Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts fashion trends for spring 2014

Since 1792, The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been a font of practical wisdom. From weather predictions and animal husbandry timetables to crop calendars and astronomical events, the fact-filled annual contains just about any information a farmer might need.

And though it’s the longest continuously published periodical in U.S.history, the almanac certainly hasn’t spent the last eleven-score years resting on its laurels. Over the decades, it has ably kept pace with the march of time, supplementing its agriculture coverage with recipes, jokes and puzzles, sports, and astrology features.

There’s something for everyone, to be sure—even the glittering fashionistas who spend more time on the runways of New York and Paris than the cornfields of Iowa and Kansas.

Take, for example, The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s 2014 fashion predictions for ladies:

• Matching denim, head-to-toe
• Bright-colour flats that are part shoe, part boot
• Tent dresses
• Prints depicting mountains and forests
• Bright colors and complex, often clashing, print patterns
• Knapsacks that match clothing

And for men:

• Black leather pullover shirts
• Cashmere “luxury pants”
• Shirts with sleeves in contrasting colours
• Galoshes in bright colours
• Slim-fitting safari jackets

Of course, it’s not just about the clothes themselves, as the almanac is quick to point out. The modern consumer, we are told, is no longer bound to the old modes of shopping, and 2014 will reflect that across the board.

Those who still like to browse through brick-and-mortar stores will be “shopping for clothing in boutiques located in repurposed bank vaults”, and the more industrious can look forward to “taking online classes to make a copy of favorite jeans at home”.

It’s a brave new world, to be sure, but will it come to pass?

Considering that the almanac’s weather forecasts are said to be 80 percent accurate, it might not be a bad time to invest in some denim.