Has everybody seen that Zara dress? You know the one I’m talking about: the dress that conquered Britain some outlets have called it, black and white polka dot with its free flowing silhouette and ankle shaving length. At least three out of every five women have it on everyday, within a five mile radius, don’t quote my math, but I am pretty sure it is not far from the realm of possibility because it appears every other woman; mother, daughter, grandmother even, has that dress. Everyone but me that is, and I really want to buy that dress… but in the same token, I don’t.
It’s a fashion FOMO moment if ever I did have one.
Back in college, there was an episode of East Enders everyone was looking forward to watching and dissecting the next day; the episode where we’d get to find out who shot Phil Mitchell. Before that episode I’d never seen an episode of East Enders. I knew the characters, somewhat… Cat Slater, Phil Mitchell, Alfie Moon, Dot, something or other Cassidy, or am I making things up? In any case everyone and their mother was going to watch it and so was I, because I did not want to miss out on the moment that would encapsulate a nation when we found out who shot Phil; it was his wife wasn’t it? I don’t remember much of it today but I remember being excited to be in the mix of things, to be able to experience what appeared to be a culturally relevant moment in an even bigger culturally relevant show in TV.
This Zara dress is the Phil Mitchell moment of my past.
The first time I saw the dress I thought it was meh; unremarkable, but then I would see it often, on the tube, train, bus, walking to lunch, walking to get coffee, it was everywhere in my periphery and now it has its own Instagram account. Stylist wrote an article about it, BOF and New York Times have called it the dress that broke Britain. It is a movement and a moment that could likely go down in fashion history. So you see why I want to be a part of history right? I have walked into Zara at least ten times to try it on, but have walked out without the dress because I don’t like the way it looks on me, yet each time I see it on someone it makes me want to go back into a Zara store and purchase it if for the simple fact that I would feel no FOMO of the moment. The silhouette is one I favour and I never met a polka dot I did not immediately love…but this dress, I simply can’t get on board with it; on the hanger, on the model it still leaves me unimpressed and each time I try it on, I cannot bring myself to buy it, yet every time I see it on somebody I want to buy it and dump it at the back of my wardrobe for the sake of being involved in the movement. I find myself hovering over the purchase button on Zara online knowing full well I will not wear it, but at least I would be satisfied about not being left behind.
At this rate it is not even peer pressure because I none of my friends own this dress, this is simply the fear of missing out on a moment in fashion when every woman was united in a common sense of style that had everything to do with ease and comfort of an item… it is the anti-bandage dress and by watching from the side lines there is a growing sense of unease and my FOMO gets the better of me. This is Regina George all over again.
Cheers Zara
image credit: zara.com