Fashion Cliche Of The Decade: Let It Die

I was just enjoying my weekly newsletter installment from the superstars over at White Apricot. Editor Carrie Pollare expressed a thought I’ve been having for the past twelve months or so, she said, “I don’t know about you, but the phrase ‘Green is the New Black’ is getting a little old for me. Sure, I love the sentiment, that eco friendly clothes are becoming as important as black is to all of our wardrobes, but it’s becoming a bit cliché.”

I myself don’t normally spend editorial time ranting about things, but I’m going to take the liberty to second that emotion with the following:

Fashion is about two things: trends of the moment and timeless classics. A trend of the moment must indeed be current, edgy, fresh. A timeless classic is an 80′s hit by Prince, a Gaudi building, or a Chanel handbag-it is so well constructed and so genius, that one never tires of it. The phrase “Green Is The New Black” falls under neither category. It was actually quite bold in 2006 when Graydon Carter of Vanity Fair bravely devoted an entire issue of their magazine to environmental topics and titled his Letter From The Editor “Green is the New Black.” That was 28 long months ago. Since then, we’ve seen numerous articles, books, t-shirts, fashion shows, and tote bags galore trumpeting this duel of hues. “Green Is The New Black” is tired, played out, and stale like Christmas ornaments dangling in the hot July sun. My fashion phenomes, spread the word. Green is fresh, it is vibrant, it is versatile-it is the new classic. Black is black and beautiful and itself. Please free these colors from their identity crisis. Ecologically responsible practices are not a trend, they are a necessity of our times. Green Is The New Sane. Period.