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The End Times have been grandly predicted hundreds of times in the past, beginning - on record, at least - with the ancient Romans of 634BC who feared the end was nigh when Rome turned 120. Sextus Julius Africanus revised his Doomsday date to the year 800, while in 1186, John of Toledo confirmed that the planetary alignment was primed for our destruction in 1186. Martin Luther placed his bets on "no later than 1600 and Cotton Mather was forced to revise his prediction of 1697 to 1716 when the former failed to materialize. Harriet Livermore (1847), Seventh Day Adventist Margaret Rowen (1925), astrologer Jeane Dixon (1962), Pat Robertson (2007) and fundamentalist Mormon Warren Jeffs (2012) have all been famously wrong. Going forward, Dixon decided to have another crack at it and gives us until 2020, while Sir Isaac Newton's read of the Bible places the date in 2060.
Suffice it to say, Armageddon Prediction is probably not the most rewarding of career choices.
The fact that these various (false) prophets of doom & gloom accurately hone in on people's fears and yet are so consistently W-R-O-N-G makes it unsurprising to me that the Apocalytic fashion tribe - which is prepping for the Apocalypse, but with an eye on style - has two distinct flavors. The first is the most obvious: the very head-to-toe tough leather, Mad Max-channeling fashion badass which takes the predictions (somewhat) seriously. They rock Matrix-style kung-fu leather made for badassery - meaning that when you wear it, you can actually engage in activities like moving, eating & breathing.
The second group, while concerned about the looming threat of total annihilation, is also of the mind that all the predictions have turned out to be bunk. So while the predictions worry them...a bit...they only take them half seriously. And the other half? It's out partying like there's no tomorrow since there probably won't be one. Any blow-out party worth its festive salt requires one hell of a getup. Besides, the monied classes have a long history of dressing up and pretending the good times will never end...right up until the end.
That's why I'm not surprised to see the party-mad Apocalytics attempting to follow in the fashionista-extraordinaire footsteps of Effie Trinket (The Hunger Games) and dressing in a kind of hyper-whimsical way that reminds me of those awesome 80s glam Hair Bands. Just like the 80s hair dudes, Apocalytical tresses are ever higher (and closer to god) while their shared love of makeup would make a clown convention look demure. There is similarly much wearing of leopard by both groups, the silhouettes are sexy and body-con (but not in any way particularly pragmatic) and while the accessories reference "tough", the context makes them silly - fingerless leather driving gloves, anyone?
This *thumb your nose at the forces that be* sartorial vibe is strong in the upcoming "Capital Couture" collection by movie costumer Trish Summerville - cue the laser-cut leathers, over-the-top evening finery and streamlined silhouette, all conveniently timed to drop on Net-a-Porter along with the November release of her work in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. “This is also brilliant fashion in its own right," adds Holli Rogers, the Fashion Director of Net-a-Porter, "and we’re delighted to provide our customers with the chance to purchase limited-edition pieces designed by one of the most original costume designers in the industry today.”
images: Effie Trinket/Hunger Games; 80s glam hair band; Thom Browne S/S 2014 via style.com; Covergirl Capital Beauty Studio collection
Check out this PODCAST I recorded about the party-hearty faction of the APOCALYTICAL fashion tribe & their Effie Trinket-meets-80s-hair-band tendencies:
Music: "Glee Club Polka" by Kevin MacLeod, Incompetech.com
- Lesley Scott
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