What goes around comes around, that is what they say and this is certainly true of fashion. I often wonder if it is worth holding on to all of my clothes long after they have gone out of fashion because you can bet your life that everything ends up being positively in again at some point in the future. If you wait long enough then those old styles that had you recoiling in horror will suddenly be the coolest things around.

Nothing New

Designers rarely seem to come up with any radically new concepts they just keep recycling old trends. We are all on cyclical journey where we alternate between loving and hating each look in turn. Especially these days as retro is definitely cool. Just look at the resurgence of interest in raw denim. At one time all denim was raw denim. That was when jeans were work wear. When jeans became fashion items people wanted softer, more ready to wear styles and so the denim was treated. Successive trends for lighter colours, distressed jeans, ripped jeans etc. meant that the denim was treated even more. Now someone has decided that there is merit in going back to basics and having to wear in your favourite jeans.

Colour Storey

Even colours fall in an out of favour. One minute everything is black, then brown is the new black, then brown is terrible and should never be seen and then orange is the new black until pink is. Personally I ignore all this and just wear the colours that I like. I am bound to be right on trend every so often!

A Second Look

The most surprising fashions get resurrected and I have to say that just occasionally I do have cause to see some things in a new light. Swimming hats for instance. When I was a teenager the older generation were still wearing swimming hats and so I suppose that I just associated them with older people and though that they should be avoided. They seemed dated and belonged to another era. Now I have started to see them cropping again from time to time, often in retro designs like those covered with lots of little flowers. I am amazed to find that I quite like the look of them. Fashy make some great examples.

The retro feel and bright and breezy colours are actually a bit of a treat and I have always been a succour for colourful accessories. They help to personalise your outfits and change the mundane into a really interesting look. Something my partner said about my ski jacket also got me thinking. My jacket is a very bright, almost luminous pink which makes me easy to pick out on the slopes when he is looking for me. Perhaps I should get a bright swimming cap so he can pick me out from the beach as well! It might come in useful if I am attacked by a shark or get pulled out to sea by the currents.

Swimming caps remind me of the 1950’s, of Hollywood glamour and a time when ladies were ladies even when they went for a swim. I feel the need to get one and I know that Fashy make some wonderful retro styles. The next time I head for the coast I will make sure I have my new cap. I can add interest to my look and be easy to find at the same time. Brilliant!

Article by Sally Stacey