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Fashionable women have developed a signature style, meaning they wear the same thing a lot
You can tell an awful lot about the economy by the buzzwords used in fashion magazines. In 2005, "Primarni" was name-checked in any glossy magazines you care to mention. The label didn't exist – it was a made-up term the fashion industry gave to Primark's designer-inspired clothes. This was a phenomenon that exploded on the high street. Women who had previously hankered after high-end brands were now clamouring to get their hands on £12 copies of Balenciaga jackets and bags worth thousands of pounds.
What followed was a revolutionary period where women's wardrobes bulged with fast-fashion replicas of catwalk looks. It was possible for most women to keep on top of the latest style as the high street churned out trend after trend and prices headed downwards. Shopping for throwaway clothes required as little commitment as buying a sandwich.
When the recession hit, fashion's language changed. "Investment dressing" became the buzz phrase, as fashion editors reacted to the crash by showcasing more expensive clothes and advising that the time was right to buy one well-made piece that would last forever.
No one bragged about Primarni finds anymore. Mid-priced labels which were better quality and more expensive, such as Whistles, attempted a style land-grab.
The privileged few may have adapted to so-called investment dressing but for most women the steep downturn in the economy simply meant that they shopped less.
The news that the fashion industry is facing the biggest price rise on record this month will have more of a real impact on our wardrobes than any catwalk diktat. Throwaway fashion has long since lost its kudos as an end in itself but its fate appeared sealed when Primark joined H&M in admitting that its sales had slowed recently.
The stampede scenes that Primark witnessed when it opened a branch in Oxford Street in 2007 now seem from another era, perhaps notwithstanding the scenes at Stratford. Our shopping habits have already started to adapt to heftier price-tags.
Now there's a silent agreement between fashionable women that last year's coat can easily be this year's coat and having a "signature" style (translation: wearing the same thing a lot) is a good look. Fast fashion is dead. Careful fashion doesn't sounds quite as buzzy, but it has already caught on.
Imogen Fox
guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Fashionable women have developed a signature style, meaning they wear the same thing a lot
You can tell an awful lot about the economy by the buzzwords used in fashion magazines. In 2005, "Primarni" was name-checked in any glossy magazines you care to mention. The label didn't exist – it was a made-up term the fashion industry gave to Primark's designer-inspired clothes. This was a phenomenon that exploded on the high street. Women who had previously hankered after high-end brands were now clamouring to get their hands on £12 copies of Balenciaga jackets and bags worth thousands of pounds.
What followed was a revolutionary period where women's wardrobes bulged with fast-fashion replicas of catwalk looks. It was possible for most women to keep on top of the latest style as the high street churned out trend after trend and prices headed downwards. Shopping for throwaway clothes required as little commitment as buying a sandwich.
When the recession hit, fashion's language changed. "Investment dressing" became the buzz phrase, as fashion editors reacted to the crash by showcasing more expensive clothes and advising that the time was right to buy one well-made piece that would last forever.
No one bragged about Primarni finds anymore. Mid-priced labels which were better quality and more expensive, such as Whistles, attempted a style land-grab.
The privileged few may have adapted to so-called investment dressing but for most women the steep downturn in the economy simply meant that they shopped less.
The news that the fashion industry is facing the biggest price rise on record this month will have more of a real impact on our wardrobes than any catwalk diktat. Throwaway fashion has long since lost its kudos as an end in itself but its fate appeared sealed when Primark joined H&M in admitting that its sales had slowed recently.
The stampede scenes that Primark witnessed when it opened a branch in Oxford Street in 2007 now seem from another era, perhaps notwithstanding the scenes at Stratford. Our shopping habits have already started to adapt to heftier price-tags.
Now there's a silent agreement between fashionable women that last year's coat can easily be this year's coat and having a "signature" style (translation: wearing the same thing a lot) is a good look. Fast fashion is dead. Careful fashion doesn't sounds quite as buzzy, but it has already caught on.
Imogen Fox
guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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