What should you do when your dress goes viral? Fashion editors deliver their verdicts...
Farrah Storr, Editor-in-Chief, Elle magazine
IT’S the ultimate democratic item of clothing – black and white, accommodating all shapes and ages, and occasion-neutral (I’ve seen it at both christenings and in the office).
Months ago, I stopped to ask a young woman where her pretty polka-dot dress was from. When she said ‘Zara’ I pulled the handbrake on buying it, fearing it would be everywhere within the month.
Because I can’t see a dress like this living beyond the summer. And longevity is what I want from my clothes.
By the time an outfit has its own hashtag and you’ve seen at least three other women wearing it (all of whom you know), it’s a sign it’s reached its own inflection point.
In the end, ubiquity breeds contempt and the success of this dress is what will kill it.
After all, if true style is about self-expression then what does wearing the same thing as everyone in your office say about you?
Jo Elvin, Editor, YOU magazine
I COULDN’T buy that spotty dress because it was perfect and I loved it. Such an on-trend print. The length is the universally flattering midi that works with every shoe from stilettos to trainers. And, of course, there’s that bargain price.
It’s, let’s say, ‘inspired by’ the printed shifts from popular, more upmarket brands such as Rixo and Ganni. These are all the reasons I just knew I had to put it down and leave the shop.
Zara has done a good job with this one. Too good. If I do cave, it’ll be staying in my closet until next summer, by which time everyone else will be bored to death with wearing theirs.
Sarah Tomczak, Editor of Red magazine
THIS dress is the reason I don’t really shop at Zara any more. The high you get from spotting a gem in a sea of so-so dresses (even more if you’ve committed to ploughing through the reams online) is over the instant you step outside and see someone else wearing the exact same one.
And that’s the problem with Zara – it has a way of designing one dress a season that perfectly captures the mood of the moment, at a buy-me-now price point that’s frankly irresistible.
You see it on your Instagram once and your interest is piqued… you see it twice and you know you have to buy it then and there, before it sells out… You see it for a third, fourth and fifth time and your heart sinks as you realise you won’t be getting the ‘ooh, where did you get that?’ comments, but instead, ‘ha! you’ve got the Zara dress too!’
The solution? Steer clear of the high street and spend a bit more money on something from a smaller brand such as Kitri, Lily & Lionel or Sezane that’s much more special – and which you won’t have fallen out of love with by next summer. Or worse, next week.
Shelly Vella, Fashion Director, YOU magazine
I LOVE it when a piece of clothing goes viral, especially when it’s an affordable on-trend piece that suits most women.
Would I buy this dress? No. Why? Possibly because I prefer to wear things that aren’t so recognisable.
However this is a great dress. The type of shape you can slip into when you would rather eschew something more figure-hugging and revealing.
It makes a statement about the wearer – she’s quirky, cool, modern and, above all, she knows exactly what she likes and she’ll stalk the internet until it comes back into stock. Bravo Zara.
Gary Armstrong, Senior Fashion Editor, British GQ Style
WHEN I see two people wearing the same piece of clothing I feel terribly embarrassed on their behalf. So I don’t think I could bear to follow any viral fashion trend in case it happened to me.
Having said that, viral fashions do capture the moods and trends of the season, something this dress does perfectly.
Any man who is repelled by it is one that you’d want to keep far away from anyway – let’s call it DEET for awful men. Perhaps yet another reason to buy it.