Couturtionism: Trend watching? Look to London!

I can barely remember what I had for breakfast this morning but I can remember a day in September of 2005 vividly. That was the day I bought my first British Vogue. I was at the Airport in Europe and I was bored of sitting. I decided to browse a nearby newsstand. At this point I was just entering 10^th grade and my obsession with fashion was in full swing, and Gothic Lolita was in my every other sentence. This is why, when I had read my monthly Vogue, I wasn’t sure what magazine to get, being that the Gothic Lolita Bible isn’t really globally distributed. I decided to go with a somewhat familiar name, even though it was from a different country. I wanted Nippon Vogue (Japanese Vogue) but my parents expressed that it’d be more logical for me to get something I could actually read. In the end I walked out satisfied with September 2005’s British Vogue in my hands.

We boarded the plane and I decided to take a look. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw: It was absolutely perfectly stunning! I don’t really remember the articles, but OH! The fashion! As the shift away from the summer “ethnic” look was going towards things like 'Edwardian lady', 'traditional tweed', 'gothic revival', 'Hitchcock heroine', 'beat babe' and 'young dandy'. My jaw actually dropped, as I stared wide eyed and open mouthed, and I started discovering something. NONE OF THIS WAS HAPPENING IN THE USA. This is when I had the realization that Europe (England, France, and Italy in particular) are way ahead of us in fashion, I’m talking two to three seasons. This concept had never even occurred to me, yet I was beginning to discover that, as I started looking more and more at European and Asian fashions, I was right about my hunch. As I collected the rest of the American Vogue’s that year, scowering every page for some delectable little treat of what I had felt for the British Vogue I found nothing until about two and a half seasons later! I was dumbfounded and immediately pestered my parents for a subscription to Vogues other than American.

The fashions discussed in that Vogue are the following.

(*denotes image from British Vogue September, 2005)

Edwardian Lady:

Traditional Tweed:

Gothic Revival:

Hitchcock Heroine:

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Beat Babe:

Young Dandy:

Other Looks from that issue:

For the rest of my high school and early college years I studied international fashion on the internet and purchasing international magazines. However, it wasn’t until an article I read just the other day that I re-sparked my love for British fashion. I was reading “Trendstop” on my phone (an app run by trendstop.com.) I was looking at the newest trends and I came across one called “Seditious Summer Black”. The article starts; “As the summer sun hits London, disheveled and discontented layering is abandoned in favor of good-weather grunge. Retaining an attitude laden stance, rebellion is stripped back and reduced to singular, statement pieces.” Once again I feel that London is hitting the nail smack dab on the head! I cannot tell you how many times recently I heard someone talk about their new “phenomenal stand-alone dress” or their “over-the-top outlandish shoes.” We are in the time of Gaga my friends, a time where one killer item can make even more of a statement than many layered more “relaxed” pieces. So discard your leg-warmers, knee highs, and tights for some killer combat boots or a frilly dress with sequins. Even if you’re not a believer in this look yet just wait, soon everyone will be looking to London.

A few power items to wear:

Daring Over-sized Hats: