But how much of any trend is bought into for love of the item and not just as a consequence of the current fashion climate?

Tastes do evolve and as one comes to develop and depend on personalised staples, the unusual can be overlooked. This can sometimes help to vet out fast fashions, but also imposes limitations that hinder the unpredictability of personal style. How many white t-shirts does it take to make a rut? And how many unconventional trends does it take to dig you out of one? 

(It's baaaaack - Much to he delight of Paris Hilton I'm sure)

The flightiness of fashion makes it difficult to decide what is worth trying out and what is worth missing out. As with most trends, you never realise their inherent trendiness until the hype is over and the sale rail becomes a veritable who's who of trends past. I'm not sure I'm about to embrace the 90's redux of Bella Hadid proportions; BUT, revisiting logo-mania or dabbling with a velour tracksuits circa the noughties may be quite fun - or tragic, but I guess I won't know until I try...

(Images via: vogue.com, stylecaster.com & glamour.com)