Fashion styles and trends often reflect the prevailing attitude of a population. While dreary and mundane clothing represent a sense of economic stagnation, bright colors and experimental styles can portend a sense of optimism. Neon colors have been prevalent lately. Does that mean that Americans finally feel good about the future or is it a simply a case of consumers hungering for something new? Either way, it means people are spending money.

Neon sportswear in a Charlotte, SC mail

The future’s so bright, you gotta wear neon.

The New York Times published and article on Fashion Trends and the Economy and in it they state:
FASHION, they say, is an index of change, registering shifts in confidence and mood too subtle to glean from the rise and the fall of the Dow.

In this case, maybe the neon fashion trend does not represent a booming Wall Street. Perhaps it means that America is finally coming to terms with the post 911 and financial collapse world we live in.

Maybe we’ve learned to live with less while still expressing optimism? A Neon sweat shirt and a  “$350 Proenza Schouler T-shirt with a tie-dye motif” can both represent a bright outlook but one is certainly more restrained and practical than the other.

You won’t catch me wearing neon, but I smile every time I see someone wearing it.

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