Wednesday 8 February 2012

WHEN TASTE GOES BONKERS: 50 UNFORGETTABLE FASHION TRENDS

As you might guess I was brought up in Germany and we all know, that the German rather spend £ 1000 for a car wheel as £ 10 more for a stylish pair of jeans. Somehow the Germans still consider fashion as something frivolous, not to be taken serious. So basically, in German cities you might find people rather dressed in a  classical style- polos shirt, and pearls for the lady and polo shirt and Rolex for the gentlemen ( the Germans aspire to the  look of the North- Italians in their blue, camel and black '0-8-1-5' outfits. OK, they look smart but it is so boooooooooorrrring- you end up looking always like a city banker  ready for a funeral) or if you try to be different, people just look at you ( the famous German stare) if you are lucky or they openly bitch in front about you and what you are wearing and, most important, that they do not like whay you are wearing! OK, here I must say I just talk about Munich, since I grew up there and these are the things that happened to me.

Yes, that is 'good taste & stylish' -  you will just blend in and wear what everyone is wearing! 

A true German original- fashion designer and all-round genius Harald Glöckler- Taste? Style?  No to both but he is himself even if he looks like Liza Minelli after a hormone treatment which went wrong! He deserves his medal!!
This true German attitude to fashion sees strange flowers bloom as you can see above. Unfortunately even the German fashion press writes articles in this negative sensational manner with the Bild Zeitung ( compare it with the English 'Sun') always commenting 'front row', putting its ' Are- we- supposed- to- wear- this- now????' picture on front page showing the most ridiculous outfit, usually some camp environmentally inspired paper/recycled litter dress combined with the very 'witty' Hamburger hat ( don't ask me what that is, I just invented it )which is not mend to be worn on the street anyway. But the difference between catwalk pieces for grabbing attention and pieces for sale is a concept the general German is not really aware off). I keep calling this journalistic attitude the ' 1950's- Burda- Effect'. ( Burda is a famous German women magazine- the kind of fashion magazine that tells you which colours you are allowed to wear and what to wear for each situation in life like going to a wedding, or popping around a funeral (again)- these magazine does not see fashion as a celebration of the individual, or not even something to have fun with, but as some mathematical rule you must apply to always look perfect, or even more important again- to blend in!

But for fairness I must also say that Berlin Fashion Week is getting better and better every year. It is transforming from a 'fashion- student- like- joke- event' with loads of above mentioned paper- garbage dresses which make you cringe in front of hardly assembled international press in embarrassment, to an almost world wide accepted fashion event with serious yet creative fashion, shown in a professional way. I am also proud of my country in regards the the fact that the Germans are not yet completely brain dead in regards to the meanwhile globally infectious society illness of 'suspicous consumption' like the UK and the USA. There people  for example here in London who are camping out the night in front of a H& M store when  H&M is about to launch one of its famous designer collaborations on that day. Honestly, those people- I would just love to tell them:' Get a live'! And that says some one whose life is fashion, but I never ever would give up a nights sleep to get my hands on a pair of cheaply produced trousers even if the label says 'Versace for H&M.

Sorry, now it's me who lost the plot. Actually the above paragraphs were mend to be just a short introduction for a very funny blog post I have found on this website http://www.hostelbookers.com/. The blog post is called 50 Unforgettable Fashion Trends. It covers everything from fashions our ancestor considered beautiful  and now disgust us like the Chinese lotus feet  to meanwhile true fashion classics like the mini skirt. From the obscure like the pollution mask to the newly revived traditional folk fashion like the German dirndl- again a must-have for every busty or not so busty woman at the Munich Oktoberfest!

Learn, read and have fun with ....50 Unforgettable Fashion Trends
The original 'Little Black Dress' from 1926 by Chanel-  Mademoiselle Coco set the trend for this must-have item almost a century ago!
Twiggy in Mary Quant- the 'ini Skirt' - the super trend of the 20th century!!

The Nigerian 'Gele' on Erika Badhu- looks just amazing and as for a trend- you must be quite confident to be seen with it but it is just amazing 

Again please click on the second or third link above and have a laugh or learn something especially now when the 'Circus of Vanities' has started with the men collections already and the women are going to see what is 'hot' and what is 'not' for Autumn/ Winter 2012 very soon.

Enjoy, your Fashion Philosopher