The Queen of Cool

Article Tools

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

The prosperous late '90s also feature bright colors, but with a twist. "We're seeing computer-graphic, media-screened process colors, synthetic fabrics," Hahn says. "The bright colors of today are still bright, but tweaked. It's as if we're enthusiastic about our future, but with an edge." Trendy tweaked computer colors include the ubiquitous acid-infused citrus, spicy orange-pink, and anything with a metallic sheen. In the year 2000, Hahn predicts that the hot trend will be "interactive, transparent" fabrics in "natural metal colors" like gold, silver, and bronze. The switch from tweaked to shimmery natural is in line with a larger cultural shift toward spiritualism, humanism, and the supernatural, Hahn says.

"In the past few years, we have been watching the world become more emotional and moralistic," she explains. "The current wars of the world are mostly based on moral or religious freedom and not on extra land or power. This is a gross oversimplification, but the spiritual attention we humans are giving to the good in us justifies trends like the desire for images of angels and gods on everything from dresses to pillows."

Besides evidence to the contrary, Hahn argues that trending is not a superficial business. Rather, it's a complex study of human behavior, one that's best compared to anthropology or sociology or, for that matter, psychology. "You need a grounding in everything to be good at this," says Hahn, who was educated at Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, and the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising. "It is an intellectual pursuit, and it requires a strong understanding of human behavior. It's much deeper than people think."

So it goes without saying that Hahn must be hipper than hip.

"Is she hip? It's a strange question," says Michelle Daniels, Hahn's assistant. "She's in the fashion business. She's one of the top trend analysts. She follows everything. So it makes sense that she'd be a cutting-edge person."

I suppose so, but still, there's that Swedish ice hotel. And those reluctant assistants. Has Hahn ever been wrong about a trend?

"This is always a sticky question," she says. "But the correct answer is: No, the forecast for trends is never wrong." Because what Hahn wants, we'll all want, sooner or later. It's just a matter of time.

Part of Utne Reader cover story, November/December 1997.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print