Sunday, January 10, 2010

Red Is the New Hot Color

A week after I complained that the 00s were directionless when it came to fashion, I’ve spotted a new fashion trend. It is another of the self-limiting trends that we’ve seen in recent years, but at least it shows that fashion is still alive.

The new trend is red — solid red. Red has always been a popular color, of course, but I am seeing twice as much of it so far this year, and that’s enough for me to call it a trend. I think it could be as big as black was three winters ago.

The red fashion trend can happen now because it doesn’t depend on people buying new clothes. Many people, of course, would simply never wear red — they would feel too conspicuous. But if you’re bold enough to be seen in red, there is a very good chance that you have red already in your closet.

The problem with red is that, like black or brown, there isn’t much individual expression in it. There is nothing unique about wearing red, and the more red you see, the less distinctive it is. That means, the bigger the red trend gets, the faster it will disappear, as people set their red aside for something that makes them feel like an individual again.