Fashion Backward

Wayfarers are one of the hottest new looks of the season. Practically everyone owns a pair. Available in a variety of colours ranging from the classic black to neon greens and pinks, these sunglasses target a wide variety of people.

Whilst we see the likes of actress Rachel Bilson sporting these in green , an image of Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany's comes into mind- deconstructing the 'newness' of it. Wayfarers were first designed by Raymond Stegeman in 1952, launched by Bausch and Lomb and made popular by Ray Ban. They have been in vogue on and off since then. They made a brief appearance with the Blues Brothers in 1980 and then were nowhere to be seen for over two decades until they were brought back successfully by teen celebrities such as Robert Pattinson, Adam Brody and the Medina brothers.

While the classic RB2140 remains the aboriginal model, Ray Ban has made changes to it in terms of fresh varying colours and patterns to suit evolving tastes. A new model called the mini wayfarer, which is a smaller version of the original has also hit the markets. The young and the old alike can be seen going gaga indulging in these uniquely designed sunglasses.

Fashion is often cyclical and repetetive. It doesn't fail to surprise me when I see the same clothes I don in my grandmother's old pictures. High waist pants, which were synonymous with the 50s have come back in a huge way, along with the high waist pencil skirt and shorts. Bell bottoms were all the rage during the hippie era and then again in the 90s. Whereas these are all examples of trends that keep coming and going, a select few remain constant. Marilyn Monroe's white halter dress and Audrey Hepburn's LBD are considered classic buys because of their timeless appeal.

Fashion, like art is not always about the creation of the new. It is a constant process of revival and modification. So next time you're throwing out your old outdated clothes, think again. History repeats itself.