Waiting for Godot...Pardon Me: Spring

Watching the incoming fashion trends is one of my favorite winter pastimes. Whether they are pretty, elegant or just ridiculous, new creations are fun and inspiring. They tantalize, they inspire, they hint at promises of spring just around the corner.... even if the apparel is designed for the next fall.

But what a confusing message this year! Moving forward or turning back? Just look at the sample below - I distinctly remember seeing that same outfit in the 60s, or thereabout.

What's new here?

 Downright depressing:

And when the design doesn't attract, depending on a celebrity (or their offspring) to draw attention:

I reach out to my all-time favorite Dries van Noten for something really magnificent, and I can't believe my eyes.  His latest reminds me of the merchandise at Trieste's Ponte Rosso we used to flock to from the communist Yugoslavia.  Dries, how could you?

 

I think I've seen more original creations in H & M last time I shopped there.  So now I turn to reliable catalogues, such as Boden, and I find a pair of scalloped shorts, such as I wore at least 30 years ago in South Africa, and a maxi dress I got in the 70s in Rome:

Last resort - Swedish designers:    Meh!

The spring does not look promising this year.  One remaining hope: the groundhog.