Page 70 - Grasp English C1+ (Student Book)

5 Style and Manner

C. Look at the photos. Explain to
a partner how they relate to the
noughties fashion trend.

They say What goes around, comes round and that’s certainly
true of the fashion industry. However, here are five zany styles
particularly popular during the early 2000s which we desperately
hope teens of today don’t adopt...

Yes, it makes you look quirky and we all know upcycling is very
much the in thing now. But seriously, it was never a good look!
You might have thought you were a trendsetter when you rocked
a. up to school in your black trousers with your dad’s striped tie
around your waist, but really, you just looked like a fool.

And, speaking of neckties, who can forget the schoolgirl outfit
many singers of the era wore? You wanted to look outlandish
with your white socks pulled up, your unbuttoned shirt and
short, tartan skirt, but unfortunately, you just couldn’t pull it
off. Even iconic stars of the time soon realised they weren’t
fooling anyone with their faux-innocence and shifted to more
unconventional styles, like that weird red plastic jumpsuit.

b.
For those of us who wanted comfort, it was all about the chunky,
knitted sweater. You could nestle down into the turtleneck, wrap
the sleeves around you and forget about your problems. You
could dress it up and go for a sophisticated look with a pair
of black trousers and smart boots, or dress it down with ripped
jeans and baseball boots. It was the all-purpose jumper of the
time.
c.

And of course, if you were a trendsetter at the time, you wouldn’t
be seen dead without those thick, blonde highlights which, in
hindsight, made you look like a badger. Thankfully, contemporary
hairdressers are over the fad and are now much happier just to
dye your hair blue, purple or platinum.

Oh, but my least favourite of all were those awful velvet tracksuits
which people would wear to awards shows, the supermarket
and everywhere in between. How they ever thought they looked
chic, I’ll never know! They had low-cut trousers and a cropped
d.
upper part and came in all sorts of colours, from dark blue
to pastel pink to gold... Just the thought of them makes me
e. shudder!

68