SALTBURN: A LOVE LETTER TO THE FASHION OF 2006
Is 2006 fashion making a comeback? *mild spoilers*
If you’ve watched Saltburn (and, if you haven't, seriously, where have you been? What have you been doing?) then you know that the styling certainly isn’t the first thing you take away after watching it.
But after gravestones, Jacob Elordi’s dirty bath water, and the banger that is Sophia Ellis-Bextors Murder on the Dancefloor then, just maybe, you will find yourself questioning if the fashion of 2006 is going to make an unforeseen comeback (I know for some of you this is a very scary thought).
For those who have not watched Saltburn (again, seriously, why not? I mean, is Jacob Elordi not enough to convince you? What more could you want?) who are struggling to envision the film’s wardrobe, ask yourself: What did the rich kids wear in 2006? Think classic noughties fashion but with a posh twist; better yet, google what Kate Moss wore to Glastonbury in the 2000s, and there you will find something that captures the effortlessly fashionable and indie sleaze vibe of Venetia’s (Alison Oliver) everyday outfits.
Trying to picture what Elordi’s character, Felix, wears? Think back to when the paparazzi developed an unhealthy fixation with capturing the wild and scandalous escapades of a then-teenage Prince Harry. There was always a snapshot or two of him in the papers, leaving a party or club of some sort wearing an un-tucked shirt paired with mid-wash baggy jeans and suede brogues.
Through his Prince Harry-esque outfits, Felix conjures the same posh-meets-bad boy image. However, Felix chooses to exaggerate his casual, nonchalant attitude and signify his supposed indifference to his privileged backdrop through the addition of a “rebellious” eyebrow piercing.
Look, I would be quite happy if some of these 2006 trends happened to resurface (okay, I don’t think I’m mentally stable enough for the potential revival of skinny jeans or Abercrombie & Fitch graphic tees , BUT anything else I can accept). In fact, I kind of feel like it is already starting to happen. Just the other day, I spotted someone using #2006 over on Vinted.
But what I don’t wish to come back is the attitude towards second-hand clothing that is displayed in a scene involving the film’s main character, Oliver (Barry Keoghan). As he walks the grounds of Oxford University, donning a blue Jack Wills hoodie (who remembers when these were all the rage? I thought I was the coolest person whenever I borrowed my mum’s one) Oliver attracts criticism from his wealthy classmate, who is hideously unaware of the true cost of a JW hoodie:
Annabel: I’m…. I’m sorry, Felix, but no one wants to sit next to fucking Oliver.
Felix: Why not?
Annabel: Cause he’s a scholarship boy who buys his clothes from Oxfam.
I am by no means suggesting that this sort of attitude has been erased from society. I am sure similar conversations still echo through the halls of elite institutions such as Oxford University.
BUT I like to think that when it comes to second-hand shopping, it has been largely destigmatized. I mean, how many times do you hear someone respond to the question “Where did you get that from?” with “I got it off Vinted/Depop?” I mean, seriously, nowadays it’s a rarity if someone says that they paid full price for an item of clothing.
What do you mean you paid £22 in-store for that top and not £3 plus shipping????
Thanks in huge part to the hundreds of girls who vlog their trips to the charity shops, or share their Vinted hauls over on TikTok, opinions, such as the one displayed by Annabel, seem less prevalent than they used to.
Let’s hope it stays that way, even if 2006 does have its moment again.
P.S. Yes, I am probably re-watching Saltburn as you read this.
