1. The plaid shirt
What do Bob Dylan, Nirvana and Twin Peaks have in common? Timeless cool and lots of plaid. Conjuring up images of chopping wood, writing hit records and embarking on a great American road trip, this check is never not on trend.
2. Fake fur
For this we must thank Kate Moss. Pulling on a showy, shaggy, fluffy coat – either louche and bedraggled or brightly coloured and comedic – is shorthand for knowing glamour. It says: “I am referencing an attention-grabbing diva, not actually being one. Sorry-not-sorry. Lol!” The showmanship, styling nous and layers of irony required to make this work mean faux far has never been killed by the mainstream – and still has fashion mileage today.
3. Military
During the first world war, when the Burberry and Aquascutum trenchcoat was popularised, military dressing was a statement of solidarity. In the 1970s, it was an anti-Vietnam protest. In the current time of murky, borderless conflict, what does dressing up as a soldier mean? In any case, the trend marches forward, most recently on the catwalks of Marc Jacobs and the cover of Vogue.
4. Skinny jeans
Though the fashion industry’s mission is to seduce shoppers into buying new clothes, most of us have been tightly squeezed into the same trousers for the best part of a decade. Drainpipes are rarely deemed cool enough to be worn by the street style set these days (fashion editors are more likely to wear jogging bottoms, dungarees, 501s, boyfriend jeans – anything else, frankly). But for most of us – when you’re wiping the toothpaste off your chin in the morning and grabbing something that looks OK with a sweater – they will do. But for how much longer? Right now, a 1970s mood in fashion has precipitated a concerted industry-wide effort to make flares happen. Let’s see how that goes.
5. Beard as ostentatious lifestyle statement
We first wondered whether we had reached “peak beard” in the summer of 2013. We then decided we definitely had – and sounded the death knell of the trend multiple times. But did anyone listen? While beards no longer feel in any way edgy or alternative, they are still incredibly popular – so much so that cosmetic surgeons are reporting a surge in facial transplants. Ouch.
6. Pistol boots by Acne
If you don’t own a pair, you own a copy. Fact.
