Trends that aren't budging.

Puffa

Puffa here. Puffa there. Puff everywhere. It's the closest thing you will get to being able to wear your duvet out of the house. It's comfy, cosy and oh so cool at the same time. I like to wear mine extra puffy, for those Monday mornings when you wish you could stay in the safe confinements of your duvet burrito. The puffa coat is your answer. Although I've been an advocate of this trend for a few years now - shoutout to forever21 circa 2013 - I'm always happy to see a comfy clothing item become, and, remain a trend. A clothing marriage of style and sensibility if I say so myself.

Bell sleeves

From frills to bells, by the end of 2016 sleeves were getting longer and wider. May we rejoice at a replacement for the off-the-shoulder trend? Still just as much of a statement, just far more (Irish) weather friendly. Look to Zara to add more bells and whistles to your jumpers with ties added to the non-budging trend.

Athleisure

Athleisure. Ah Athleiusre, the biggest trend to hit 2016. We saw waves form when designers began incorporating the trend into almost all their collections in some way or another, which then saw the surge of popularity for Vetements - have you heard the latest news? Check it here.

Athleisure has made such a big wave, that the trend is no longer really a trend, but just part of our lives. But this doesn't lessen the popularity of the trend, activewear, tracksuits are going to remain popular this year. Expect to see new ways to wear your activewear though, with new polished tailoring. 

The beginning of 2017 is seeming a lot easier to deal with thanks to the ever apparent relaxed vibe of the style trends. Is it just me or is fashion getting easier... lazier... almost? Maybe by the end of the year we could wear our pyjamas out... oh wait, thats already happened. Heres to a new year of constant coziness and happiness. 

Thursday Thoughts || Vetements

If you have kept even half an eye on fashion news, there is no way you have missed the explosive rise of french brand Vetements. Over the last year they have been in the centre of various hyped up  items ranging from hoodies to deconstructed jeans. Although they released their first collection in 2014, last year was Vetements year. So much so, that they have set most of the trends we see staying around for 2017. 

Trends can be hard, they can be even harder when they are set by the lucrative clothing brand.  With brands constantly posting to social media, creating hype, it can be easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of new releases, surprise pop up shops and once of streetwear drops - especially so when the sold out sign means actually sold out to never be restocked. 

While off putting, a curveball of must haves come along, and we find ourselves feeling thrown off by a garment that suddenly everyone is coveting. Vetements over the last year as said, has been the dead ringer of coveted items. And only a week into 2017 they are already at it again.

First things first though; Vetements is pronounced vet-MAHN and it’s a le french for clothes. ( insert cringe french accent ) Secondly, all we know about the design team is that Demna Gvasalia is the lead designer and public face, everything else remains a mystery. We also know that the brand likes to be coy, selling us pieces that .. ahem.. have been deconstructed.  Patch work jeans? A hoody with a slit on the back, so you can wear it two ways. Can anyone say ripping us off? 

It would seem most recently, Vetements is in no doubt trolling us all completely. A few days ago,  Paper reported on Vetements “Offical Fake” raincoat. The jacket in question is - and try stay with me here - a ripoff of a knockoff of the brand’s own outerwear pieces from a few seasons ago, Oh, and its already sold out. Also! The ‘original fake’ as in the first knockoff from Vetememes has gone up in price since the sell out of the branded fake, which I’m sure will also sell out. 

We are suckers to say the least. This is comes from a brand who told the world; 

“The whole idea is to limit the production, having less pieces and making sure that people who buy these pieces can cherish it for a longer time. It’s moving away from this idea of fashion fashion, to this of slow fashion.”

One could presume then Vetements as a brand is against fast fashion culture, that their message ( ethos almost ? ) is to create clothing that last longer and proves a point of buying simple separates but of a luxury standard. 

Yet here we are talking about how they have copied a copy of their original work, which was more than likely made a mass production level as to sell it a third of the price. Bit hypocritical if you ask me, others might comment that they are able to make fun of themselves, have a shit and giggle at the endeavour while making a rack load of money from it. 

The original raincoat.

                                

As consumers, we need to start being less naive in the money play by streetwear companies. The strategic hype that brands create for themselves is creating a downward spiral for fashion lovers wallets. Parody fashion was a big trend in 2016, and is not a trend I want to see continued into 2017. Anyone remember the white DHL t-shirt that sold for the sweet price of $330? Ironic, sarcastic, taking a quip of themselves, however we phrase it, we need to stop purchasing clothes in the mindset of how many hearts and likes it may get on the gram. 

Can we try promise one another to stop buying for Instagram in 2017 please?