Today’s guest, Greg O’Hara, will direct our attention to an ominous new fashion trend. I won’t reveal too much, but spoiler: BABYGROW! Enter Greg:
Student trends – there’s nothing better is there? There’s certainly nothing more varied, exciting and innovative. Campus’ are the down-to-earth, everyday equivalent of the catwalks of Milan and reflect major trends the world over. Has the latest student trend, however, marred that widely believed statement by going too far?
In the not so distant past, the world of fashion was facing forward. It sought after the trends of the future. More recently however, the fashion world has informed the present by taking a look at the past. The vintage clothes culture sweeping campuses and cities all over the country has become something of an epidemic; students raiding their parents’ wardrobes, their grandparents’ attics and local charity shops for those ancient fur coats, chunky-knitted sweatshirts and bomber jackets as if they are preparing for the fabric apocalypse. On the whole, vintage clothing is inexpensive, great for the environment and can look amazing.
There is, however, a problem. Somewhere down the line someone forgot to mention where this little experiment in clothes from the past should end, resulting in a mildly disturbing new trend which is currently spreading like a common cold. If you are a student there is no doubt in my mind that you have either seen, live in close proximity to, or own one of these yourself. I talk of course of the onesie. The onesie needs no introduction; shamefully the term is now very much a household name and very much, I hasten to add, a household item.
There can also be no denying that however much the external design of the onesie is modified to imitate a famous super hero or a popular cartoon character, it is still essentially a BABYGROW.
cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by dandelion_glitter
My fear is that people are so preoccupied in delving through yesterday for their wardrobe of tomorrow that they haven’t the will power to stop going back. The obsession with these Babygrows can only lead to a search of fashions prior to them, and there was only one definitive look before they came along: the classic birthday suit.
Is this what fashion has become? Are the magazines of Paris and the catwalks of Milan next year to be swarming with models in the buff showing off the definitive blast from the past: the traditional ‘au naturel’ look? Will accessory shops be teaming with the latest styles in umbilical scarves?
For those who mock the vintage look, I implore you to think how much worse it could be. Be thankful that for the time being, however ridiculous they are, we seem to have plateaued at the adult Babygrow. Brace yourself for the next influx of whatever madcap styles prance into the vivid student imagination and hope that on Christmas morning next year you don’t come downstairs to unwrap your very own, top-notch umbilical scarf.
Greg O’Hara is a writer and second year English Literature student at the University of Leeds. He runs his own blog with regular readership and is a contributing writer and illustrator for a number of independent publications. Alongside writing, Greg has performed in several theatre productions and is a keen bassist and pianist. He is here writing on behalf of innovative fashion website http://www.itsmygeneration.co.uk.
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