又中又英｜Fashion trend

Young people change fashion trends so fast nowadays that they leave older people like me in the dust. I bought skinny jeans when they were the fashion trend. Skinny jeans are no longer fashionable among Gen Z people. They prefer baggy (loose) pants. I stopped wearing skinny jeans a few years ago. They are uncomfortable and I don’t look good in them because I have very thin legs. I now wear regular, not baggy, jeans.  The word “trend” has several meanings, but a fashion trend is the latest style of clothing, shoes, or other things that many people wear.

To leave someone in the dust used this way means to leave that person far behind because fashion is changing too quickly for them to keep up. Skinny jeans are very tight jeans. Gen Z, an American term, is short for Generation Z, which means people born between 1995 and 2012. These young Americans are called Zoomers. Their latest fashion trend is wearing long socks, often with short pants. They say only old people wear very short socks completely hidden by shoes or sneakers. A Wall Street Journal article said some Zoomers wear socks that reach halfway to the knees or even higher.

I think Zoomers are too young to know long socks were fashionable many years ago. Policemen in Hong Kong during the early colonial days wore short khaki pants and long socks. Japanese schoolgirls wear long socks as part of their uniform. I have always worn regular socks that reach a little above my ankles. Such socks go well with suits. Long socks are silly. They are also not practical during hot summers.

今时今日，年轻人的时装潮流（fashion trends）转变急速，快得令我这样年长的人望尘莫及（leave older people like me in the dust）。当紧身窄脚裤（skinny jeans）还是时装潮流（fashion trend）时，我也有买过，但紧身窄脚裤（skinny jeans）在Z世代当中已经不再流行。他们宁要松身（baggy）的裤。几年前我已不再穿紧身裤（skinny jeans）了，它们穿起来并不舒适，我也穿得不好看，因为我双腿本身就很幼。我现在会穿普通但不是松身（baggy）的裤。Trend一字有几个意思，但fashion trend就解作衣着、鞋或其他时装的最新潮流。

To leave someone in the dust在这里的意思是令那人感到大大落后，因为时装潮流变化急速，令他们总追不上。Skinny jeans就是非常紧身的牛仔裤。美国词?Gen Z是 Generation Z的简写，意指1995年至2012年出生的那代人。这些年轻美国人被称为Zoomers。他们最新的时装潮流（fashion trend）是穿长袜，通常配短裤。他们说，只有老人才会穿很短很短，短得完全藏在皮鞋或运动鞋里的袜。一篇《华尔街日报》的文章说，一些Z世代（Zoomers）的人会将袜穿到脚的一半，至膝盖甚或更高处。

我认为Z世代（Zoomers）太年轻，不会知道长袜在许多年前也曾时兴过。香港的警察在殖民时期，就是穿卡其色短裤和长袜。日本女学生也是穿长袜作为他们的校服。我总是穿一般长度的袜，稍高于脚眼的。这种袜跟西装很搭。长袜很傻。它们在炎热的夏天时也不实际。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻