OPINION: Street style isn't ruled by the runway

Every morning I take my tea and toast with a side of news. Perusing what's going on in the industry, Style.com is undisputedly one of my go-to sources. What's always interesting about this time of year though, is the influx of those obligatory round-up commentaries on the year just passed. This morning, Style.com featured this montage of street style snaps:

It was accompanied by this statement from Tommy Ton:

"Hedi Slimane's Fall '13 grunge-inspired collection proved 

more influential than critics predicted. Ripped Jeans, waist-

tied plaid shirts, combat boots, overalls, and bomber jackets 

became style essentials across the globe this year."

It prompted me the question as to whether fashion, or rather trends move in a downward spiral from runway to the streets and in all honesty, I don't believe that it's the case. Granted, the industry is hugely influential on the way women and increasingly men, represent themselves but I think in this age, fashion isn't dictated by the collections that designers put down the runway; I think that a lot of the time it's the inverse.

It's a time where women have no qualms spending small fortunes on luxury items as foundational pieces for their wardrobe, but at the same time, will bid $2 on eBay for bulk fabric to make their own adornments.

Before the death of Yves Saint Laurent and Slimane's take over of the French fashion house, the whole grunge-inspired street style movement has been a thing. Only when Slimane released his Fall '13 collection do we pick on the parallels of influence between designers and everyday people, and vice versa. 

So in essence, I think Tommy Ton's statement is a little dogmatic. Whilst you could say that Saint Laurent is catering for a niche of women who don't care that 'x' is the black and who can covet their own trove of statement pieces, it's important to understand why: because that's what women have already been doing for years. The proof is on the street.