5 Minutes With Stylesight

Shannon Davenport is the Youth Market Editor from Stylesight (www.stylesight.com), the most trusted name in trend, providing world-class content, tools and technology for creative professionals in the style and design industries, combines accurate forecasting and expert trend research with cutting edge-technology to make the creative journey faster, more efficient and cost-effective - the industry's first and only “Creative Platform.”

Q1. When I was a kid I looked for aesthetic inspiration in The Face, i-D and Blitz magazine in the UK and Details and maybe Interview in the USA. Now there are so many style blogs, is it possible for a youth trend to develop in to something substantial away from the glare of the media anymore?

I think there definitely is. Still with most publications the focus is on high-end fashion. Even if the focus of the particular magazine is on edgier, emerging designers, the clothing and styling remains aspirational, and almost always expensive. Although there is a larger focus and awareness on fashion in the mind of young people today, that still doesn't mean there is accessibility. What interests me most is seeing how DIY tutorials get spread among young people on the Internet. They evolve and take on their own creativity and get people thinking about how to make and construct clothing. It goes beyond trying to bleach your own Dries Van Noten jeans and into a community of young people that are really having fun with fashion, materials and trends.


Q2. In the last few years there have been so many fashion designers and brands jumping on the 'music' bandwagon-I always say that real rock & rollers don't wear beige. Do you think the consumer can spot the fakes from the real thing and do you agree that this whole music/fashion thing is just tired now?
Florence Welch - She has one foot in fashion and the other foot in music. Thank God her both hands are free so she can point at herself.
It's funny because now there are a lot of artists who are marketed specifically towards the "fashion crowd" but they usually don't stick around for long. You can put a young new singer in head to toe labels but If people know an emerging musician more for doing campaigns and fashion collaborations than their actual songs, there is a definitely a time limit on how long that can stay interesting. Ultimately what has weight is authenticity and I do believe people can spot it from a mile away. Some singers like Lykke Li and Florence Welch can have a foot in both the fashion and the music world but its a delicate balance and its been pushed so hard lately, that often the most refreshing music comes from a disassociation with being "stylish."
El Tel. The ultimate in ironic facial topiary. And like it or not, it's here to stay.

Q3. Do you think we are moving into a post ironic facial hair and ironically bad clothing age or are men going to continue walking around looking like Terry Richardson and Dov Charney?

Like it or not I think irony is still alive on the streets, its something that people can't seem to get enough of. Some people have moved past it, but there's a whole 90s obsession these days that is fixated on some of the craziest items that decade had to offer. Scrunchies, Looney Tunes graphics, platform sneakers, and all of the out-there fads of the 90s are being worked back into current looks, for better or for worse.

Nicola Formichetti - He's Horny

Q4. I regularly hear people say that stylists and celebrities have replaced designers in the fashion world, which being a trained designer I take exception to. However it does seem that the likes of Nicola Formichetti are getting more props than many designers these days. Do you think it is important for a designer to actually sketch or know the thread count of a fabric anymore?

Yes, because technical knowledge will always be the foundation of well-designed clothing, but again, I think authenticity is key. People like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen weren't taken super seriously when they started out and over time they've proven to be pretty successful and dedicated to their various clothing businesses. I think designers can come from anywhere and sometimes people without formal backgrounds in fashion have the most unique approach to clothes. On the other hand however, there can be complete disasters like the Lindsay Lohan Ungaro debacle. People do have to prove dedication and knowledge, being famous or having a fashionable wardrobe isn't always quite enough.
The super serious Mary-Kate Olsen.

Q5. Where do you think the best street style will be coming form in the next decade?

Every area has their own regional approach to the way they dress and that's what keeps things interesting. To choose a particular city would be a matter of taste but I'd say Scandinavia in general has amazing style. The looks in Iceland as well are also really chic but have interesting, individual twists. I like the way people in LA are playing around with grungy-surfer looks right now and London is definitely into club kid style this year. It's interesting despite the shared information on the internet, how specific countries and cities continue to maintain distinct identity.

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