The future is now

Although I haven't taken a fashion history class or anything, all the mainstream trends as of the past decade have seemed recycled from previous eras - peplums (50's), crop tops and chunky shoes (90's), flowy maxi skirts and jumpsuits (70's), Peter Pan collars (1900's), and even my favorite baggy top and skinny legs silhouette from the 80's (although now it's more flattering, IMO).  On the other side of the spectrum, however, a lot of avant-garde designers push the envelope way out there so that their looks are a lot less accessible, thus aren't as able to change the greater population's wardrobes.  Now I love all the innovative, creative collections that designers dream up every season, but I'm not sure if there have necessarily been any iconic, perpetuating shapes that can be added to the textbooks.  I don't want to wait for my generation's "look" when it's already been 20 years past.

Future talk always turns space age-y, a preparation for harsh environmental changes and the need to re-locate to Mars within the next 15 years.  Then I saw the two looks below and was excited by their "current modern" vibe.  This is what a woman, with a foot in the new millennium, should dress towards. The shapes aren't outlandish, but they're still new and unexpected and hard to describe with old definitions.    They contain elements that we're well acquainted with, but are as much for visual interest as for function.  Nothing's confined to a major reference or pinpointed to an obvious culture.  There are twists to the details - extra panels in the hood and leather mixed with knits in the first, and a semi-caped top with matching pants and low-strap v-cut heels in the second.  Their beauty choices (hair and makeup) were also new but not trendy.

What's more, these women are still very beautiful and feminine.  The female form is neither hidden nor on display.  Without needing to be masculine, there's a vulnerability to the strength and confidence that they possess.  Lastly, the edginess still feels very organic.  It's not in shiny plastics and metals like an astronaut - it's earthy materials and inspirations, reminding us that we can't get further away from nature if we're to survive in the long run.

credit: The Sartorialist