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My friendship with Preetma Singh, market director at Nylon magazine, began the way many modern romances do: with an internet search. I’d seen Preetma (and her outrageously cool dyed-green hairdo) at a BCBG fashion show in New York two years ago, and upon returning to Toronto, looked her up to see what she was all about. A quick search of “green hair street style” yielded an abundance of photos of her outside various runway venues, as well as her name and Twitter handle. I started following her, and the rest was history.

If I were to complete that same Google search today, the image results would reveal not only Preetma’s pictures, but those of many other greenhaired fashion spectators as well. What does she make of the fact that her three-year-old signature ‘do has practically become de rigueur on the style scene?

“Copying isn’t a good thing, no matter how much you love something. I’d rather they take the green as a starting-off point instead of copying the shade and the cut.”

You could argue that being ahead of a trend is a sartorial coup, yet for those who’ve had their looks go viral, it’s more like a losing battle.

I recently experienced the sinking feeling when my particular style preference – mixed prints and loud accessories – was touted as the next big thing. As I sorted through the array of runway offerings this past spring, it quickly became obvious: The riotous pattern play, tons of texture and the announcement of brooches as the “it” accessory all closely align with the contents of my largely vintage wardrobe.

Gucci, Miu Miu, Pilotto

Miu Miu’s collection was a fusion of glossy, bright colours mixed with nana-worthy knits and prim, almost dowdy silhouettes (accessorized with magpie-attracting costume jewels). At Peter Pilotto, a profusion of folky embroidered prints gave life to strict pencil skirts and slim sweaters. And at Gucci, the loud outerwear and hodge-podge styling spoke to me deeply. I have long defined this look – my look – as “psychedelic fifties housewife,” and there it was, being flaunted by the world’s top designers. Of course, I don’t own the copyright on mixed prints, and Preetma certainly isn’t the first fashion maven to dye her hair. Still, when the thing that defines you is adopted by others, some little – or not so little – part of yourself feels erased.

Oddly enough, that’s especially true when others adopt your look in a fleeting way. For instance, in New York earlier this month, at the post-runway event celebrating the Alexander Wang line’s 10th anniversary, a party-goer was photographed showing off her new green hair. She posted the picture on Instagram, and a friend commented, expressing concern about how long the dye job would last. The partygoer’s response: “had to copy my hero #preetmasingh but dont worry its temporary!”

Green tresses, which until that moment had been an expression of Preetma’s character, were suddenly an overnight fad. Where does that leave Preetma come spring, as the trend passes? If she sticks to her signature ‘do, will she look like she’s late to the game?

Katy Perry, Kylie Jenner, Alexis Mabille

For Preetma, who is drummer in a grunge band called Vomitface, having green hair is one way of disassociating herself from other, more homogenous fashion editors, buyers and bloggers in New York. As for me, my wardrobe is an extension of my desire to make people smile as much as possible. From quirky to crazy, I’ve heard my look summed up in many ways, from complimentary to crushingly rude. Now I also hear from friends, “Oh my god, I saw a girl on the subway and thought it was you!”

Three years ago, this would have struck me as an outrageous claim, but now it’s a real conundrum. Do I revamp my look? Take it one step further into ultra-eclecticism? How do I reshape the perimeters of something that’s already taken me 10-plus years to cultivate?

I suppose I could just roll with it. As a fashion editor, I know as well as anyone that trends are a necessary evil. Fashion is nothing without them, and the spate of recent articles claiming that “trend” is dead are just plain wrong. Trends are how design is communicated and made democratically available. If peasant skirts float down the runway but don’t make it into a chain retailer near you, what’s the point of their existence?

"When Katy Perry dyed her hair green, I died a little inside"
- Preetma Singh

Sometimes, trends trickle upward. For instance, when normcore stormed onto the fashion stage as the most bizarre style “trend” of all time, people laughed that their high-waisted jeans and banana hair clips were suddenly considered ultra cool. In contrast, when Adidas’s Stan Smith sneakers became the ubiquitous footwear of fashion week, folks who had been wearing them for years were suddenly cast as bandwagoners. After all, there’s really no way to say “I’ve worn these all along!” as you tread past a sea of photographers en route to a runway presentation.

For film and television wardrobe buyer Jill Sheard, seeing her signature pairing of late sixties and seventies pieces with ninetiesinfluenced garments on the Gucci and Saint Laurent runways last year made her laugh about being a “hot trend in the market, especially in fast fashion.” The experience has motivated her to push her style forward – or, as she puts it, “pursue my craving for vintage and finding ways to wear those items in an updated, modern way.”

Preetma, on the other hand, had a more visceral reaction when green hair started appearing on the heads of so many others – including one particular pop star’s. “Luckily green is a pretty weird colour, so it’s not as ubiquitous as, say, pink. But when Katy Perry dyed her hair green, I died a little inside.”

But Preetma has since had time to reflect on her tonsorial options. Now, when asked if she’s considering another shade, she says, “The thought has crossed my mind, but I went green because I genuinely like how it makes me feel and look. I’m not going to change myself just for the sake of changing.”

There’s a potential silver lining to this story, for me at least. Following the New York Fashion Week spring 2016 shows, I can already see surferinspired, sporty looks on tap for next year. Fashion’s pendulum has swung, and has spoken for yet another season. While this means I will look horrifically outdated to anyone following fashion for a little while, I know that, come April, my friends will once again be able to easily spot me in any crowd.