I've been wondering how one should dress for the recession. According to the recent men's shows in Milan and Paris, we should all be wearing suits - which seems odd, considering that many of us will no longer have jobs. Surely casual wear would be more appropriate?
I predict a backlash next season. Everything will be loose, crumpled and faintly rebellious, with a sportswear twist. Maybe that's why Lanvin was one of the few collections that looked relevant, with its nonchalant ease and immaculate sneakers. It's a shame none of us will be able to afford the clothes.
Where else can we look for examples of recession chic? It always pays to take inspiration from the past, so we should probably examine the Depression - the 1930s original, of which today's blip is a pale reflection. Sure, there were a few suits around. Fred Astaire even went so far as to don a top hat, white tie and tails in the movie Top Hat (1935) - but he was starring in a frothy escapist musical that had not even the slightest sliver of a connection with reality.
No, when I picture Depression-era menswear, I imagine hard-wearing boots, baggy pinstriped trousers with braces, collarless shirts, and caps. Or maybe waistcoats and shirts with the sleeves rolled up, because your cuffinks have been pawned. And there's a dustbowl version centering on denim dungarees and chambray shirts. All in all, it's Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? meets The Waltons (above).
Another recession occurred in 1970s Britain, so that might get you thinking about punk. Again, it's time to get the boots out - this time accessorised with tartan trousers, red biker jackets and plenty of safety pins.
That's not an option when you're over 35, so I prefer to remember my favourite late 70s private eye, Shoestring. Actually, Eddie Shoestring (below) called himself a 'private ear'. A former computer programmer, he'd had a nervous breakdown and washed up at a small radio station in Bristol, where he hosted a late night call-in show for other lost souls.
With mid-length hair and a wispy moustache, Eddie wore crumpled tweed jackets, skinny ties clinging to an open collar, corduroy trousers and deck shoes, here ill-advisedly teamed with white socks. He drove a clapped-out Cortina. But he retained a certain melancholy charm.
That's the spirit. My key words for recession dressing will be "melancholy charm".
