One of my favourite quotes from The Devil Wears Prada is Miranda's response to Andy's inability to distinguish between the two belts above. Andy refers to fashion as merely "stuff". Miranda replies as follows:
'This... stuff'? Oh. Okay. I see. 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? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, 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 the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff."
I find it really interesting to see how brands interpret runway trends. For example, the military inspired khaki look has shown recently at Balmain, Marc Jacobs and Isabel Marant.
THE INSPIRATION...
Balmain Spring 2010
Marc Jacobs Spring 2010
THE INTERPRETATION...
I really think that the time lag between the "inspiration" and the "interpretation" is closing. High-end designers are showing more often, and placing a greater emphasis on the resort collections, as these generate the most cash flow. This results in more trends, more often.
Australian brands like Witchery and Country Road, and international brands like Topshop and Zara are expected to emulate the runway trends. I say "emulate" because I think there is a real difference between blatant copying and being inspired by a certain trend or look. Admittedly, the distinction between the two is sometimes difficult to identify.
The most recent Country Road season borrows heavily from the military trend, but adapted to the Country Road aesthetic. In my opinion that means a more polished take on military. Perhaps that is an oxymoron, but I'm sticking by it.
Olive long sleeve pocket shirt, Country Road Spring 2010
Recent Country Road purchases. L-o-v-e the buckles on these shoes
Pocket anorak, just in at Witchery
The August edition of Madison comes with a free Mimco scarf and $30 Mimco gift voucher once you sign up to their online database. 
