waaaaayyy 2 cool 4 skool
So it all began for me back in March. Getting off whatevers train in the lower east side.
And there they were. Not one, but two full-on fashion bowl cuts (1 boy, 1 girl)! To top it all off, the woman had on those fashion suspenders and high waters. Gag. Then it dawns on me. In a fashion world that seems to always be looking backwards for inspiration, what better culture to mine then everyone’s favorite luddites? The Amish!!! Now bear with me here: we already got the suspenders in full swing for the summer, I can sense the bowl cut making a huge comeback–go to a gallery opening and you’ll see my point–and what better item to replace the played out and godawful fedoras I saw everywhere last Summer than a timeless Amish wicker hat?
Now, I am a proud part-time resident of Wooster, Ohio. For those of you less familiar with the layout of Northeast Ohio, it, along with our neighbors, Holmes and Tuscarawas County, contains the largest Amish population in the country (suck it, Pennsylvania). So getting stuck behind a buggy on a country road or seeing little Amish kids at Wal-Mart (they would be known as Yellow Buggy Amish, fyi!) was all part of growing up, making this emerging trend particularly unsettling for me. The restrained quality of Amish clothing and architecture are certainly inspiring–I have a Sol LeWitt moment everytime I see an Amish construction crew assembling a building…oh, the grids!
Perhaps it’s just my personal connection to the trend–I was equally annoyed by the hippy chic thang, having taken my 9th grade photo in a Phish shirt, hemp necklace, and really long hair. But where are the futurists in this industry? History is a wonderful source for established inspiration, but the future is pure possibility and I’m just not seeing the future anywhere I look, especially in the mirror: t-shirt, cords, loafers, everyday of my life. But on the streets and most runways? Rehash and repeat. But hey, I’m not a ‘fashionista’, I just work in the business and have a big mouth.
Anyhoo, here’s to the future.
Photo: www.joe-ks.com
