Dima’s Hot Takes, 1^st Edition

Fashion is… To say the least, cyclical. Leopard print is in, then it’s out, then it’s in again. You make fun of your mom’s low-waisted jean skirts, and the next day you find yourself raiding her closet, and you’re like f*ck, she threw all the Y2K pieces away, I can’t sell them on Vinted anymore (labelled as ‘vintage’ of course). But nonetheless, we still hop on trends, and we still want to be one of the c*nty kids at the grocery store no matter that the only person who will see you is your 75-year-old neighbor who is shortsighted. We all have strong opinions on style and judge people on what they wear like they are supposed to look like they are strutting on the runway 24/7. But most of the time, we hold back on saying what we really think and the ‘carpe diem’ tattoo your millennial cousin got in 2019 is the topic of all her Instagram highlights because no one told her that she should actually laser it off.

That is why I decided to prompt you – my fellow students, to submit your so-called ‘hot takes’ on fashion, and you definitely delivered. Thanks to the opinions you provided me with through my form linked on The Hub, I could collect all the insights I needed. Some were mild, like hating on fanny packs, and some were… strongly opinionated (I cackled). So, I have grouped your opinions into the following categories, which seemed the most disputable:

1. Cowboy boots – Yeehaw or nohaw
2. Pants – No right opinion
3. Trend hopping – Embrace it
4. The outliers – You might be alone in this
5. WOW – Your take is so weird, that it deserves to be acknowledged

So let’s dive into it.

1. Cowboy boots – Yeehaw or nohaw

Apparently, cowboy boots have become a piece of clothing that tends to be very heatedly discussed. Like, I imagine hosting a brunch with my friends, we are talking, having a drink, and then – someone mentions the BOOTS. You know how at every holiday at your parents’ house, toward the end of the night your uncle starts muttering the words ‘Communism can be a great concept if executed correctly!’ and then the night has quickly come to an end, before your dad has the opportunity to dropkick him at the dinner table. That is how y’all act about cowboy boots. It’s definitely a choice? And it’s a perfect example of being in the ‘cool kid’ clique kind of trend hopping. If you still wear your pair in 5 years, props to you, full on respect. ‘Cowboy boots on men are hot af’ one of you says, and somehow, I agree. But maybe that has to do with the majority of men wearing AF1’s and dunks, and although they could work I’m just tired! Should cowboy boots be worn only in the context of a costume party? If it was up to me, I am leaning toward that answer. But it’s important you do you. Channel that inner redneck & rock on.

2. Pants – No Right Opinion

Mom, dad, baggy, skinny, straight, flair, low-waisted, mid-waisted. Oh my f*cking god. I just KNOW none of you like shopping for pants. It’s just somehow in the top 10 humbling experiences in my life. And you guys had a lot to say about it. A lot of you dislike skinny jeans, and especially tight leather pants (‘Very tight leather pants are absolutely disgusting’). But are we talking about fake leather or real leather? And are we talking Bershka quality or thrifted? I think to completely disregard an item of clothing based on how your 15-year-old sister’s friends dress is not completely reliable. And on further note, who doesn’t like looking at a nice booty? ‘I don’t want to see your ankles, buy normal-length jeans’ someone said. As a vivid long sock hater myself, I agree that your jeans should go below your ankle, no matter their fit. But what if you are tall, sizings are a pain in the a**. Last but not least, ‘Cuffed cargo pants look bad’ – I absolutely agree, reveal yourself, and let me shake your hand. What even was that trend and why did we all buy a pair?

3. Trend Hopping – Embrace it

‘I was an emo for a lot of my school life – side part, hair in front of my eyes…’. Why are you guys embarrassed of participating in trends? No matter how old we get, we’ll always look back at ourselves and strongly regret our style choices. I do that every couple of months. Genuinely every week (my outfit in the HUB IG reel couldn’t have been more basic). ‘The most embarrassing trend I have done was in 2016/2017, when all men wore no belt and just let their jeans hang as low as possible’ – Listen, you thought you were swag. Ain’t no shame there, as long as I don’t have to see your hairy crack right now! I think embracing the fact that you are young and stupid, or older and easily influenceable is not something to be embarrassed about, it’s just a part of life. Hop on that trend now and regret the club photos later.

4. The Outliers – You Might Be Alone In This

Well, not alone, but you were definitely more original than the rest! ‘Stripes of any kind are out’ – interesting submission. Like, I think I get what you mean, and I do agree that in general stripes are tacky, but for some reason, there is this specific light blue vertically striped shirt that gives such specific MILF vibes to me that I cannot ever say gives me a tacky vibe. ‘The Alexander McQueen shoes’ – Oof, you submitted that to a Bulgarian author, you don’t understand the passion with which I hate these sneakers, they have always been icky. ‘Some Uggs aren’t horrible’ – I do agree actually. The low ones are pretty practical. If you cover them with your jeans… Or if you are just running errands. ‘Men wearing fanny packs’ one of you said, and I will die on that ship with you. OK, I do get that they are practical, but can men just get over the belief that tote bags are fruity? Just wear a tote bag, I beg you, you’ll fit so much more in it and your jeans won’t be falling off because your pockets are too heavy with trinkets.

5. WOW – Your take is so weird, that it deserves to be acknowledged

Whoever’s take ended up in this category – you guys made me have an existential crisis. Your opinions are so weird & unique, that I did not want the world to miss out on hearing them. If you recognize your hot take here, I am not sure how you should feel about it. I will just let the opinions speak for themselves:

‘Earrings should not exist; ears are weird and disgusting and should not be drawn attention to.’

‘Hotel, facility and tourism hallways look like a ‘MyJewellery’ catalogue.’

‘Homeless core should be accepted. If you want to look like you crawled through 10 kms of trash and some stuff got stuck on you, it’s okay still looks good.’

‘Can Brits stop showing their genitals through their clothes, thank you. This must stop for sake of humanity.’

‘Y2K makes me vomit. That's not to say it looks bad on other people but i HATE it so much. low-rise pants, frosted tips, clunky accessories. EW.’

And finally, I would like to give you MY hot take on fashion. I struggled with choosing only one, but here we go.

People should be able to wear everything they want and play into different styles, without having to necessarily familiarize themselves with the culture behind it. Hear me out, hear me out. Today I am wearing a T-shirt with a graphic logo, portraying a Dutch cartoon character on it that I bought from ‘BONK’, which is a store that sells skater fashion clothes (along with skateboards). I love it. And I have never in my f*cking life touched a skateboard. And I don’t think I ever will. But I will still continue to wear my T-shirt. If I ever get into a situation where I have to ollie to prove that I can continue shopping at ‘BONK’, I’ll instead just name 3 Nirvana songs, so that I can satisfy every other person with superiority complex who questions what I wear.

Stay tuned for Dima’s Hot Takes, 2^nd Edition. Until next Thursday, toodles.