A flick through the glossies will tell you that the fashion trend for this year is 'big'. Everything has to be on an unprecedented scale. Huge designer sunglasses, huge handbags, huge, chunky jewellery - anything, as long as it's big. I have my own personal view on this. Stick thin celebrities are living miserable lives on lettuce leaves and low calorie water. Maybe if they drown themselves in huge items in the name of fashion, they can eat a little more without having a 'fat' day?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not jealous. I like my food and I'm happy to admit it. Starving makes me grumpy and not a nice person to be around. At the same time, I have no desire to don designer sunglasses that make me look like a fly on speed or to carry a bag that would see Mary Poppins green with envy.
Even for those that are slaves to the fashion world, that think their whole persona hangs on whether or not they have the latest designer sunglasses or designer shoes, this is not an easy lifestyle to keep up. It usually belongs to those that are either fabulously wealthy or fabulously in debt for it.
Parents succumb to pressure from their children to keep up with current trends for fashion, accessories and technological gadgets when their children are very young. This is due to so much advertising being aimed at them. If you limit the amount of TV they watch, they will still bow to peer pressure and harass their parents into buying the latest must have.
However, recent studies show that children who fall prey to this culture of material competitiveness are more prone to depression and other mental health problems. They need to be encouraged to understand their value does not hinge on whether or not they have the latest electronic game, designer jeans or designer sunglasses, but on the person within.
For the older ones who have full control of their own finances and some disposable income, keeping up with latest trends can be a cripplingly expensive hobby. High street stores, despite providing good quality clothing and top fashions, are not good enough for these dedicated followers of fashion. It has to be designer - designer shoes, designer handbag, designer sunglasses.
Whether your shoes cost you 845 pounds from Manilo Blahnik or 24.99 pounds from Tesco, they are still going to be out of fashion next season. If you're wearing 150 pounds Prada designer sunglasses this summer or the 14.99 pounds Top Shop version, who can tell? Only those who are equally enslaved to the must have culture. The question is: can you afford to throw this type of money away every few months?
A growing trend among the uber fashion conscious is an arrangement of shared designer gear. Whether it be designer clothes, designer sunglasses or designer shoes, groups of young friends are clubbing together to amass a wardrobe that would make any celebrity jealous at a fraction of the cost.