The Vice Global Trend Report 2007

BOYS Boys here are really hairy lately. A good rule of thumb is shave on Monday and let it grow until Saturday, when it will be perfect. We’re also beginning to see long, chin-length locks a lot more often. Also still hanging on, but probably on the way out soon, are old men’s hats like fedoras, trilbies, and bee-bops. Jeans are mostly dark, raw denim and skinny. Some guys like them so skinny that they’ve started buying girls’ denim. For tops, all-over prints are huge. You’ll see it on everything from hoodies to shoes, jackets, and hats. Guys also tend to wear shirts that fit them now as opposed to the XXXL tees of yore. Converse are as eternal and inevitable as the tides. You still pretty much only see Chucks and Dunks on the Lower East Side. In terms of New York boy accessories, those Palestinian shemaghs, or just any obnoxiously large scarf, are still hanging on by a thread (har har har).

GIRLS If you’re a girl in New York and you don’t have bangs, you’re kind of in trouble. Hair is either really long and tousled like you just got out of bed, à la Jane Birkin, or cut in a short, 1920s flapper style. But these cuts are almost always paired with straight-across blunt-cut bangs. The typical party dress has gone out of style here. Now you’ve got t-shirts and peasant dresses. They’re long, flowy, and somewhat shapeless. It was recently decided that workout gear can and shall be worn at all times of the day. Girls wear leggings with everything: Shorts, dresses, skirts—even alone as pants. Ankle boots are in and, surprisingly, so are platforms. Big bags are excellent for carrying an extra pair of shoes and your sweater. When it comes to jewelry, people pretty much pile as much on as they can. Matching is no longer an issue. Long chains are huge now.

Photos by Thalia Mavros, Models: Matt and Samantha, Boy: Kangol hat, Uniqlo jacket, A. Kurtz top, APC jeans, Converse shoes, Girl: APC dress, American Apparel leggings, Steve Madden shoes, Fremont sweater, necklaces by Arms and Armory, Vintage purse.

BOYS The new-rave day-glo thing that the Klaxons invented is kind of dying out because everybody else in the world is copying it. Instead, guys have started to wear dark browns and blacks and grays but they’re gaying it up with daring things like shorts and pink socks and scarves. Cardigans, both vintage 50s-style and big, knitted-by-your-mom-style, are really in. So are slip-on shoes from Merc and Trickers brogues. People are starting to embrace the Aquascutum label as a kind of thinking thug’s Burberry, while grime kids are all over black Stone Island jackets. Skinny white or black jeans are pretty much essential for everybody and even rap fans here are starting to curb the wideness of their trousers. Guys in bands are wearing these crazily colored shoes with gold trimming that you buy in the African gentlemen’s boutiques. Jamie Reynolds from Klaxons (them again) just ordered a pair with tiny mirrors all over them.

GIRLS Ecstasy and ketamine are really big again because London coke is so bad and expensive. This means girls are starting to wear white oversize Katherine Hamnett shirts that say “Love” in big bold black print, accessorised with eight-hole Dr. Martens and leggings. You can mix this with a black printed hoodie as well. Dungarees, short shorts, baby-doll dresses, oversize bags, and tailored pants “north of the ankle” are also coming in thick and fast. Other big looks include the Horrors-influenced neo-goth vibe that makes girls dress like Wednesday Addams and Lily Allen’s vintage “chav” look, which consists of Nike Air Max 90s teamed with nice coats. Hair-wise, girls are going for the just-got-out-of-bed-after-falling-asleep-with-a-load-of-hair-mousse-dissolving-into-my-scalp look or that regular straight hair that all the girls in American Apparel ads have. The new goths dye it black.

Photos by Guy Stephens, Models: James and Nova

BOYS The new-rave thing isn’t catching on so big in Paris. However, tacky 1990s style is. Congratulations, Parisians. French boys are wearing Vichy lumberjack-tartan long-sleeve shirts, or simple, colorful t-shirts under bleached denim jackets (some of them are cutting their sleeves off, too). Another big option is a fluorescent overly-ornamented tracksuit jacket. Good old Levi’s 501s are, of course, ubiquitous. They are worn on the waistline and you see them in white, black, or dyed almost any color but blue. Last decade’s popular accessories are back too: Bumbags, gold- or plastic-framed glasses, a flashy cap with the visor turned up, or even a pager hanging on a crocodile belt. The shoes are mostly vintage sneakers, and are often the only inarguably tasteful thing about the outfits on boys in Paris in 2007. Let’s just hope that B.U.M. Equipment doesn’t make a comeback next.

GIRLS French girls in 2007 are making their grandmothers look like whorish mall chicks by comparison. What we mean by that, of course, is that young French girls are dressing conservatively. They wear smart short coats (a lot of fur), Empire-waisted dresses (no longer than above the knees), and large belts (often worn just below the breasts). Down below, it’s elegant designer high heels and black opaque pantyhose. Parisian girls are also going for a lot of old Miladys accessories: Hairbands, leather gloves, old brooches, and large shawls or thin scarves. A lot of them are even using cigarette holders. Mostly everything is (or at least looks) vintage. We’ve spent a lot of time speculating about what’s making Parisian girls cover up so much, and the only thing we’ve come up with is that they are acknowledging the fact that men like to unwrap girls as if they were birthday presents.

Photos by Alberto Cabrera, Models: Ludmilla and Zohaer

BOYS New rave is the thing here, but it’s a bit Vegas with all the icons and symbols inspired by the early-90s Rave Nation crap. So you’ll see things like Mickey Mouse gloves and ears, hip bags (meaning fanny packs), huge prints in bold colors, and whistle necklaces getting mixed up with colorful shiny jackets, bow ties, and cummerbunds (that’s correct, fucking bow ties and cummerbunds). Tights, leggings, and skinny pants (Cheap Mondays mostly) are still in for guys. Shoes are ballerina flats or pointy Chelsea boots with five-centimeter heels. Boys are wearing mostly long hair and those asymmetrical haircuts are slowly disappearing. Big sunglasses inspired by the late 70s and early 80s—angled or round—are everywhere too. Wearing tights seems a bit risky in case of a situation such as a “bus-on” (that’s when the vibration of a bus you’re riding gives you a boner) but Germans are known for their bravery.

GIRLS Young ladies in Berlin today have big hairdos in screamy, artificial colors, like fire-engine red or pink. Some even wear wigs. (An obvious oversight there, as the very sensation of touching a wig is enough to send seismic waves of douche chills through the strongest man’s heart.) The general silhouettes are oversize or slim, but nothing in between. The slim silhouette is all about high-waisted trousers, skirts, or tights and some kind of torero-style shawl. Girls often wear huge belts with this look. The oversize silhouette girls wear huge dresses that are cut in an extreme A-line, or they combine guys’ t-shirts with massive men’s suit trousers fixed by a small belt at the waist. The rapper types are still at it with the giant hoodies, 80s tights, and Nike or Adidas high-tops. They also wear wedges or rough boots. Big glasses with bigger frames—mostly from the 70s—are popular with everybody.

Photos by Sarah Karsten, Models: Mattis and Gabi

  A note about summing up street style in Tokyo: It’s fucking impossible. A note about summing up street style in the Shibuya or Harajuku areas of Tokyo: You may as well try curing cancer with a fifth-grade education and no hands or eyes. There are so many different kinds of shops catering to so many heavily regimented subcultures, you can be unrecognizable from day to day. Do you want to be a gothic Lolita with a slight fetish for grunge leggings and a sprinkle of Edith Head on top? Fine, no prob. How about the body of a BOY London 1980s club kid, the feet of a British skinhead, and the hair of, I don’t know, fucking Astro Boy? Sound good? Well, can do! So here’s how we did this. We headed out to Tokyo’s central meeting point, Yoyogi Park, found a group of cute, not ridiculously- yet still similarly-dressed boys and girls, and asked two of them what they and their friends were wearing this week.

BOYS A lot of guys are wearing hoodies over tight jeans with Vans or Converse sneakers. Sports brands like Nike are still vaguely in style too. Lots of Tokyo boys are carrying messenger bags. Pists (bicycles for track racing) are really popular, so they ride those around everywhere too. GIRLS The girls have been wearing a lot of high, thick heels or wedges with skinny jeans or overalls. Either that, or brightly colored skirts and leggings, like our model here. Go for a thin V-neck top with a small and cute single-diamond necklace.

Photos by Shin Tamura, Models: Kosuke and Yuiko, special thanks to Yumiko and Emi

BOYS The ratio of really hot young females to males in Montreal is about 21362:1. So boys here can stand around with their close-cropped, messy hair, pubescent peach-fuzz face, and a little Quebecois tackiness and still get laid. Montreal guys balance out the thrift-store stuff like the cap/scarf one-piece and the DIY Montreal hippie-craft silk-screen t-shirt with some high-end European labels and local designer stuff, like a cardigan from Dubuc or a Philippe Starck watch. Jeans are slim-fit Scandinavian-style in darker tones. Boys don’t like spending too much on shoes because the Canadian winter conditions kill them. Big bags are essential for swapping your outside shoes for inside shoes when you arrive at a party. Yes, boys in Montreal really do that.

GIRLS For Montreal girls the tailored 60s ye-ye look is huge. Scarves are big, generally tried-and-true hand-me-downs from grandmothers who have survived previous Canadian winters. Plaid is pretty popular. Skirts are wool and high-waisted, and dark wool leggings are popular. Bags are big and bulky. Many are the patchwork-leather Quebec rock kind that still smell like their original 1980s chainsmoking, bingo-playing owner. Sweaters are puffy and sequined. Necklaces are often DIY, with girls breaking up old earrings and pendants and putting them on a chain. Hair and makeup are natural, and girls are more into eye makeup than lipstick. Bras are optional. Those who wear them go for vintage girlie ones from liquidation places like La Belle Renée.

Photos by Roger Aziz, Models: Alex and Annie

BOYS For young boys, it’s all about new rave right now. That means absolutely no facial hair and overall neat hairdos. Short back and sides with a little fringe is the standard. Sweaters are big and puffy, almost knee length, with either fluorescent or neon, silver-y or simple graphical patterns. Patrik Söderstam and Bernhard Willhelm are really big. T-shirts are either oversize or really slim. The brands are obscure and vintage, like BOY London. This shirt was bought in an Indian store in a Stockholm suburb run by a guy who doesn’t bother unpacking his deliveries. You just step into what looks like his office and go through the boxes of cling-film-wrapped clothes yourself. Pants are usually super-skinny jeans. Tights are happening for boys here too. For shoes, it’s big, white, loosely-tied Reeboks or Nikes. Some certain boys—mainly the ones who enjoy doing it with other boys—are using man bags.

GIRLS Girls are going for messy, straight-out-of-bed hair. You’ll need to go through extensive bleaching and recoloring to get it right. They also use bikini tops instead of regular bras. Band back patches are getting rediscovered. Shorts are still pretty popular. These are actually black gymnastics panties. If it’s cold, girls will switch to chlorine-bleached jeans with short legs and a high waist. They give you a bit of a gut even if you’re skinny. Short skirts, still with a high waist, are another option. Worn out t-shirts with band logos or goofy tiger, eagle, or kitten prints are popular. This one says “I Love Cats.” Opaque black stockings are the only nylons allowed. Shoes are either soft, flat boots that ride down a bit around the ankle, biker boots, or vintage TGIF waitress sneakers. Cheap Monday jeans are huge for both sexes.

Photos by Linnea Sjöberg, Models: Martin and Tanya

BOYS Frugality is the main theme here, with Cheap Monday jeans on everyone’s arse and $5 knock-off Wayfarers on their heads. Old Levi’s are staples, paired with white tees/shirts/singlets. The only rule is that they must be fresh out the pack. Nudie jeans and flannelette (flanny) shirts are big also. Facial hair is there but barely. Boys in Melbourne are into the 50s faux tough guy look, so there are a lot of thin black ties tucked into covered-button dress shirts with sleeves rolled up and tightly fitted black jeans. Shoes are very pointy, thanks largely to Italian shoemaking legend Rocco, who custom designs from his store behind a train station. Sydney boys are a different story. On the whole there’s a lot more color and tight jeans are worn with something like an oversize, brightly-colored, bold-patterened Material Boy or Ksubi t-shirt.

GIRLS It’s summer in Australia right now and dresses are the official uniform for girls. Neutral and one-toned dresses are tweaked with badge-adorned vests, bright scarves, chunky, often handmade jewelry, and super-styled hair: Fringes, fringes, fringes. Legs are usually bare with cheap flats during the day and vintage pumps at night. But our favorite Aussie look now is something we like to call Pastel City. It’s very girly with light, cotton dresses in pastel colors and messy, childlike hair with cute thrift-store accessories. Our model is wearing a Filipino housedress, a vintage belt, Tony Bianco shoes, vintage parrot earrings, and a locket her mum gave her for Christmas. Many American boys feel that Australia should be exporting girls like this to our shores instead of pasty cadavers like Nick Cave and hyperspazzes like Paul Hogan. Do you hear us, Australia? Send more of your sassy-accented Filipino-descended girls.

Photos by Jonathan Tillet De-Mallory, Models: Ligaya and Thom

BOYS

Latin and German cultures clash in Belgium, so the natural inclination is to walk around in architecturally-extreme clothes printed with awful, loud patterns. Luckily, guys in Belgium are flouting this and keeping it fairly simple. Start with a nice, easy Carhartt t-shirt. Big logos and big brands are still worn here, and shamelessly so. Next, get a tweed jacket. A lot of wasted teens are walking around Brussels in black leather lately, but the majority of guys are going with tweed this winter. They are kind of dressing like Belgian granddads, minus the mustache and the stench of Brylcreem. Faded jeans are big in Belgium now. Walking around in Belgium in fluorescent rave pants or 70s disco bootcuts—which are the standards in most of Europe—is a big, big no-no here. Guys mostly just stick to nice, old jeans or they buy expensive G-Sus’s that look like you got them from your big brother.

GIRLS Belgian girls are also wearing tweed this winter. In this case, it’s a double-breasted short tweed jacket. Big, thick scarves are essential. “The scarf is worn like a jewel on a coat,” or so our grandmothers told us. A schoolgirl skirt in plain black is a good choice in Brussels now. Just a couple of fingers above the knee, and you will be getting stalked down the street by horny Belgians. Lots of girls here are trying the hyperminiskirt-in-winter thing right now, but, believe us: This is the way. Vintage secondhand boots are a good finishing touch for the skirt. There’s good money to be made in secondhand boots here these days, too. You buy them for five euros at the flea market and sell them at 70 to a cheesy vintage shop. Red accesories are good too. On our model, we’ve got a small vintage 70s handbag and Doris Day earrings.

Photos by Kasper Demeulemeester, Models: Sam and Charlotte

BOYS This is a home haircut. Kids in the Netherlands all do it themselves now, mainly for a messy DIY look, but also because it’s cheaper. Boys’ jackets tend to be high-end (in this case Burberry). The UK new-rave hype has arrived here, so vintage shops have started selling lots of flashy leggings, but the wide bodybuilding pants are coming up as well [shudder]. Secondhand no-name-brand shoes are the best now, but Nike Air Max are also back on track. Flannel shirts are not uncommon in the Netherlands. It’s the inevitable grunge resurgence, right? Smiley pins are all over everyone, boys and girls. Blame new rave for that too. It’s a lucky thing that people here are known for generally being tolerant, otherwise the streets might be littered with corpses dressed like this little elf. Isn’t he just sort of begging you to kick his ass there? Look at him. He’s smirking at you.

GIRLS Like it or not, girls here smoke. Our model Winnie smokes Davidoff. Just like in France, cigarette holders are in style now. Girls are wearing sophisticated leggings, like these golden numbers here. For tops, a lot of girls are going cheap and ironic. (Which means that they are about ten years behind New York.) This is a one-euro Madonna shirt, and you’ll also see prints of “icons” like Van Halen or 50 Cent. Dutch girls are favoring bright-red heels or cute 1980s canvas shoes. This is a black PVC jacket. Girls here are wearing tight jackets in the bars and clubs. Clunky accessories, like this crucifix necklace, are big. The lower you wear them, the better. You can see a lot of Dutch girls wearing berets or caps, or in this case, a black veil. We would like to officially applaud the use of berets by girls. It is a thing known as “adorable.”

Photos by Lisa Gliederpuppe, Models: Pjotrek and Winnie

BOYS It rains a lot in Finland, so boys water-comb their hair. It’s practical. Vintage leather jackets are major now, partly because they’re functional considering the wind, rain, and cold. Usually they’ll have tight fits and good cuts. They’re mainly black, but some boys will go for gray or maroon. Finnish boys are wearing a lot of knitted sweaters and shirts, also with tight fits. They’re usually secondhand with quirky patterns and colors. Dress pants are a big trend right now. They’re often high-quality, expensive brands because there’s heaps of Hugo Boss at the flea markets here. The most common jeans are skinny-fit Acnes. Shoes run the gamut from loafers, Chuck Taylors, Adidas, and Vans, to classics like these Menokkaats. They were the must-have sneaker of every Finnish schoolyard in the 80s. Man bags are still popular in Helsinki. They’re good for carrying extra shirts if you get soaked in the rain.

GIRLS For Finnish girls, makeup is sparse with one element highlighted, like bright red lips. Depending on the occasion, girls might go with big earrings, or locally designed or vintage necklaces in natural materials like fabric or wood. Absolutely no diamonds or bling on Finn girls today. Ponytails go on the side, like that girl from Napoleon Dynamite. Helmet hair is big and some 50s hairdos are getting more common too. Dresses are A-line 60s style, with a twist—the fabrics range from flannel to cotton and wool. Tops are oversize. Girls will mix high-fashion brands with secondhand. You’ll see the same girl in a tracksuit and sneakers one day and an evening dress and high heels the next. For leggings, go with Lycra or cotton either in dark colors or with colorful patterns. Knee-high boots, either flat or with high heels, are huge in Helsinki now. Another option is simple high heels in red, gold, or other strong colors.

Photos by Mikko Ryhänen, Models: Topi and Sanna

BOYS Can you believe that anyone on earth is still wearing trucker caps? Boys in Barcelona are. Most guys here are growing beards too. Well-coordinated undershirts are for guys as well as for girls. No bright, daring tones for shirts in Spain right now—boys are going with sensible colors like brown, gray, olive, or blue. Tight tracksuit jackets and loose jeans, like trucker hats, are vestiges of fads past that Spanish boys are still clinging to like security blankets. Checkered slip-on Vans are a pretty solid choice here. For coats, go with Army surplus raincoats and parkas. Men’s haircuts are short in general, with a popular style being a long-sided fringe along the forehead (a bit like Hitler’s haircut but longer and less evil). Many boys in Barcelona have shaved heads or are sporting the typical Roman haircut, aka the good old Caesar. In general, Spanish men are running a little behind the rest of the world.

GIRLS Spanish girls are doing goth-like dyed black hair with a straight fringe. The flapper influence was big with them this winter. In Barcelona, we are thanking Christ for this development in girls’ hair because, up until now, an awful feathered-mullet look had been clinging tenaciously to female heads and showing no signs of leaving. Makeup is very minimal with really red lips. Undershirts should always match the rest of the clothes. Tight vintage shirts from the 70s are big and are worn with slim black suspenders. Girls in Barcelona are carrying extra-large leather bags loaded with useless crap. As in most countries now, extra-tight black pants are huge. You can accessorize with a leather rocker wristband (we think they’re corny, but a lot of girls are doing it here now). Socks are carefully color-coordinated too. For shoes, go with winter slip-ons.

Photos by Roberto Rizzo and Boris Ripoll, Models: Manel and Maria

BOYS Everyone still seems to agree that tight, tapered, trousers and Cheap Mondays are ubiquitous, and there has been a recent upsurge of brogues, often vintage, and almost always black. As for tops, we’re seeing a lot of tight polo shirt/cardigan combos. Cardigans will be vintage and the polo shirts are classic three-button Fred Perry, Tacchini, Lacoste or Fila. For these guys, hair is generally in a fringe that falls diagonally across the forehead, no beards—but moustaches are back!—and three day stubble is always on. It’s approximately 30% mod, 50% English indie, and 20% old Italian man at the bar. The second Italian look is more of a laid back nineties jock variety, and the people who don’t marry the whole polo/cardigan thing opt for T-shirts from young designers and open zipped hoodies to show the print.

GIRLS We’ve got three words for you: leggings, leggings, leggings. Italian girls wear them with everything. Under shorts and miniskirts or instead of pants, but always together with oversized tops, large men’s shirts, sweaters or tees. This scenario can go either casual or elegant depending on the occasion, although the borders between the two are fuzzy. There are still a lot of flat boots, but the pumps and heels are making a celebrated comeback. These here are Fornarina walking shoes with a Bernhard Wilhelm heel. But girls won’t frown at Nike Blazers or Chucks either. This look is based on the ability to mix H&M, Miu Miu, vintage, and young Scandinavian or Italian designers. Not everyone will make it. Italian girls have short and discoloured hair as a result of numerous colouring experiments. Everyone seems to have bangs, although some girls are going for longer, messed up hippie hair. Handbags are vintage Fendi, Gucci and Prada.

Photos by Camilla Candida Donzella. Styling by Rossana Passalacqua. Models: Giulio and Maria Lucia.

Boy: April77 jacket, vintage cardigan, Sergio Tacchini polo, Cheap Monday jeans, vintage brogues, Casio watch.

Girl: Nike jacket, Kefia, YE$ T-shirt, Juicy shorts, vintage leggings, Fornarina Pumps, vintage Fendi handbag.

BOYS Norwegian boys are going for the granddad-look, which means knitted cardigans and vests, pocket watches, chunky glasses and brogues. This is combined with jeans so tight it makes grandmothers blush and girlfriends jealous. For the less brave, trousers are loose at the top with tapered legs, and white jeans are now also seen on guys and not just on Liz Hurley. Layering is also big, with T-shirts being worn underneath shirts, V-necks, hoodies and jackets. Pea coats are thigh length and worn with a slim, simple scarf, and if the weather permits leather bomber jackets are still hot. Hair is short and messy with a long fringe, and novelty facial hair is to be seen on every well-dressed boy in town. Oh, and old man’s vacation shoes are popular too.

GIRLS The girls are wearing cute baby doll dresses either in plain blacks and greys or in big, bold prints with coloured or patterned tights underneath, preferably worn with Mary Janes or Marc Jacobs-esque sandals (also known as the indie staples). Belts, either wide or slim, are worn around the waist or under the bust and often on top of a coat, preferably a mac. The other option is tight jeans worn with big eighties patterned knits and vintage leather jackets. For accessories leopard print is big, and a small vintage bag with a metal chain is part of the look. Scarves are necessary for this time of year and tend to be big and fluffy and wrapped around many times. Global warming still allows for Chuck Taylors, but ankle boots are gracing the feet of Norse girls more and more. Hair is big and messy or jaw-length and neat, and fringes are still hot.

Text by Hilde Tucker. Photos by Espen Nersveen/www.heiaespen.com. Models Trine and Marius.