Haute Cou-dumpster

When searching tirelessly to discover the next big marketable trend, the fashion world rarely fears to find inspiration in some of the most bizarre of muses. Thus when ‘tramp’ or ‘homeless chic’ was flaunted on the catwalks (notably Galliano and Westwood) opinions seemed to swing in two directions. Some believed that this was an exploitation of the impoverished, a distasteful and crass way of grasping attention. However, many saw it as their latest winter wardrobe, celebrities and fashionistas taking the scruffy look in their stride and creating a style that as each season rolls by, continues to reemerge onto the fashion platform.

Homeless chic; fashion inspired by homeless people and the clothes they wear. Think grunge blended with scruff and mess. Think clashes, layers and rips. Rough, edgy and mismatched. The Olsen twins are of course, the poster girls for this look. Sienna Miller, Alexa Chung and the Geldof sisters have also experimented with this new take on chic; ripped jeans, fingerless gloves and ill-fitting sweaters supposedly ‘the height of fashion’.

However, could the use of the word ‘homeless’ really be over stepping the line? Scruffy and messy will never go out of style. Visit any university campus and you will see evidential proof of this; if anything, a constant catwalk of the timeless rolled-out-of-bed-into-whatever-was-on-the-floor look. But perhaps the obvious exploitation of those who have very little pushes the boundaries. Even the 2001 film Zoolander pokes fun of the great Galliano, with the infamous ‘Derelicte’ collection. 2008 saw model-turned designer Erin Wasson tell NYLON.tv that her newest range was inspired by the homeless people at Venice Beach, exclaiming “The people with the best style for me are the people that are the poorest.” Sigh. Perhaps the designers of the world should take note that yes, scruffy will always sell, but having a male model wearing couture yet accessorised with a folded mattress or shopping trolley is just, tasteless. I’m talking to you Vivienne.