German sense of "fashion"
August 7th 2008 17:04
Why is it that Germans are not known for their great dress sense? Maybe it's because they don't have a great dress sense. Simple, huh?
This, of course, is a generalisation, because in every country you will find people who wear awful clothes. However, there are certain questionable clothing trends that seem far more prevelant in Germany than in other western countries I've been to.
Take the concept of "double denim" for example. Now isn't that something that was cool in the 80s? Would any fashion magazine (or even an ordinary clothes shop) promote a single combination of denim pants and jacket these days? No. And yet, you will see thousands of Germans walking around wearing just that -- even though this is one of the wealthiest countries in the world.
What's also amazing about this phenomenon is that here in Germany itself shops and magazines do not promote this way of dressing. You can find lots of normal, trendy, up-to-date clothing in the local stores. This implies that there's some weird 80s-time-warp mentality that plagues the population for some unknown reason.
Before you get really scared, the good news is that the "double denim" people are still a minority -- though a slightly bigger minority than you might expect. The majority is at least remotely in sync with current mainstream fashion (well, except for the tendency to wear office-style outfits on weekends and at birthday parties, and except for the daggy sandals-and-socks combo, but I won't get into all that right now...
).(The stunning image above is courtesy of my friend Cheryl Northey. She takes great delight in photographically documenting atrocious fashion crimes.)
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Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Wynona Lavota
Generation Y Life
Prepare for a pandemic.
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Anonymous
It's just something to think about is all
<3
Comment by Katherine Huether
Mangia Mediterranean
And no, I'm not German - I was an expat. There were cuffing their jeans in that trendy over the boot way in 2002 when we first arrived in Germany. In 2004 when we left I was just starting to see the trend pick up in the US. I went on a trip only to notice that the "leggings and a mini skirt" look was all the rage. What happened in Boston two years later? Suddenly it was a trend there.
My perception about German fashion is the complete opposite of yours. Then again, it could be where I lived.
Comment by Anonymous
SOMEONE ELSE WHO BELEIVES WHAT I DO
Watch
In a year, everyone in North America will be wearing double denim and it'll be all the rage
:3
Comment by Eva W.
Life in Germany
Katherine -- I have never been to Munich, but I can tell you that things are pretty dull fashion-wise up here in the Rhine area. Maybe it's Munich's relative proximity to Italy that somehow affects their fashion mentality.
Anonymous 2 -- I suggest that you pray that double denim does NOT return to North America.
Comment by yhs