[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or proof that fashion is evolving, look no further than the Hipster and Geek styles. Once excused as a passing youthful dalliance, designers and fashion houses are acknowledging the once-whimsical trends as full-fledged members of the fashion industry. More than ever before, the buying power of this new generation is keeping fashion folks quick to oblige the growing trend of consumers.
The hipster style has grown from a very specific mindset. Some theorize the movement started with concerted efforts to shop locally and organically to stimulate local economy and organic farming. Eventually, these “over conscious” choices created a lifestyle niche that has been embraced around the globe – whether people actually believe in the cause, or do it just to be trendy. The encouragement to go green and shop locally has sparked a fad that mirrors “steampunk” from the 19th century. As hipsters ride bicycles to save gas emissions, refill glass bottles to protect the environment & avoid BPA residues, and grow out their mustaches into handlebar shapes, the fashion world has begun to reinvent itself.
Even more surprising, is the Geek trend rising to unprecedented levels in high fashion. As children grow up to become adults with consumer spending power, “Geek Chic” has also become impressively mainstream. Now, equipped with a paycheck more powerful than their adolescent allowance, grown up’s are finally splurging on their childhood-coveted Hello Kitty accessories and Spiderman memorabilia. What is more, with Hollywood molding pop culture year-after-year through comic book blockbusters, the geek flair is actually becoming accepted by high fashion brands, and even showcasing at the four major fashion weeks.
Big Fashion Houses have been forced to acknowledge this new tribe of consumers, and the revenue that they bring. To gain acceptance, many have begun designing couture pieces for celebrities attending events like Comic Con & Wonder Con – knowing that the exposure (compared to that of a Super Bowl) will reach a new clientele that has been virtually untapped. Jeffrey Campbell and Giuseppe Zanotti recently contributed to this new fashion division with limited-edition footwear inspired by Spider-Man. Christian Dior created Batman-inspired makeup pallets. Fashion guru Kenneth Barlis began accessorizing gowns with quite hero-like capes. Even jewelry icon David Yurman made a run of gothic skull necklaces & rings that were upwards of $600/$700 apiece.
So how can one incorporate this exciting new fashion fusion at the office, without wearing a comic tee underneath a blazer or a braving a goofy tie? One new raved accessory for Gents is a comic-themed pocket square. Even more subtle, Bond 007 or Batman cufflinks can be found in even big department stores alongside the most respectable of fashion merchandise. Women are also donning new accessories, with comic shoes naturally being the biggest sellers. Additionally, nail art has become more impressive and easier than ever to apply – thanks to stickers and glue-on elements sold at drug stores.
Put concisely, Fashion Individuality is finding a way to tastefully mix the many styles you like into a one-of-a-kind style that “looks on the outside” how you “think and feel on the inside”. It can be as playful or as posh as you want it to be. That’s true Individuality.
[infobox title=’About the Writer’]Natalie Ellen: Fashion Expert and Creative Director of Think Fashionably Enterprises (www.ThinkFashionably.com)[/infobox]
[main photo credit: Kid Paparazzi via photopin cc]
