Let’s see our favourite trends for 2020!
The Autumn/Winter shows were many, many things. From the disparate array of colours, and references that spanned decades of literature, previous sartorial eras and genres, it was clear that fashion designers hadn’t spent the last six months simply fluffing the drapes.
The cacophony of new – and, we’ll admit, sometimes confusing – trends seemed to mirror the chaos of the daily news. Old and new powers coexisting as stiff, awkward bedfellows.
In 2019, we experienced a range of jarring moments on the world’s main stage: the gilets jaunes protests on the Paris streets for economic justice, Extinction Rebellion marched for climate rights, Tristan Thompson got caught kissing Jordan Woods, the British Conservatives came back to power and Trump was impeached. And as we head into 2020, no more settled politically, socially and culturally, fashion has taken advantage of the disunity.
Designers unveiled dress codes inspired by the super-rich (see feathers and silk), simultaneously to militant groups (see combat boots and khaki).
So, full disclosure, there’s no neat and easy new look as we head into the new year (although the super brands did agree that their obsession with courting Gens Y and Z with sportswear and trainers is now over). So put down your Balenciaga dad sneakers forthwith.
NYE is instead a kind of pivot point. Diversity of all kinds (opinion, thought, aesthetic) is on the rise in fashion as well as in zeitgeist. The shows were simply recognition of the fact that there are many different forms of power and ways to design for them.
My first blog 