Deciding what to wear

‘Florals for spring? How innovative.’

You may take your outfit inspiration from a carefully curated Pinterest board of the hottest trends or the glossy spreads in the latest Vogue, but your choices would be between two and five years out of date.

Cast your mind to The Devil Wears Prada and that scene where Miranda Priestly puts Andy in her place:

‘You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select, I don’t know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise; it’s not lapis. It’s actually cerulean. And you’re also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent, wasn’t it, who showed cerulean military jackets? And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs, and it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing a sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.’

So, from Miranda’s cutting remarks, we can create a cascading chain of fashion influence: Oscar de la Renta decided he liked cerulean and made a bunch of dresses in that colour; then Yves Saint Laurent copied it in some jackets; more designers stole the idea and then the larger retailers were able to get in on the action until however much later (assuming four years since The Devil Wears Prada was released in 2006), Oscar’s influence reached bargain bins around the world.

But there’s far more to it than that. Oscar de la Renta may have been the trend setter here, but he didn’t suddenly decide that cerulean was the colour of the season.

There are several theories about who exactly chooses what is ‘in’ and what is ‘out.’ The most common are the ‘Trickle Down’ theory, in which fashion trends come from the highest fashion designers and influential, and the ‘Trickle Up’ theory, where street fashion makes its way into designer collections and onto runways. Modern-day fashion is a mix of both, with both street styles and high-end designer labels carrying equal weight.

Modern day fashion is a mix of street style and high end designer

One person partially responsible for dispersing the fashion is the Fashion Buyer. The buyer’s job is to know what people will want before they want it based on a huge variety of variables. It isn’t so much ‘deciding’ as it is ‘anticipating.’ Often, specific trends that will be in stores have already been outlined and buyers will meet with wholesalers who’ve already decided what the public will want from the collections presented by the designers.

There’s a lot of maths (and guesswork) involved here.

The people behind these magazines are just some of those who decide what you wear

Fashion forecasting by itself is a multimillion dollar industry. Publications exist for almost every category of product from womenswear trends to automotive trends. The forecasting services sell collections of books that contain all the predicted trends—such as colour palates, materials, and important shapes—for the upcoming season.

These publications can cost upwards of $20,000.

Designers then use the trends outlined in these books to come up with their line. Larger retailers will have their own in-house forecasting departments to give them an upper hand on the competition. Some forecasting companies also have online subscription services.

Then there are the colourists. Forecasting services like Color Marketing Group brings its members together at local and international events to ultimately decide the colours that will enhance manufactured goods. As they say, by continuously collaborating, they can better identify the direction of colour and design trends. In other words, they decide what you wear.

The colourists choose the colours you’ll wear this season and next

Pantone is another major player. Since Pantone was founded in 1963, the group has created 2,310 shades, and since 2000 the Pantone Color Institute has declared a particular ‘Colour of the Year.’ Twice a year, the company hosts a secret meeting of representative from colour standards groups. After two days of presentations and debates, they choose a colour for the following year and publish the Pantone view, which fashion designers—among many other industries—purchase to help guide their designs and planning for future products. 2019’s colour was Living Coral; 2020’s is yet to be announced.

Since 2000 the Pantone Color Institute has declared a particular ‘Colour of the Year.’

It’s all a bit Illuminati of colour but the group works years in advance to identify the zeitgeist of the future. They examine societal shifts that influence how consumers view colours like how brown went from connotations of dirt and earth to luxury.

Among the 210 new shades Pantone added to its collection in August 2015 were ‘rocky road’, ‘fondue fudge’ and ‘iced coffee.’ Coffee culture has far-reaching influence it would seem.

International politics also play a large part in how colours are perceived, believe it or not. 2015 saw a plethora of vibrant colours, primarily attributed to the strengthened relations between the United States and Cuba. Trend forecasting firm WGSN called this ‘a sort of Latin glamour.’

When scanning the market and its consumers at all levels, fashion forecasters must follow the demographics of both urban and suburban areas, as well as examine the impact on retail from the economy, political system, environment, and culture. Long-term forecasting seeks to identify major changes in international and domestic demographics; consumer expectations, values, and impulsion to buy; new developments in technology and science; and shifts in the economic, political, and cultural alliances between certain countries.

2015 saw a plethora of vibrant colours, primarily attributed to the strengthened relations between the United States and Cuba.

Fashion does mostly start at the top but our style isn’t determined by the whim of a couple of designers; it’s influenced by the decisions of a group of people who meet clandestinely two or more years in advance.

Then you’ve got the Miranda Priestleys of the world; the Anna Wintours, the Anna Dello Russos and the Emmanuelle Alts determining which items from which designers are likely to appeal to their readers. The beautiful spreads in the innumerable fashion magazines that line the shelves each month don’t dictate the trends we follow; they’re merely a stunning format of a professional opinion.

Fashion magazines are one form of a professional opinion - albeit a stunning one.

But they’re a professional opinion with a lot of sway. What these fashion editors choose is then replicated by the masses who want to look up-to-date and ‘fashionable.’ If a more high-profile figure takes note—your celebrities and off-duty models—you’ve got a trend that will be copied the world over. Emulation is the highest form of flattery, after all.

Such fashion influencers also don’t just pick a random piece of clothing that strikes their fancy; there’s method behind it. Fashion is a reflection of what’s going on around us—the zeitgeist. Savvy designers are good at reading the mood of a time period and creating clothes that resonate with editors and celebrities. Look at the dystopian Balenciaga styles reflecting the anti-establishment and political disenchantment feelings around the world; or the romantic and delicate aesthetic popularised by Dior when a new wave of feminism was rising.

Fashion is a reflection of what’s going on around us—the zeitgeist.

We associate certain aesthetic details with what’s going on around us. One of the colours predicted to be huge next year is ‘fiery red’ which has long been associated with strength, optimism, boldness and passion. It’s a symbol of how we want to feel in a world spiralling out of our control. The Pantone Color Institute has decided we want ‘friendly and relatable’ colours in 2020: ‘in this era of personalised self-expression, recognised favourites use the familiar to take some unique twists and turns highlighting elements of humour, modernity and entertainment.’ A verbose way to say we’re looking for some brightness in a world that feels a little dark.

Fiery red is one predicted option for Colour of the Year 2020

Unless you make your own clothes, you will always be restricted to wearing other people’s decisions. However, which decision you wear is where your agency comes in. Demand for a particular style starts with the individual—consumers have to actually accept a particular trend for it to take. In any given year, dozens of new trends will be introduced. Some will survive. Some won’t. ■