Neil: Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English,
I'm Neil.
Rob: And I'm Rob.
Neil: Rob, it's good to see you keeping up
with fashion by wearing
the high-vis jacket
- although I have to say it is a bit dazzling.
Rob: Neil, I'm no fashion victim - this high-vis
or high-visibility jacket is for safety. I
wear it when I'm cycling around London
and I've just forgotten to take it off.
Neil: And a fashion victim, by the way, is
someone who always wears
what's thought to
be fashionable, even if it doesn't actually
look good on them. But wearing
high-vis clothing
has become the latest fashion statement
- that's something you wear to attract
attention and people who
know something about fashion.
Rob: Well, I can assure you, I don't wear
my bright jacket to look cool but in today's
programme we'll be discussing why some
people do. But first Neil, have you got
a question for us to think about?
Neil: OK, we know that fashions come
and go but in which decade were leg
warmers worn as a popular
fashion accessory? Was it... a) the 1970s,
b) the 1980s or c) the 1990s?
Rob: I do remember these so I'll say
b) the 1980s.
Neil: Well, we'll reveal the answer at the
end of the programme. Now let's talk more
about the oddest item of clothing to hit
the catwalk this year - the
humble hi-vis jacket.
Rob: Yes, they were designed to be worn for
safety by people like cyclists and
pedestrians and by workers
who need to be seen if, for example,
they're working in the road or directing
traffic. So it's strange to think that now
people choose to wear them to be on-trend
- that's following the latest fashion.
Neil: Hannah Marriott is the Fashion Editor
of the Guardian newspaper. She told the
BBC Radio 4 programme You and Yours,
why she thought people were turning to
bright, luminous clothing.
What was the reason?
Hannah Marriott: There's also just a trend
at the moment for people wearing very
bright things, very eye-catching things, it
feels that with social media, you know,
everyone's scrolling down their Instagram
screens at such speed and anything that
sort of catches the eye, that seems yeah,
like a bit of a talking point, something
that's going to get a bit of attention -
those kind of trends are getting a bit more
traction at the moment - than the sort of
understated cashmere jumper kind of fashion.
Rob: So her reason is social media. In our
fast-paced lives, we're quickly scrolling
through our social media feeds and
people want to stand out, attract our
attention and be noticed.
Neil: And these attention-seekers need to
wear some eye-catching - something that will
catch your eye and be noticed. High-vis
clothing certainly does that!
Rob: Hannah mentioned that wearing
something different creates a talking
point - something that you or I may
discuss at work or on social media - even
if it is to say "that guys looks ridiculous"!
And she also mentions that people are
becoming interested in and accepting
these kinds of trends - the word
she used was traction.
Neil: Traction here means this fashion
trend is starting to stick. Of course
fashion comes at a price. While an
ordinary high-vis vest used for workwear
is normally affordable, when they're sold
as a fashion item they can go for much
higher prices, particularly if they have a
designer label showing on the front.
Rob: This raises an important question.
We know that many people wearing high-vis
jackets are doing important jobs, so does
this fashion devalue what they're doing?
Neil: Yes, it's something Hannah Marriott
talked about. Let's hear from her again.
What word does she use to describe
a difficult issue?
Hannah Marriott: Every time fashion
borrows from workwear, there're always
some sort of thorny issues around it -
particularly when you're charging £2000
for something that is actually very similar
to, you know, a uniform that somebody
might be wearing who doesn't actually
make that much money, you know, there's
obviously some thorny class issues there.
Neil: So she used the word thorny to
describe the issue of things worn at work
becoming expensive fashion items.
Thorny issues are subjects that are
difficult deal with. Here she
particularly mentioned the issue of class
- so different groups of people in society
in different economic positions - some
can afford clothing for fashion, others can
only afford clothing for work.
Rob: And the other issue is that if
everyone starts wearing high-vis clothing,
then the people who need to stand out for
their own safety may not stand out as easily.
Neil: And we wouldn't want to miss you
when you're out cycling on your bike, Rob.
But would we miss you if you were
wearing a pair of leg warmers? Earlier I
asked in which decade were leg warmers
worn as a popular fashion accessory.
Was it... a) the 1970s, b) the
1980s or c) the 1990s?
Rob: Yes, and I said b) the 1980s.
It's got to be right!
Neil: Well, you know your fashion, Rob - it
was indeed the 1980s. Leg warmers were
originally worn by dancers to keep
their muscles from cramping after
stretching, but in the early 1980s
they became fashionable
for teenage girls to wear.
Rob: OK, let's move on and recap on some
of the vocabulary we've mentioned today.
Starting with fashion victim - that's
someone who always wears what's
thought to be fashionable, even
if it doesn't actually look good on them. Like
that pair of red jeans you used to wear, Neil.
Neil: They, Rob, were on-trend - that
means 'in keeping up with the latest
fashion'. Of course wearing something
red is very eye-catching which means
attracting attention and being noticed.
Rob: Next we mentioned traction.
If something gains traction it
becomes accepted and popular.
And then we had understated. In fashion,
this describes something that does not
attract attention and
is not that impressive.
Neil: And then we discussed the word
thorny. A tree or bush with thorns is
difficult to touch and handle and similarly
a thorny issue is a subject that is difficult
to deal with and discuss.
Rob: Well, we've covered some thorny and
less thorny issues today but we know that
fashions change and maybe high-vis
fashion won't be here forever.
Neil: That's it for now but please join us
next time for 6 Minute English.
See you soon. Goodbye.
Rob: Bye bye!