One Shade of Wrong

It turns out that our phone screens were not the only ones glowing in 2020.

A new trend emerged last year, challenging the integrity of fashion designers: the highlighter trend. Along with the arrival of more daylight in Spring time, came fashionistas who decided to take their revenge on the dark, lonely and attenion-less year they had experienced thus far. This revenge came in the shape of head to toe neon clothing. From neon shoes, coats, jumpsuits and dresses to handbags, nails and even hair extensions. Inspired by the chemincal eliment, glow sticks and car-park marshalls; these trend setters were beginning to look on the bright side of life and expressed it in their clothing.

Was 2020 really deserving of such an eye-sore though? This trend for me, raised the question of whether highlight is ever really necessary? When black and white is proven to be the most legible colour combination on paper, when cheekbones shine better in the sun and when the little Instagram circles are just lying about how inlove someone really is with their boyfriend. Surely this style was reserved for an American Tik Toker, Kardashians caught getting coffee in the daily mail kind of look. The statement Lady Ga Ga meatdress kind that will land itself on all the covers of all the magazines, lapped up by fangirls, but none of whom are actually mad enough to wear it themselves.

But no! The highlight trend (dis)graced the runways of Valentino, Mark Fast, Jacquemus, Prada, Christopher Kane and Bora Aksu amongst others. Line ups of fast moving highlight high heels, gowns and graphics were headache inducing. I wonder whether the audience were warned to bring their sunglasses as well as their masks to the shows?

The models who could pull of such a fluorescent colour palette in these shows, particularly pale-skinned models, deserve alot of respect. This raises another concern of how are such colours styled in daily life? One reason to be thankful for our summer holidays being cancelled in 2020, was that we avoided having to expose our colourless, Vitamin D-lacking skin in fluorescent swimming costumes on the beach. If neon cannot compliment skin colour, what colours will it work with? Magazine advice columns tell readers to add pops of neon to their otherwise neutral, modest and monochrome looks. They suggest a neon yellow or green clutch with a beige outfit, or neon and orange pink trainers with a black suit. Really though, the only colour that matches neon, is MORE neon! Colour blocking for dramatic effect seems to be in now. I think this explains the head-to-toe struck-by-lightening looks shown by models and those courageous enough to wear them down the highstreet on their daily walks.

I was under the impression that these outrageous colours were left in the eighties; the age of aerobics, lollypop ladies, sporty leg warmers and glow-in-the-dark teenage discos. Something about the bleakness of recent times though, has drawn this fashion back into the light. Perhaps people want to be nostalgic when the current is inadequately exciting.

All this said, for those of you who want energy, power and to stand out, neon is the perfect look for you. You could upcycle an old running shirt, or borrow a high-vis jacket from your nearest building site. If you want your eyes to glow now that masks mean your lips are not on show, you could try a fluorescent eye look. Carry this trend on to 2021, even if you do look like a TenNiS BaLL, I dare you!

(Disclaimer: this is a light-hearted article and not intended to cause genuine offense).