Wear what you love, forget the trends

Fashion fades and style is eternal,” said Yves Saint Laurent. Giorgio Armani believes, “Elegance is not about being noticed, it is about being remembered” and Coco Chanel famously said, “A girl should be two things, classy and fabulous”. Fashion refers to these stylish sayings again and again, yet of late it seems today’s set of designers are not taking heed of these pearls of wisdom. If you look at the last few seasons, be it avant-garde, androgyny, unisex or normcore. It’s almost like the bad taste has become the good taste. In the name of pushing the envelope, fashion designers are creating something that can only be described as nonsensical. Gucci, for instance, had models walk the runway with baby dragons and severed heads for their fall-winter show 2018. Then there is the whole rise of fast fashion. It seem as if the spirit of style and elegance has been forgotten.

I often wonder how many things we have in our wardrobe that will be passed-on to the next generation. I still treasure my mother’s Chanel verdura cuff and her Max Mara swing coat and B. Chorosch chiffon saris. My wardrobe would be incomplete without them. But will the next generation want this Spring/Summer’s clashing print dresses you find at Rosie Assoulin or Prabal Gurung or the Alexander

McQueen knuckle duster clutch that was the “it bag” a few seasons ago. I know, I no longer want or desire any of these. Perhaps some of such stuff might become collector’s items, but for now they seem to suggest how we can get caught in the trend trap. It is no wonder that fashion’s most powerful editor, Anna Wintour, famously said:

“Trend is a dirty word.”

With designers working on at least four collections every year — Spring/ Summer, Fall/ Winter and then Pre-Fall and Cruise, it is like fashion is always in need of finding a new look. The industry has made the consumer caught-up with being on trend, and as a result we have forgotten how to shop for clothes that will last a lifetime. We now just think about what works for this season. After all, it is only in fashion’s interest to make us addicted to wanting something new all the time. Isn’t it?

The core of any good wardrobe should be the “seasonless” pieces, and thankfully there are plenty of these in the Fall/Winter collections that have just entered stores in Dubai. Be it Saint Laurent’s cape coat, Balenciaga’s black pleated knee length skirt or Oscar de la Renta’s printed silk floral dresses. (Don’t worry you find high street versions of all of these). And in the Middle East we have our own believers in beauty such as Elie Saab, Zuhair Murad or Dubai’s Bouguessa. These designers make clothes that are about beauty. And we need to start taking a leaf out of their books and remember to keep it elegant. There is beauty in simplicity that we often try to over-complicate. So here is my suggestion — while shopping the new season collection, do not think about trend, think about timelessness. A smart shopper will invest in pieces that last more than a season. Let’s leave the “being on season” to the fashion victims!

We need to start taking a leaf out of their books and remember to keep it elegant. There is beauty in simplicity that we often try to over-complicate