Thomas StewartWe’ve said it, we’ve written, we’ve read it, we’ve heard it but here it is one more time – fashion always changes. Look around and you will see that this is the truth. And where do we see these new statements in fashion? On the runway, brought to us by the top designers of the world. But as we look at the men walking down the runway, wearing – what some would call – eccentric clothes, we have to ask – would we wear them? Are these clothes accessible to us? Or is what the fashion world has to offer just for those in the fashion world?
The runway is notorious for giving us clothes that are extreme, clothes that are testing what it means to be fashion but are they clothes we would wear? If you look at the photos provided the truth is that you don’t see many people wearing these types of clothes down the street. As people we don’t want our clothes to be too loud, we want to be stylish, yes – and that is, of course, what we at MFM are all about – however we want to fit in. This is, of course, a generalisation and a truthful one but when we look at how fashion has changed this concept of ‘too loud’ – meaning too many patterns or colours – continues to be challenged.
I recently wrote an article about the floral pattern trend – a trend that boomed its way into the fashion world and then was quietened down. It has, however, remained strong and a key component in what we perceive our fashion trend to be today. So when we look at this runway clothes are they what is ahead? Is this 2014? If you look at the clothes on offer on the high street you will notice that there are elements of this runway trend but it’s more ‘watered down’, meaning that they’ve made it less eccentric, more accessible to the everyday man.
Patterns, for example, are, by definition loud. They pop out, they catch your eye, they can subtle but their heritage is that of loudness – a loudness we’ve borrowed from the runway and transported into the clothes in our stores. You look at accessories that we wear – belts, jewellery, hats – that are pushing the boundaries of what it means to be an accessory. An accessory adds to an outfit but what if the accessory was the main focus of the outfit? We see this on the runway and we see this happening in our own style. We take a necklace and it holds the entire meaning of what we’re wearing.
Look below to see that we do in fact have runway traits in the clothes we wear but it is indeed ‘watered-down’. The three looks below show that the high street borrows from the runway and how we can make that borrowing affective in our outfits.
Look One
This look is all about the Ralph Lauren shirt. The stitched patterns together gives off that runway feel – the kind of experimenter look that the runway is all about. The jacket, the shoes, the trousers and the accessory show that you can make an outfit around something. The term ‘loud’ comes into play here when we look at the shirt. The shirt may be deemed as ‘loud’ but everything else around it is subtle. The runway has overall been ‘watered down’ here but it still holds that essence.
Look Two
The Velvet suit is something we’ve seen before but it’s not what we would deem ‘classic’ therefore it has that runway edge to it. It’s pushing the boundaries of what it means to be fashionable and stylish. With the darker colours underneath, the red suit really stands out and makes an ordinary outfit that bit more exciting. The runway is all about experimenting, seeing what’s exciting, what’s new and fresh. This is one of those looks.
Look Three
This look is centred around the scarf. Yes, it may be minor but it says something so strong and holds the entire outfit together. This look reinforces the idea that you can build an outfit around what we see as the ‘runway look’. The scarf being the focus, you have the orange bag to bring that runway style completely circle and you have the red chinos – all colours belonging to the main. Then, to be more subtle and on the back burner you have the white shirt, followed by the dark boots and jacket.
Runway Selection
If you think you’re ready to take on this runway look then see below a selection of many other possibilities. The items below are not all blaze but show that you can wear something we’ve seen before but in a different light – in the runway style.
Conclusion
So is the runway going to transcend onto the high street in 2014? I’d argue no. No because we’ve already had the essence of the runway in the clothes that we wear already but to be wearing exactly what we see in the deep fashion world seems a big soon. 2014 will continue to water down the clothes of the runway because it meets us and allows us to incorporate our own style around. Agree? Disagree? Let’s hear it.