Why Fluctuating Temperatures and a Boisterous Economy are Optimum Conditions for Style.

This week sees most of the world’s universities get back into functional mode. As young adults get ready for the upcoming year of frivolity and academic endeavour, it’s been on my mind what they will choose to wear in the current climates.
Peter Som- the Season´s Comeback Kid

So, I could predict some of the likely wardrobes and tell you about the year’s noteworthy items. I could tell you about the biker leather jackets by Balmain, sequined corsets by Fendi, or shoulder-padded shirts by Max Azria that were noticed on this season’s catwalks . I could update you that green is the colour according to Vogue, and silver according to recent red carpet apparitions by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. I could also speculate that if the costumes on Gossip Girl are anything to go by, university students du jour should be wearing Gucci asymmetric minidresses, oversized Swarovski jewellery and Louboutin high heels to class.

Instead I’m going to keep it real and tell you that if there’s anything that’s fashionable at the moment it’s the Credit Crunch. The likelihood of any student owning a £1,610 Ungaro jacquard puffball skirt seems rather miniscule at this moment in time. Even stores considered budget friendly such as Zara have felt the pain of the recession, with net profit for the year down by 8%. Furthermore, sales of luxury goods have fallen by 25 % worldwide and high street sales in the UK have deteriorated by 2% in this past month alone. Some economists have speculated this is also due to irregular climate change; People fear spending money on clothes which won’t be in season just a few days later. They are at loss for what to buy; it’s too expensive, too hot, or too cold.

Balmain- jacket £6,360

So what’s the solution? I encourage using the falling economy and erratic weather conditions as an excuse to get creative with trends, and flirt with bargains. Invest in fabulous 40´s vintage and mix it up with something you already own. Revive the 80´s by cutting a skirt from your mother’s wardrobe, and nip it at the waist with a leather belt. Indulge in the tough chic trend by getting your boyfriend’s shirt and slipping it on top of some lace tights. If vintage isn’t your thing, take a peek at Christopher Kane’s latest collection for Topshop, or Alexander Wang’s T Range available on net-a-porter. Both include clothes available for a tenth of the designer’s main lines, guaranteed to keep your credit card sober.

Agness exploits her Personal Style like no one else.

At last week’s NY Fashion Week, it was all about thwarting the unhappy mood set by current climates with brighter colours and tighter shapes. Marc Jacobs’s collection, for example, was bursting with frills, sparkling lamé and harlequin diamonds. It’s as though the designers are telling us we should see the badly behaved weather/economy as an excuse to play dress up in these unsteady times. Seek incentive from this liberating approach and remember to make the outfit unique by shopping with imagination, then reason. Patricia Field sets the perfect example on the set of the SATC sequel with Carrie Bradshaw wearing an array of vintage outfits and wallet friendly brands like Halston Heritage.

Proenza Shouler, S/S 10. Bright, Bold, and in with BANG.

The global downturn is the best environment in which to remove the university uniform. It´s time to let yourself be inspired by trends, but seek to find them in unlikely and more affordable places. Counteract both weather and economy with a daring wardrobe and make a purely individual statement.

University is back and so are You.

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