Trends

Torn Denim Trend: Fabulous or Faux-Pas?

 in Bay Area Fashion / General Fashion / Trends  tagged 1980s / 1990s / denim / historical fashion / spring 2010 / vintage styles by

It is hard to believe that roughly twenty years ago torn denim  was a mainstay in San Francisco Bay Area fashion. Everyone had holes, rips and cuts in at least one spot of their jeans. From elementary age children through to adults torn jeans were the only casual pants of choice. If anyone dared to leave the house without so much as a string hanging from his/her jeans, that person was destined for embarrassment. Many fashionistas in the bay area would buy a great pair of Levi’s, Guess jeans or even Bongo jeans and take a large pair of scissors to the knees and the bottom of the derrière. To buy the jeans already torn was considered, well, unfashionable!

Fashionistas in the late 1980s and early 1990s began to get very creative with their torn jeans. Many people wanted to have the most severe rips possible, and in order to achieve this the pants no longer kept certain parts covered. In order to wear these severe cuts, many creative fashionistas went down to the fabric store and found interesting remnants that could be used to cover the holes of the jeans around the parts that needed covering; the derrière! Patches were sewn inside the jeans in order to ensure that all of the strings from the cuts could still be seen from the outside. Women opted for small florals and medium sized paisley’s while men preferred solid colors or handkerchiefs. As the early-nineties approached, jeans barely looked like pants anymore, and as a result, there was a backlash. Denim pants, once again, enjoyed the rest of the decade in one piece; free of cuts.

Denim has been whole ever since the torn trend ceased, but, Spring 2010 and Fall 2010 have challenged denim fabric once again. The runways for Spring 2010 showed cuts, rips and tears with hanging string around the knees on denim pants. Fall 2010 runways displayed a full-blown torn denim trend; a clear throwback to the late 1980s and early 1990s. This time around, it seems that torn denim is already on store bought jeans. Will we see a revival of hand-made cuts? Much like the tie-dye trend, the torn denim trend is one that can be done at home. All a fashionista on a budget needs is a pair of jeans and a pair of scissors. After the cuts have strategically been made, wash the jeans. Voilà! Denim that is right on trend.

Although torn denim is appearing all over the runways and has made it onto store shelves at The Gap, Diesel and major departments stores, does this mean it is catching on? Will the next decade be filled with ripped jeans? If you wore torn jeans as a teen, will you wear them again? The big question still remains; Are torn or ripped jeans fashion fabulous or fashion train wreck?

Fresh New Tie-Dye for Spring and Summer 2010!

 in Bay Area Fashion / General Fashion / Trends  tagged historical fashion / spring 2010 / tie dye by

There are few fashions on the runways that take us back to our childhood yet retain enough allure to keep us wanting more. Those of us who remember the 1970’s in the San Francisco Bay Area have memories of bowls filled with dye, boxes of rubber bands and a stark white tee-shirt. We used to twist and turn our tee-shirt’s while wrapping several rubber bands around the white cloth. After preparing our tee-shirt, we used to dip our creation in every dye bowl available and try to create as many colors as possible on our art project. This very colorful and wet article of clothing was then placed carefully in a plastic bag and taken home to be hand-washed in ice cold water. The child who came to school the next day with the most colorful tee-shirt won the bragging rights as the tie-dye champ of the class.

Teenagers and adults wore tie-dye as a political statement rather than a show of artistic ability. In the 1960’s the San Francisco Bay Area saw an emergence of anti-establishment culture spurred by the backlash to the Vietnam War. Tie-Dye shirts were seen as a way of expressing oneself in a non-conformist way. This made the style very popular among the anti-war crowd. Our local musical culture also latched on to the tie-dye style and many concert tee-shirts for bands such as the Grateful Dead showed symbols of the group as well as being tie-dyed. Although tie-dye had political significance in the 1960’s, it moved into the mainstream by the 1970’s. Once a style becomes mainstream, it eventually makes it way into the creative offices of the fashion industry.

We have seen tie-dye enjoy a resurgence over the decades since the anti-war movement came to an end. Tie-dye appeared in the 1980’s on prairie skirts, tank tops and headbands. It made another, smaller comeback in the 1990’s but became overshadowed when Paris Designers opted for the dip-dyed or ombre look. The ombre look came back in style during the mid 2000’s and has since gone back to the storage containers in our closets. This has left room for tie-dye to make a fresh start for 2010. Tie-dye popped up on the Spring 2010 runways in various forms from single color dye to rainbow kaleidoscopes. Designers such as Peter Som, Proenza Schouler, Bottega Veneta, Herve Leger and Calvin Klein showed garments such as tight, 1980’s style mini-dresses, cardigan sweaters, mini-skirts and of course tee-shirts. Accessories have also taken on the trend in the form of canvas totes, espadrille’s and scarves. Designers experimented with different types of fabrics as well. In addition to cotton, models donned tie-dyed silk, polyester, wool and even fur. (Of course you may not see much fur here in the bay area!)

Tie-Dye not only holds many memories for bay area fashionistas, it is also a current fashion statement. This is one trend fashionistas do not need to spend money on, rather, it is a trend to take advantage of and have fun creating. As our beautiful Spring weather approaches, why not invite a few friends over and have a tie-dye party! There are plenty of white garments to dye with one color or create a kaleidescope of beautiful shades. Why not tie-dye a dress with the bright blue of the season! A scarf would also make a fabulous fashion splash and be the prefect accessory to keep your shoulders warm just in case the fog rolls in; and the fog always rolls in! Be creative, and do not forget to tell us what you came up with! Whether you are making a political statement or a fashion statement, tie-dye is a current fashion DO!

Spring has Sprung with the Flower Thong!

 in Bay Area Fashion / Shoes / Trends  tagged flip flops / florals / spring 2010 by

The San Francisco Bay Area has been inundated by storm after storm since Fall 2009 to the present. It appears that the rainy season is not letting up anytime soon as we move into the Spring months with more rain showers on the horizon. Since fashionistas in the bay area have been donning rain gear more than fabulous 4″ heels over the past few months, it is no wonder that everyone is itching to slip their fashion hungry feet into the hot new “IT” sandal for Spring and Summer. Although the clog and wedge have been raved about in just about every fashion magazine on the planet, another Spring trend looks to take over the feet of fashionistas here in the Bay Area. The fabulous Flower Flip Flop, or Floral Thong.

The wonderful thing about the floral thong is that it is relatively flat. Some designers such as Valentino have shown the style with a slight wedge, but most designers such as Chanel, Prada and Manolo Blahnik have shown the floral flip flop as flat. The flower has also popped up on Spring 2010 styles such as evening pumps, wedges and tweed clogs. Of course here in the bay area, where the weather will be mild to warm for most of the Spring and Summer months, fashionistas will be turning to the more wearable flat version of this trend.

Thankfully fashionistas will not have to spend a fortune in order to sport this season’s floral shoe trend. Fabulous shoe makers and designers such as Nanette Lepore, Ellie Tahari, Kate Spade, Taryn Rose, Born, Enzo Angiolini and Miss Sixty have also introduced Spring/Summer styles with flowers by the toes. The beautiful part of this trend is that it brightens up this dreary weather we have been having and brings a bit of Spring to our toes; even if the sun refuses to shine!

These pretty flip flops and even the chunkier clog and wedge versions are a cheery contrast to the neutral palette we have been seeing in clothing for Spring. Imagine how cheerful an outfit can become with bright blue floral thongs! Unfortunately these fabulous flip flops are flying off store shelves, so if you have not found your perfect pair yet, start shopping!