Columnist remarks on the Ugg boots trend
By Carly Tovell, ’13
As the autumn leaves begin to fade into their golden hues and the air turns crisp, my thoughts headed toward one seasonal event: Mercedes Benz Fall Fashion Week in New York City. I couldn’t wait for the glossy white tents of fashion week to finally appear on my homepage screen of style.com.
My thrilling fashion forward thoughts quickly came to an end, when the realization of the never ending high school Ugg trend hit me square in the face like a floor board smacks a cartoon character on the head. I waited for the day a pair of irregular leather Frey boots clanked passed me with the encouraging sound of individuality.
Unfortunately, the couture styles, zippers and fabrics displayed beneath the bright lights of the catwalk aren’t quite that easy to translate to the halls of UAHS. Thankfully, less costly retail brands now address the ideas and concepts displayed each season on the catwalks, creating similar fashions that work well in the everyday life of a high school student.
Although the task of staying up to date with the runway trends can come off as an unreachable goal, the retail fashion brand H&M has taken on the task of creating a retail store essential for transitioning the runway version of “ready to wear” to being wearable for high school students.
With the helpful hands of industry veterans and iconic celebrity designers– from top industry fashion houses–as visionaries and line creators for the brand, H&M makes achieving high fashion looks simple. Kerry Pieri recently expresses the significance of the new collaboration in November 2011 Harpers Bazzar article “Versace for H&M: Italia style by way of Sweden.
“Focusing on iconic dresses, one of the largest, most pop-culturally relevant, glitzy, gold, luxe fashion brands ever to walk a Milanese runway is collaborating with a high street brand and it’s as glamorous as Donatella herself. It’s Versace for H&M, and it’s serious news.”
Karl Lagerfeld current creative director of Chanel fashion house has designed trend forward lines for H&M, wearable for girls like us. Helping young girls become apart of the fast-paced industry, the worldwide recognized retail store makes high fashion affordable, and simple. Keeping up with these trends has become as easy as throwing on an old pair of Uggs—but with significantly better results.
With looks that closely compare to what is seen on the runway each season, H&M’s prices embody the idea of being a “fashionista” without the hefty price tag.The website contains sections for fashion-interested viewers, breaking down trends on the runway from the highest fashion houses, including videos clips from top stylists models and designers, and blogging about the seasonal looks and how to get them. The store’s fall tops range from $10-$60, alluring price-sensitive shoppers.
Another alternative brand recently buzzed about, notorious for it’s roots in high-end knits, has done all the runway trend hunting for you. The Missoni brand launched in 1958 goes back to their well-know, original ways of the ‘60s look recently seen in its new Target line. From fall sweaters to flats, dresses, accessories, or even a pair of rainboots, the international look has put its stamp on everything at a low cost. With prices starting at $8, the brand has expanded its consumption group in making the price point available to the average shopper.
With prices for Missoni’s fall ready-to-wear line–right out of the doors of the Mission design house–(according to W Magazine) averaging at around $385 per piece, the brand has made drastic changes in order to appeal to a larger market. With the goal of making it easier for people to wear their brand, Missoni for Target gives styling tips and tutorials to help shoppers achieve looks through their brand. The line is a simple trend forward way to take the runway to the hallway.
By way of much-needed retail therapy, it became clear to me that the comforts of throwing on a pair of old Uggs has held us back from putting character into the way we dress. Not worrying about being judged, we should take the next step in creating our own individual look. So next time when outfitting for the school day, liberate yourself from your suede boot routine and slip into a pair of Missoni flats, or maybe even a chic pair of knee-highs. Who knows? Maybe you will be setting the next trend for the rest of the years to come.