Short Read: Menswear Needs An Antidepressant

For the past few seasons I've slowly started to fall out of love with fashion week. Not only do "seasons" feel somewhat antiquated but there's seems to be an increasing level of pomp and circumstance and more of focus on sales rather than artistry, resulting in a drought of talent or as André Leon Talley would call it, "A famine of beauty!".

While many new creative directors are still easing themselves into their roles, we're still waiting for a big bang moment, which may well come next season when some of them debut their collections.

That aside, designers seem to be phoning it in a little. Not only is artistry suffering but also quality and above all - fantasy! Regardless of what you might think of their work, when it comes to the big names, designers Alessandro Michele, Jeremy Scott, Marc Jacobs and Thom Browne seem to be the only ones having fun. When did fashion become so serious?! Mens fashion in particular is in dire need of cheering up. Models are stick thin, ghostly pale and draped in ill-fitting, dark clothing, stomping down the runway looking positively mortified at what their mates down the pub would say if they saw them dressed like this.

2017: Settling Dust // A New Frontier

And so, here we are. A new year, a new chapter, a fresh start. I went through a lot of change last year, personally and professionally, and already this year the dust has begun to settle and I'm starting to see more clearly. I'm starting to not necessarily "feel" like myself again but perhaps, I'm start to get back to knowing who I am and what I want again. Last year I took some big steps, made some rash decisions, some good, some bad, but each one taught me something. Better to have lived and learned, right? 

Being caught up in a whirlwind of social media beef, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and flagrantly discriminatory politicians (not to mention presidents-elect) can take its toll on the ol' outlook on life. It's easy to feel down, and to stay down. It's easy to feel suffocated. But it's vital that we remember that above the clouds, the sun is always shining. 

2016 wasn't a great year for the world at large, but it was a pretty great year for me. My boyfriend and I took a leap and not only moved in together but also moved to Berlin together. I've developed a lot as a person, I feel that I've matured so quickly through my twenties, each year I look back and barely recognise the me from the previous year. Continually surprised by how far I've come and how much can change in twelve short months. 

In order to "live in the moment" you first need an understanding of how you got to that moment. So much happened last year, too much perhaps, and only now, with the brutal gift of hindsight are we able to look back and take stock of exactly where we are and how to move forward.