Every time award season comes around, my spider sense nags me to actually watch the award show this year. Every year. Not being a huge movie buff, though I am trying to work on that, I never seem to have particular interest in the Academy and certainly do not thank them. Last Sunday, I did as I do every year traditionally for the Oscars.. Countdown ferociously to the red carpet and once the award show begins, I press the power button on my remote. This year the Academy might as well have painted the carpet white to match the parade of white dresses we saw on Sunday. Both Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lawrence looked white hot in Christian Dior. Kristen Stewart and Anne Hathaway followed suit, both donning white gowns to the event (Though I do think Kristen looked a bit disheveled and Anne Hathaway’s Prada gown was not the best choice for obvious reasons.) Also looking like bridal beauties were Kim Kardashian (who looked better than she has in years, in my opinion), Kerry Washington, Emma Stone, and Queen Latifah. But where did all this white come from? For Summer 2013, fashion is steering away from the traditional black and becoming more open to color. For those not as daring to don new pastels, white offers them an option that looks classy without being too flashy. This summer, we are sure to see white everywhere. Whether you wear it as one piece or a whole outfit, this summer you better grab your sunglasses ‘cause it’s gonna be white hot!
Being the impulsive online shopper that I have become in recent months, I recently gave in to the galaxy trend. A few months ago, I began seeing onsight of leggings printed with images of the Milky Way and my closet nerd became very excited. In recent weeks, the trend has been growing exponentially, trending on websites such as Wanelo. So it had me intrigued, where in this world did this trend come from? Pun intended. So I began exploring recent new and realized this this trend is EVERYWHERE. Not just in fashion, but in the news, web, tv, etc. I first began my search on BBC where I found that nearly half of the most shared stories related to space exploration, NASA or the cosmos in general. Interest in astronomy has definitely been on the rise recently. I couldn't even avoid reading about it while at the DMV, with monitors playing recent news stories about the International Space Station. So I dug a little deeper and found that space exploration is exploding and even going mainstream within the next five years! That's right. If you don't know where to go on vacation in 2018, why not go to the moon? How cool! I have a feeling that with this new interest growing in space exploration, the sky is the limit for this trend. Sorry, I had to. But what does this mean for fashion? We've already seen the print appearing on leggings, sweatshirts, shoes and accessories already. But I think this trend is going to EXPLODE. Even for those of you not bold enough to don the cosmo print, I believe metallics as well as cobalt blues, pinks and violets are definitely going to accompany this trend. So even those not so interested in looking like a solar system can participate in the trend. I think we can see this style become a bit more adaptable by summer 2013 in more mainstream stores but in the meantime, online retailers are exploding with new galaxy items. So, why not? Skys the limit!
Looking back on the 20th century, one can’t deny the earth-shattering movements in fashion. From the poodle skirt to the mini skirt; the corsets to the unpopular braless movement of the 1970s, fashion was a roller coater of change and innovation. Today, I fear fashion has become a merry-go-round of used fashions and lack of originality.
It is impossible today to turn on the TV without seeing a slew of reality TV shows about a faux-blonde with a plastic nose looking for her prince charming or rather, Joan Rivers reporting on the celebrities’ “latest” fashions. Never in the past had a generation been so celebrity-crazed. In fact, until Anna Wintour celebrities never graced the cover of Vogue. Our culture has put bad behavior on a pedestal and has left us millennials bowing down to these pop tarts. Take Lady Gaga for example. Although I do admit the woman is talented as I often find myself singing “Paparazzi” into my hairbrush, I find it curious that a woman regarded as being so original, is not so original at all. From her Jackie Onassis inspired shades to her Audrey Hephern pearls to her collection of latex lingerie stage costumes inspired by Madonna, Gaga belongs in a fashion history textbook not the latest episode of Fashion Police. Not to mention her shock tactics are not so shocking anymore as more people would expect her to show up to the Grammys in a banana suit.
But somehow her revolving door of fashions have trickled down to the runways, red carpet and even the streets. Female celebrities would be unrecognizable today without their faces since they all look the same with their closets full of crop tops, hot pants, and rainbow colored wigs. It is more shocking for a female celebrity to dress like a lady these days. I find this fact alarming in today’s world where women are beginning to have higher ranking jobs than men. This celebrity-obsessed culture has blurred the lines between the real and the make-believe so much so that we don’t know how to dress for these new roles. Our world is constantly advancing technologically and socially everyday and I hope fashion can find some better role models so that fashion can follow suit.