Blogs and Stories
Fall Goes Both Ways
Half-shaved heads, cross-dressing models, and low fashion as high are just a few examples of fall fashion's increasing schizophrenia. See our gallery of two-faced trends.
Blame it on the summer heat or an economic downturn so disruptive it's thrown the fashion industry for a psychological loop, a dominating trend for fall is schizophrenia. It was there, cropping up on fall runways in the form of asymmetric styles—which in some cases left one thinking designers had perhaps forgotten to account for all four major appendages before sending particular looks down the catwalk—as well as in the biker shorts and rubber fishing boots that were shown alongside painstakingly embellished evening garments. Not to mention, one of the most ubiquitous styles for fall is what can best be described as retro-futurism, as seen in collections from both Balmain and Marc Jacobs, among others. As fashion attempts to source inspiration from a decade past (the '80s), it is simultaneously looking forward to a not-yet-realized future (translation: robo-chic ensembles).
And fashion's schizophrenic demeanor doesn't stop there. Fall clothing's propensity toward a party-in-the-front, business-in-the-back feel—at least when it comes to hemlines—is likewise being reflected in this year's most-talked-about hairstyles. Rather than committing to a full crop, numerous celebrities have taken part in a budding trend of shaving off solely half of their locks. In a sense this impulse to adopt divergent styles can best be described as sartorial growing pains. Call it indecisive or confused, fashion is suffering from a case of split-personality disorder. Whatever you do, just swallow it all with a grain of salt as with many trends, it's likely just a phase.
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Alisa Gould-Simon is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer. She also covers fashion and culture for BlackBook, New York magazine, and PAPER among other publications.
John Talks Joe
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
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Leslie H. Gelb, a former New York Times columnist and senior government official, is author of Power Rules: How Common Sense Can Rescue American Foreign Policy (HarperCollins 2009), a book that shows how to think about and use power in the 21st century. He is president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations.
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Christopher Buckley's books include Supreme Courtship, The White House Mess, Thank You for Smoking, Little Green Men, and Florence of Arabia. He was chief speechwriter for Vice President George H.W. Bush, and is editor-at-large of ForbesLife magazine. His new book is Losing Mum and Pup, a memoir. Buckley's Daily Beast column is the winner of an Online Journalism Award in the category of Online Commentary.
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Alisa Gould-Simon is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer. She also covers fashion and culture for BlackBook, New York magazine, and PAPER among other publications.
Do Fuchsias Have More Fun?
Alisa Gould-Simon is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer. She also covers fashion and culture for BlackBook, New York magazine, and PAPER among other publications.
Fall's 'It' Shoes
Alisa Gould-Simon is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer. She also covers fashion and culture for BlackBook, New York magazine, and PAPER among other publications.
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