Let’s not kid ourselves: there are rarely any new trends introduced during Fashion Week. Seldom does a trend emerge during any season that we haven’t seen time and time again.

 

The March issue of InStyle announced that “hemlines at all lengths” are in, along with trenchcoats and blazers. Revolutionary. I don’t remember the last time hemlines were popular, let alone trenchcoats and blazers. Oh, right- every season. For the past five decades.

 

I don’t blame InStyle for their redundant trend report. It’s not their fault. Honestly, it’s not even the fault of the designers. Coming up with something new and fresh and ground-breaking is becoming more and more difficult every year. Yes, they can still create beautiful clothes (and they do), but most of them come from putting new twists on old trends. Most of the trends “introduced” in recent years have been recycled from past seasons, even past decades. The skinny jeans, leggings, and punky silhouettes of last year were inspired by the 1980s. The more recent wide-leg pants and feminine blouses? Taken straight from Katharine Hepburn’s wardrobe of the 1950s.

 

The sad fact is: it’s 2008. Maybe we’ve simply run out of trends.

 

While this season did feature some recycled looks, many designers tried to avoid trend overload by simply sticking with the basics. The designers who really succeeded were the ones who made basic shapes and colors look new with draping, cutouts, and fantastic tailoring. The best looks were current but timeless, simple but never boring. And the best part is that they weren’t trendy.

 

So, with the nonexistent power and influence I have in the fashion industry, I officially dub 2008 the year of the anti-trend.

 

As I have said, the 2008 shows were filled mostly with updated classics, and there were a few trademarks that many of them had in common. There were five main anti-trends I noticed among the best shows. Interested? Keep reading.

 

Black is back (not that it ever went anywhere). So are grey, white, navy, khaki, and brown. The neutral color reigned this season, and designers like Abaeté and Twinkle by Wenlan came out with collections almost entirely in grey, navy, black, and white. Of course, splashes of colors were briefly spotted at 3.1 Phillip Lim and Tibi, but bright hues were generally as rare as the sight of a model eating during Fashion Week. Even when designers did use colors, they kept it mild. Verrier’s pink pieces were so pale that they were practically beige, and a black and off-white Juan Carlos Bando gown was accented with a tiny splash of green. The reason behind this largely monochromatic palette? Simple: neutrals will never go out of style.        

                                    

 

Of course, fashion has always been inspired by art. Fashion, after all, is a type of art. For fall 2008, new prints and shapes proved to be largely motivated by a variety of artists, from the impressionists to the Warhol-esque pop art pioneers of the 60s. This season, nobody did wearable art better than Diane von Furstenberg. Her flowy autumnal skirt, paired with a muted purple blouse and teal sweater vest, could have been designed by Monet himself, and her graphic dogtooth frock, accented with splashes of teal, evoked the style of Pittsburgh’s pop artist extraordinaire.

              

There is nothing more timeless than Grecian-inspired clothing. After all, it’s been in style since 500 BC. I’ve always been a fan of good draping, and this year, it’s bigger than ever. Joan Carlos Bando’s ethereal white gown looked like something Calphurnia might wear in a high-fashion production of Julius Caesar, while the ever-popular one-shoulder look made an appearance at Abaeté and Tibi.

                      

Metallics- silver, bronze, and beyond- have always been a classic, but this year, the metal du jour is gold, gold, gold. Everything is gilded this season, from the usual jewelry and accessories to evening gowns and outerwear. Gold has been in since the glory days of Ancient Egypt, and there’s no end in sight. If this season’s Fashion Week is any indication, the Gilded Age is sure to continue for years to come.

American culture has always been inspired by the customs of other countries, and fashion is no exception. China gave us silk, Italy gave us leather, and France and Britain gave us, well…..everything else. Africa made an impact this season as well, with tribal prints and safari khaki making appearances on the runways. Colorful Swiss and Russian-inspired prints were also popular, especially at shows like Anna Sui and Tibi.

            

 

       So you see, InStyle was right, in a way, when they announced that classics like the trenchcoat and blazer were in this season. Of course they are. They always are. But here’s where they got it wrong: they called them trends. A trend, by definition, is only supposed to last for a short period of time. Gauchos were a trend. UGGs were a trend (Both of which are, thank God, on their way out). But hemlines? Not a trend. Neither are the five things listed above. Those things: monochromatic tones, art-inspired pieces, Grecian draping, gold, and exotic patterns, are anti-trends, and that is their appeal. You don’t have to worry about them going out of style, because they never will. On the other hand, the whole point of investing in a trend (as InStyle suggests you do) is to be fashionable…for all of six months, until a new crop of trends pops up next season. But buying something that you can wear fifty years from now and still be fashionable? Now, that’s an investment.