Trendsetting

In addition to the inevitable blazer, polo and loafer look that Harvard students have gotten down to a science, some brave souls have actually branched out and explored the Fall 2004 trend pool. A very risky endeavor, jumping into this pool, as it dries up come December 2005. The plunge takes courage, faith and a continuous eye toward Vogue. This fall, moccasins and fur-trimmed coat hoods have been spotted all over campus. And might we add, these Ivy-Leaguers make it look good…

Fur-lined Hoods

Comfort is key this season, and warmth a necessity. What better way to achieve these two vital winter-time goals than to bundle up with a comfy, protective, yet trendy winter jacket—trimmed, of course, with a fur hood. Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, the Bibles of the fashion sophisticate, have both featured fur in recent issues. The jackets have been seen everywhere this winter and in all shapes, colors, sizes and fur.

Whether it is a waist-length corduroy snap-up jacket with a white faux fur-trimmed hood, or a formal mid-calf black down jacket with a real fur-trimmed hood, scarves have thus been rendered unnecessary (or supplemental.) “The fox fur on my evening coat actually serves as a perfect neck-warmer so I don’t need to wear a scarf,” says Elizabeth R. Whitman ’06, “which I guess is sort of useful.”

Fur has always been a cultural luxury, but now, with the emergence of the “faux,” it has become affordable and much less controversial. These coats are much more reasonable to your purse strings than one would initially think upon hearing the word “fur;” they are available in different styles, with prices ranging from around $50 upwards.

The warmth aspect is also ideal for the long, cold, windy Cambridge winter days. “I appreciate the fur because as a tiny Floridian, it keeps me warm, and in the rain, we know these animals can get wet,” says Alexa Von Tobel ’06, a convert to the fur-craze of the winter. The hood serves as a sort of retreat from the cold, with the fur as an added buffer.

This trend, however, is not so much of a trend at all, but a seasonal fashion statement with long-lasting potential. (Think: blazers or Converse sneakers). The full mink coats of the 80s probably will not be making a come-back anytime soon, but the tasteful, trendy and much toted fur-trimmed coats of this season will surely be seen again come next November.

Moccassins

Uggs and Moon Boots better watch their tracks this season with the army of moccasins arriving on the fashion foot scene. These trendy little pairs have replaced loafers and Pumas on chic females. Although they’ve been around since early fall, mocs are still going strong, despite rain and light snow. Perhaps it is their Native American tradition of winter wear par excellence?

The original settlers on the frontier (read: 1700’s frontier frontier, not Prada and Paltrow fashion frontier) wore moccasins for which they had bartered with the Indians, knowing that the shoes had been designed for comfort and wear. These moccasins were made from real buffalo-hide. Today, those practical measures for wear are certainly obsolete, as most moccasins are made with low-grade suede and can be obtained for around $30.

The comfort-level, however, has not disappeared, as moccasins have been praised this season for their “second-skin” feel, or non-feel. “You don’t have to tie them,” says Andrea Woloski ’08, “you just slip them on. You don’t have to wear socks and they’re still warm.”

Far from the days of the traditional Minnetonka “Thunderbird” style, mocs now come in almost every color, adorned with simple tassels, bling-bling sequins or traditional beads. Rebecca S. Miller ’06 favors the embellished kind, saying, “They add sparkle to every outfit.”

Moccasins seem to have taken the place, this season, of the pointy-toed flats that seemed last season’s only trendy dress-down-with-jeans shoe—Harvard fashion plates are thanking their lucky stars for the comfort. Although they’re back with a vengeance, moccasins may have come on a little too strong for their own longevity. It remains to be seen whether these little slippers will still be on the scene next November, but until then, FM says just slip ‘em on and go.