Skip to content
Storgy

The Annotated Edition

FASHIONS by Alfred Noyes

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

Read aloud in ~3 minOpen reading mode →

Alfred Noyes penned "Fashions" as a witty, biting, and passionate critique of the early twentieth century's tendency to discard anything old simply for being outdated.

Poet
Alfred Noyes
Era
Modernist (1922)
Themes
art, faith, identity
The PoemFull text

FASHIONS

Alfred Noyes, 1922

Fashion on fashion on fashion, (With only the truth growing old!) And here's the new purple of passion, (And love waiting out in the cold) Who'll buy? They are crying new lamps for Aladdin, New worlds for the old and the true; And no one remembers the story _The magic was not in the new._ They are crying a new rose for Eden, A rose of green glass. I suppose The only thing wrong with their rose is The fact that it isn't a rose. Who'll buy? And here is a song without metre; And, here again, nothing is wrong; (For nothing on earth could be neater) Except that--it isn't a song. Well. Walk on your hands. It's the latest! And feet are Victorian now; And even our best and our greatest Before that dread epithet bow. Who'll buy? The furniture goes for a song, now. The sixties had horrible taste. But the trouble is this--they've included Some better things, too, in their haste. Were they wrapped in the antimacassars, Or sunk in a sofa of plush? Did an Angelican bishop forget them, And leave them behind in the crush? Who'll buy? Here's a turnex. It's going quite cheaply. (It lived with stuffed birds in the hall! And, of course, to a mind that thinks deeply That settles it, once and for all.) Here's _item_, a ring (very plain, sirs!), And _item_, a God (but He's dead!); They say we shall need Him again, sirs, So--_item_, a cross for His head. Who'll buy? Yes, you'll need it again, though He's dead, sirs. It is only the fashions that fly. So here are the thorns for His head, sirs. They'll keep till you need 'em. Who'll buy?

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

Alfred Noyes penned "Fashions" as a witty, biting, and passionate critique of the early twentieth century's tendency to discard anything old simply for being outdated. The poem portrays a street hawker peddling forgotten treasures — even God himself — to illustrate the risks of embracing thoughtless novelty. By the end, the humor shifts to a somber tone: the items being sold off at bargain prices are precisely those that humanity will come to desperately need once more.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Fashion on fashion on fashion, / (With only the truth growing old!)

    Editor's note

    Noyes begins with a rhythmic repetition of the word 'fashion' to reflect the ceaseless cycle of trends. The parenthetical delivers the poem's first jolt: as everything trendy gets renewed, the truth remains neglected, left to age and wither away.

  2. They are crying new lamps for Aladdin, / New worlds for the old and the true;

    Editor's note

    This references the villain's scheme in *Aladdin* — exchanging a magic lamp for a shiny new one. Noyes suggests that today's culture is making that same foolish trade, choosing flashy items over things of real value. The twist is in the italicized line: the true magic was never about being new.

  3. They are crying a new rose for Eden, / A rose of green glass.

    Editor's note

    A glass rose resembles a real rose, yet it lacks everything that defines an actual rose—no fragrance, no vitality, no ability to grow. Noyes connects this idea to modernist art and culture: facsimiles of beauty that miss the very essence of what they seek to replicate. The dry humor in the line 'I suppose / The only thing wrong with their rose is / The fact that it isn't a rose' is both intentionally funny and profoundly impactful.

  4. And here is a song without metre; / And, here again, nothing is wrong;

    Editor's note

    A straightforward critique of free verse and experimental poetry. Noyes, a staunch formalist, contends that a poem lacking meter and musicality isn't a new genre; it just isn't a song. The polite "nothing is wrong" quickly followed by "Except that — it isn't a song" drips with sarcasm.

  5. Well. Walk on your hands. It's the latest! / And feet are Victorian now;

    Editor's note

    Noyes highlights the absurdity in fashion logic: if something is labeled 'Victorian,' people will reject it regardless of its usefulness or truth. By the early twentieth century, 'Victorian' had turned into a cultural insult, and Noyes humorously critiques how that single label could lead people to disregard entire traditions.

  6. The furniture goes for a song, now. / The sixties had horrible taste.

    Editor's note

    The poem transitions into a straightforward auction of Victorian household items. Noyes acknowledges that some pieces, like the antimacassars and stuffed birds, are indeed unattractive. However, he argues that in the frenzy to get rid of everything, people are also throwing away items that have real value. The swift nature of fashion doesn't differentiate between what’s truly good and what isn’t.

  7. Were they wrapped in the antimacassars, / Or sunk in a sofa of plush?

    Editor's note

    These lines question where the truly valuable items disappeared during the clearout. The antimacassar, which is a cloth draped over chair backs, and the plush sofa serve as humorous symbols of Victorian excess. This suggests that the good stuff was mixed in with the kitsch and sold off without anyone realizing.

  8. Here's a turnex. It's going quite cheaply. / (It lived with stuffed birds in the hall!

    Editor's note

    The 'turnex' is a made-up object that intentionally sounds obscure — the humor lies in how its association with stuffed birds is presented as a valid argument against it. Noyes is poking fun at modernist critics who rejected things not based on their own qualities but rather due to the company they were associated with.

  9. Here's _item_, a ring (very plain, sirs!) / And _item_, a God (but He's dead!);

    Editor's note

    The poem hits its peak. God appears in the auction inventory next to a simple ring, reduced to just another line item. The phrase 'but He's dead' resonates with Nietzsche's well-known statement, which was widely discussed during Noyes's time. The casual tone of the auctioneer amplifies the shock of the moment far more than any serious approach could.

  10. Yes, you'll need it again, though He's dead, sirs. / It is only the fashions that fly.

    Editor's note

    The final stanza shifts away from comedy and delivers its message directly. Noyes warns that the spiritual and moral foundations being sold off will eventually be needed once more — and that the thorns from the crucifixion, tucked away, will still be there. The poem's main idea is encapsulated in the line, 'It is only the fashions that fly': trends may come and go, but what gets thrown away as outdated is enduring.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is sardonic and combative, much like a street hawker shouting out his goods. Noyes maintains a light and comic feel for most of the poem — the repeated 'Who'll buy?' has a lively, music-hall vibe — but this humor serves as a channel for real anger. By the final stanza, the facade fades, and the poem transforms into a straightforward, almost prophetic warning. It reflects the voice of someone who sees the situation as both absurd and genuinely concerning.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The glass rose
A prime example of modernist imitation: it resembles beauty but lacks any of its vibrant qualities. It signifies a cultural product that mimics the style of a tradition while ignoring the essence that gives that style its significance.
New lamps for old (the Aladdin reference)
Inspired by the *Arabian Nights*, where a villain deceives someone into swapping a magic lamp for an ordinary one. In this context, it illustrates the cultural trickery that leads to the exchange of truly significant traditions for trendy fads.
The auction / 'Who'll buy?'
The entire poem unfolds like a street auction of forgotten Victorian items. This auction setup allows Noyes to approach both sacred and mundane objects with the same nonchalant attitude, which is precisely his message: fashion turns everything into something easily tossed aside.
The thorns
The crown of thorns from the crucifixion, tucked away at the end of the poem, symbolizes the Christian moral and spiritual framework that Noyes sees as being cast aside as outdated. He predicts that this framework will be necessary once more in the future.
The song without metre
A clear symbol for experimental or free-verse poetry. For Noyes, meter isn't just decoration; it's what defines a song. Without it, what you have may look like a poem, but it isn't one.
The Victorian label
Used in the poem as a cultural death sentence — once something is labeled Victorian, there's no need for further debate to dismiss it. It represents how fashion relies on historical associations instead of genuine critical evaluation.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Alfred Noyes wrote during a time of significant cultural change in Britain. The early twentieth century marked the emergence of modernism in poetry, with figures like Eliot and Pound breaking away from traditional forms, alongside a broader societal backlash against the Victorian era. Noyes, a staunch traditionalist in both his faith—having converted to Roman Catholicism in 1927—and his poetic style, increasingly felt out of sync with the literary mainstream. "Fashions" serves as his direct response to this environment: the idea that "God is dead," a reference influenced by Nietzsche, was widely discussed, the rejection of Victorian taste was trendy, and free verse was being touted as the sole authentic modern form. Noyes perceived all of this as part of a larger trend—the confusion of novelty with true progress—and this poem presents his satirical argument against that notion.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

It satirizes the early twentieth-century tendency to throw away various things—artistic traditions, moral values, religious beliefs—just because they were linked to the Victorian era or deemed outdated. Noyes employs the imagery of a street auction to illustrate the casual and reckless manner in which this is happening.

Read next

Poems in the same key

Similar poems

ODE ON A GRECIAN URN. — John KeatsArs Poetica — Archibald MacLeishOZYMANDIAS. — Percy Bysshe ShelleyTO A SKYLARK. — Percy Bysshe Shelley

More by Alfred Noyes

Browse all Alfred Noyes poems →

Themes in this poem

Poems about artPoems about faithPoems about identityPoems about time