Drab reflections (muddy pond)

What I've always admired about Jean Grae's "Love Song" is her use of third person--until she slips into first person and then tells the audience--"Maybe it's easier to talk about this shit in third person," breaking the fourth wall even as she admits her own breakdown.

Why Jean Grae? Looking at Fall 2010 fashion, I saw many elements I expected--a continuation of the 90s renaissance, big love for big shoulders, a color palate of chunky greens and bright oranges and drab browns. Cacophony city, but designers paired more introspection than expected with the false exuberance that comes with cautious economic times.

By deep introspection, of course, I mean introspection inside your pants. Deep, deep pants. More ubiquitous even than brightly-colored tights this season, I'd like to introduce you (with my copious Paint talent) to "Pants You Will Soon Be Wearing Even Though You Shouldn't 2010-11:"

Just to clarify, I'll also include an image of what these pants look like on a 5'11 inch, 110 lb woman and on me (5'1, 125 lb):

I did not label the picture, but I am almost certain you can guess which is which.

Despite the fact that the inseam will probably come down to my ankles, I will still probably buy a pair of harem pants. And so will you. No I won't, you say? Well, it depends. On how many seasons harem pants hang around (HAH). I spotted the first pair several seasons ago (Ralph Lauren, I think), and the number of harem/Hussar pants in collections have been increasing steadily since then. Now, celebrities like Gwen Stefani and Gwyneth Paltrow are wearing them. By the time the pants reach the D-listers, you and I will be wearing them.

Still, this post isn't a raspberry nod to the bourgeois fashion cycle of high concept to celebrity to prole to dead. I think those pants are telling us we don't CARE what we look like in terrible pants. We're ready to make the opposite mistake of skinny jeans. Could we possibly be ready to be comfortable?

Nah.

Still, looking at the twined ropes, shredded skirts and dresses, and brights that were somehow muted on the runway, I realized that something is taking shape. 2010, the year where we smashed every honorary trend we could think of together in celebration of the new decade, is becoming. What, I don't know, but if we can say the aughts were just a terrible but fashionable flailing of the arms, we can say at least that we've finally thrust out our arms and found land.

No longer think relations make a better woman
Just for life, I'm pursuing
Growing, but hopelessly romantic still
Tasted weather in the bitter climates
Love the sunshine better
Dreaming of dream proposals
Decent moral values placing higher on my chart
Trying not to have a shallow heart
But battle scars are deep and reaching to the depth of hell and back
Try to give up the grudges
Think it's experience and move from the clutches of sadness
It's difficult
Sometimes I wish I wasn't an adult
Adolescent primetime sitcom star
I've been too far and too much, too hard, for too long
It's still a love song

-K