Out with the Old

The Key look for 2008 is a resounding yes to fresh, futuristic originality and a no to the kitsch, tired vintage trends whose musty old smell and cheap synthetic fabrics lingered far too long in our wardrobes and in our high streets. The nylon dresses your granny wore 50 years ago no longer look ‘cool’ in a quirky, ‘knowing’ way, but sad, musty and will have you looking like a relic of 2006/7.

The past two year’s vintage trends seemed to be a godsend for the student population, who could throw together vintage items from a charity shop in a ‘too-pissed-to-care’ way and simultaneously pass themselves off as a Fashionista. However the conscientious, diligent student will be prepared to accept that 2008 has seen the end of vintage; a look that is old, tired and smelly and instead embrace the new streamlined, clean and smart look for 2008.

There is a sense among the fashion designers and creative directors at top fashion houses that we over-did things a bit last year. The evidence for this is in the craze for nu-rave that trickled from the Klaxons, to Giles Deacon, to the High Street. Those in the fashion know soon became painfully aware that they had become the butt of Nu-rave’s joke and swiftly abandoned acid brights for muted tones this Spring 2008. Something similar thing has happened with Vintage.

It seems strange now to think that the fact your handbag and dress were something you found on the floor of your local charity shop (possibly worn by your very un-cool mother in her ‘courting’ days ) somehow gave you fashion credibility, but it worked. There was a stage when it was simply enough to show you were vintage, regardless of whether it looked good, had holes or indeed a questionable stain.

This simply will not cut it in 2008. Once again Miss Moss probably has a lot to answer for here and it is likely that we were following her through her scruffy phase with Pete Doherty, when she was too loved up to be aware of the fact that she looked like a tramp. Thankfully, charming as it was, the smacked-up-too-pissed-to-care look has now definitely gone, as Kate and the fashion pack have realised Pete and his shabby vintage attitude were really just cover-ups for bad hygiene and laziness.

In truth, none of the trends cited for 2008 (Gladiator, Streamlined, Native American) could be easily found in a vintage shop. Even Dolce and Gabbana, who displayed a recurring fashion trend of florals, stipulated that the floral pattern must be fresh, bold and spriggy, and not the faded florals we grew accustomed to last year. The predictions for 2008 have also been pinned heavily upon the exciting emergence of fresh new designers who show more promising array of talent than we have seen for many years.

Nicola de Main, current darling of the fashion world, is popular for her use of luxury fabrics, silk and linen. The emphasis in her collection is on quality, something sincerely lacking in our priorities last year amid our determination to be vintage. Similarly, Christopher Kane has continued to provide the catwalk with collections based on a futuristic theme, which would be very difficult to emulate in our charity shops. Tailoring is also a key look for 2008, which is streamlined, well-cut and impeccably neat. With this tailoring in mind, if you are to pick up one key item from a vintage or charity shop this year, make it a pencil skirt which is about the only reference to the retro in 2008 collections.

A girl must always ask herself the question “why bother”, when Zara and other high street labels have this look cheap and ready for us without the built-in extra of looking and smelling like your granny. The downfall of Vintage has, sadly, long been coming and we should wake up to this as soon as possible before we become the butt of another fashion joke.