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There is a big difference between what is a fad and a trend. And I know a trend when I see one. While I don’t rely on a crystal ball, I do rely on the fashion magazines and shop windows on Fifth Avenue to assist in my prediction. Here goes…this year, and next, retailers in droves will be jumping on the “Wet Look” bandwagon, and the latest thing in mannequins will be their “finish,” not their style, pose or posture. The new “wet look” is in. Rest assured mannequins will be shinier than your old tube of strawberry flavored lip gloss. The flat white chalky mannequins of days of yore may not disappear entirely, but they will be fewer. Today’s mannequins have shine appeal.
Following what we’ve seen stroll down the catwalks, the “wet look” has captured couture and mainstream fashion retailers alike, which is why we’re seeing a preponderance of clothing produced in shiny fabrications--waxed jeans, oiled linens, slick polyurethane down vests. Glossy fabrics, once considered cheap and déclassé, have made a comeback, including patent leather, gold lame, pleathery spandex, super-shiny silks and acetates. Versace’s gold linen men’s suit was the talk of the Milan shows. It’s not just a pretentious fashion accessory, Tom Ford needs to wear his signature sunglasses, as his showroom is awash in Zenga suits blended platinum or something equally shiny. Shiny finishes have infiltrated the popular culture too. Now that TV has gone digital, even the dullest newscasters have tossed away their old wool suits, and replaced them for suits made with a touch of shine and sparkle to add that extra dimension to your 42-in. screens.
This “wet look” trend follows the influence of metallics that have been, and continue to be, seen on the fashion pages. Mannequin manufactures seized upon that trend in 2005 and began to introduce automotive finishes a few years ago. That’s right, you could get your Lexus or Prius in the same color as your junior or women’s ready-to-wear mannequin. About the same time mannequin manufacturers started adding pearlescent and opalescent flakes to their paint mix to create jewel-like finishes known in the trade as “candy coatings.” A benefit of the flake was that it added depth of color when lit that standard paints cannot offer.
The wet look suggests liquidity and movement, even dark colors like black, when produced in a high gloss, reflect light and become a mirror-like surface that is fun to play off of. The look draws the eye. Emotionally the “wet look” is just in keeping with the timbre of the times. It's fluid, sinuous, expansive, neither here nor there; it’s ever changing and constantly moving. It’s reflective and anamorphic. In these transitional times it appeals to our psychological subconscious.
Wet is the new dry.
--Ron Knoth, Guest Blogger
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