Fashion. Some people live and breathe it, some loathe it. It's something we can't escape from, it's thrown in our faces on a daily basis via adverts, the internet, television programmes and even in the work place. It's something that people can follow or it's something you can rebel against. It defines social groups and movements, sends signals to the opposite sex and describes your personality without even saying words. Whether we like it or not, fashion is part of our daily lives and with cheap shops offering the latest trends, being "in fashion" or rebelling against it is now easier than ever.



Fashion has been around for centuries and it's is one thing that has stood the test of time, changing and shape shifting to suit new generations. We have come a long way since the Edwardian S-bend corset and the 1920's Flapper dresses, however the these fashion trends are being recycled and are finding their way into the modern day. What may have started as Victorian detailing on items or seventies style colourings has now blossomed into fully fledged fashion re-runs.

It's something I began to notice a while back, it was the re-introduction of the Peddle Pushers that really made me stop and think that trends never really die out - they just get recycled. Buying my first pair of Peddle Pusher trousers at the age of fifteen, I felt cool and couldn't wait to show them off, but when my mum said " I remember wearing those in my teens" I felt strangely proud rather than horrified.

Since then we've seen the 50's poodle skirts, 60's baby-doll dresses, 70's high wasted trousers, 80's leg-warmers and leggings, and 90's new rave fashion hit our shops with a modern twist. New fashion trends are few and far between, but it's old fashion that has really taken off.

With that being said, certain trends should never see the light of day again, and so far, have not re-emerged. I am left wondering, once they tire of the old fashion periods and have exhausted resources, will they turn to the fashion faux-pas?

A dark time for fashion was the "fitness fashion" era otherwise know as the late 1980's. We are yet to see the popularisation of the Shell Suit again, yes those high visibility, crunchy, crinkly, matching top and bottom, nylon suits. Who will be brave enough to design a new range which has been influenced by the Shell Suit, Chanel - no, Christian Laxcroi - perhaps.

What about the ingenious Global Hypercolour t-shirts of the 1990's, they are yet to be revived. Some whizz kid thought it was a brilliant idea to make t-shirts which change colour with heat, so people could openly see when and where you are sweating on a hot day - brilliant. The Global Hypercolour range was never made into dresses, skirts or shorts, so a designer could really run with this idea again. What a horrendous thought.

It's anyone's guess as what the next big fashion trend will be, which era they will visit next or whether they'll try something completely different. Perhaps we'll all be setting our own trends next year, a sort of 'wear what you like style'.

Fashion faux-pas, period fashion, and vintage fashion with a modern twist - one thing we do know is that people will follow it nonetheless. From catwalk, to celebrity, to high street - the process will always same but the hard part is defining the new trend. Designers get your thinking caps on and pencil sharpened, the autumn/winter collection is just around the corner.