Fashion in the time of Coronavirus: Gucci has announced plans to eradicate the traditional fashion calendar.

Last week, Gucci fashion house announced they would be scaling back their fashion shows to a bi-annual event. This comes in the wake of a serious evaluation from couture houses to re-evaluate the traditional system for fashion shows, seasons, and openings for new collections.

In a statement to Gucci’s 40.5 million followers, designer Alessandro Michele took to Instagram to explain how he plans to ”abandon the worn-out ritual of seasonality’s and shows to regain a new cadence, closer to expressive call.”

Ever since the pandemic forced fashion weeks across the globe to pause, fashion houses have been placed under increasing pressure to change the way fashion companies big and small approach to the traditional system. With the news that Gucci has announced a serious re-evaluation of how they are planning on moving forward, it will force other couture houses to think similarly with now added pressure.

French fashion house Saint Laurent has also recently announced their plans to skip Paris Fashion Week this coming September and to alter its schedule to accommodate easier and safer ways for showcasing new collections for the rest of the year.

Since Gucci’s announcement, a forum lead by Belgian designer Dries Van Noten has made suggestions to completely reinvent the fashion system, prompting questions at who will speak up next. LVMH, who own luxury companies such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, and Celine are yet to comment on these new ideas but no doubt, they will be forced to re-think the fashion calendar for the foreseeable future to accommodate to government guidelines worldwide during this time of uncertainty.

Words by Grace Dembowicz

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post Gucci Leaves Behind the Traditional Fashion Calendar as It Sends Farewells to Fashion Weeks appeared first on Voir Fashion.

With another season of fashion weeks drawing to a close, and despite the somewhat sombre mood that swept the fashion capitals from New York to Paris, the Autumn/Winter 2020 catwalks offered plenty of food for thought on how to get dressed come next autumn, with a wealth of trends unfolding fresh off the runway.

Leather

Leather is a winter wardrobe mainstay season after season, but a plethora of AW20 collections explored new styles and silhouettes. Coach offered a lesson is layering leather, with colour-blocked leather culottes, midi-skirts and button-down shirts worn under pastel cardigans, oversized trench coats and shearling jackets. Hermès horse-jumping-inspired show featured supple leather ensembles in buttery shades, while Gabriela Hearst’s foray into leather came in the form of a caramel-coloured puff-sleeve leather dress.

Fringing

Fringing appeared in generous measures on the catwalks at all four fashion weeks but was particularly prevalent in Milan, where pleats were chopped up into fringe at Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo coated black dresses with golden trimmings, while Boss and Jil Sander sent iterations of silk-fringed evening dresses down their respective runways. At Bottega Veneta, Daniel Lee – arguably the most celebrated designer in the industry today – unveiled myriad shredded designs, with dresses finished with acidic lime green tassels and an updated take on the brand’s coveted woven pouch bag featuring exaggerated fringe.

Capes

The outerwear option du jour, billowing capes were ubiquitous across the four cities, with generously-cut shapes bringing a sense of sartorial drama to the catwalks. Michael Kors championed blanket dressing with an abundance of cashgora cape coats served up in cosy fabrics and warming winter colour palettes, while at JW Anderson knitted capes and layers of tinsel-trimming belled out from the shoulders of dresses.

Checks

The collective infatuation among designers for checks was unfading this season, manifesting itself in abundant iterations of tartan, gingham and heritage checks. In New York, Claudia Li’s translucent vinyl pleated-midi and blazer combination came in punchy pink gingham, while Monse dipped into mismatched tartan with skirts secured by safety pins and worn with punkish lace-up boots. Across the Atlantic at London Fashion Week, Burberry returned to its roots with remixed heritage checks in innovative cuts, and Shrimps gave the print a regal touch in a potent orange, pink and green colourway.

Chocolate Brown

Brown is the new black – at least according to the AW20 runways. Chocolatey shades are solidifying their place in the sartorial stratosphere, firmly entrenching their place in the palette of neutrals that have dominated the catwalks and streets for the past few seasons. Chocolate-coloured outerwear seems to be emerging as an autumn/winter wardrobe essential, tackled with aplomb at Victoria Beckham and Emilia Wickstead, while A.W.A.K.E Mode offered a quilted velvet version with an exaggerated collar. At Jil Sander, a bell-sleeved leather shirt with matching pants was rendered head-to-toe in the shade, while Christopher Kane swathed a pleated bra-dress from the chest down in the sweet hue.

Equestrian Trappings

An affluent array of designers paid homage to equestrian style and turning out bourgeois tailoring this season, with Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski’s show for Hermès plunging into the brand’s heritage for a show centred entirely around the sport. Elsewhere, Hedi Slimane continued his three-season-running ode to the ‘70s bourgeois French girl at Celine, in the form of equestrian-style knee-high boots, horse-bit belts and gold-chain accessories, this time injected with a bohemian edge, meanwhile Shrimps’ regal-inspired show was populated with tartan Victorian jackets worn with riding pants and silk foulards.

Gothic Glam

A certain darkness hung over the collections at Valentino – where floods of black replaced last season’s explosions of colour – and Anna Sui – whose horror film-inspired collection gave way to burnout velvet and vampire-esque leather – as if to reflect the sombre shadow over fashion week of the Coronavirus crisis and the ongoing conversation around fashion’s negative impact on the environment. Showgoers at Paco Rabanne witnessed a procession of decadent embellishment, ornate tapestry dresses and a play on dress as armour in the form of chain-mail dresses in a collection that explored medieval dress codes. At Rodarte, gothic glam met romanticism in eerily beautiful silhouettes that married dark energy with delicate details from puff sleeves and tiered ruffles to floral-print silks and embroidery.

Iridescence

The runways were equally awash iridescence and sparkling ensembles to lift the winter mood and see us through the party season. Rejina Pyo gave high-sheen glamour an office-attire twist, pairing a pearly puff-shouldered blouse with a sleek wool midi-skirt and knee-high boots. Others presented an inundation of red carpet-appropriate attire and party-ready bedazzled ball gowns – Julien Dossena reinterpreted Paco Rabanne’s signature chain-mail silhouette with a thread of fantastical glamour; Erdem injected a dose of 1920s glam into a silver dress decorated with tiered embroidery; and Halpern wrapped models in shimmering metallics with statement sleeves.

Words by Ruby McAuliffe

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post AW20 Trend Analysis appeared first on Voir Fashion.

What will we be wearing in Spring/Summer 2020, according to the runways? The mood of the season reflected an influential shift in a fashion industry that has long been based on a one-in, one-out cycle of trends to one that’s beginning to take responsibility for its detrimental environmental impact. In turn, a renewed focus on carefully crafted garments swept the catwalks, where streamlined sartorial messages overpowered the constant need for newness generated each season. In spite of the somewhat sombre mood that swept both the runways and streets as the weight of the global climate crisis fell onto the fashion industry, there was no shortage of uplifting creativity, with plenty of out-there trends, OTT moments and an abundance of colour offering a wearable manifestation of hope for brighter days to come.

Rainbow Leather

An all-time fall favourite, the Autumn/Winter 2019 catwalks saw an abundance of the finest sweet leather in autumnal shades of olive, tan and burgundy. For Spring/Summer 2020, the leather trend has taken a colourful turn, with injections of colour offering a cheerful yet infinitely chic antidote to sombre autumnal hues – from vibrant orange and sugary pastel blue at Bottega Veneta to buttery yellow at Emilia Wickstead and supple lavender at Louis Vuitton.

Head-to-Toe White

The tonal dressing phenomenon, aka drenching yourself HTT in varying hues of a single colour, has been gaining momentum over the past few seasons, but this season there’s a particular monochrome look en vogue: white. All-over white suiting is SS20’s key to effortless chic. Look to Alexander McQueen for luxurious lace ensembles, or Tory Burch for boxy power-suiting. And for the perfect all-white outfit anatomy: white wide-leg trousers, a clean-cut oversized blazer, glossy white ankle boots and a fedora hat.

Short Shorts

Plenty of designers made a case for hot pants this season, with a plethora of leather, satin and denim iterations of the shortest shorts gracing the catwalks. Barely-there shorts were almost ubiquitous at Chanel, featuring short silhouettes in metallics, boucle and black silk partnered with gold chain belts. Isabel Marant unveiled a number of frayed denim shorts in varying washed out shades, while Brandon Maxwell’s tiny, so tiny they were basically underwear, hot pants oozed sex appeal.

60s Psychedelics

AW19 was dominated by a 70s nostalgia, with tweed, equestrian-style boots and gold-chained accessories all seeing a revival. Now we’re heading back a decade further to the swinging 60s, with a renaissance of free-spirited silhouettes, saturated colour palettes and bold, graphic prints. Florals for spring may not be ground-breaking, but this season they’ve taken a psychedelic turn – see Louis Vuitton, Christopher Kane and Fendi. Look to cult brand Rixo, whose care-free, Woodstock-inspired SS20 show offered a collection of paisley prints and vintage-inspired florals.

Tangerine Orange

Taking the crown from AW19’s egg-yolk yellow, tangerine orange is the statement colour for SS20. From decadent ballgowns at Valentino to silky elegant day dresses at Stella McCartney, the abundance of orange on the catwalks symbolises a sartorial manifestation of warmth, with the citrus shade evoking connotations of creativity, joy and success.

Go Green

Designers from Dior and Dolce & Gabanna to Versace and Marni presented a visual reminder of the need to respect nature, in the form of tropical prints inspired by jungles, forests and exotic flowers that paid homage to the transcendent beauty of nature and the wilderness. But beyond the surface-level approach to going green, the best collections sartorially participated in the conversation around climate change and the future of the fashion industry. Alexander McQueen was just one of the brands to upcycle materials for its show, with creative director Sarah Burton upcycling fabric from old collections designed by both herself and Lee McQueen, while as ever sustainability was at the heart of Stella McCartney’s collection.

Crotchet

Plan ahead for your 2020 festival looks, taking inspiration from the runways where crotchet was plentiful in the form of vacation-ready maxi dresses and fringed capes partnered with western- style boots. Salvatore Ferragamo’s forest green mini dress, paired with barely-there sandals, screamed summer beach-day, while Ulla Johnson offered a festival-worthy coral-pink sleeveless blouse.

What Trends?

To claim that the SS20 runways were trendless at the end of a list of trends would quite obviously be entirely contradictory, but there were nonetheless a number of shows for which that can be said, at least to some extent. As brands attempt to juggle the ‘less is more’ mentality as an antidote to excess, designers such as Celine, Prada and Bottega Veneta unveiled more stripped back, streamlined collections, offering a showcase of silhouettes that lend themselves to reinterpretation season after season.

Words by Ruby McAuliffe

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post SS20 Trend Analysis appeared first on Voir Fashion.

An overwhelming divide between two camps swept the Autumn/Winter 19 runways earlier this year, with many of the collections that graced the catwalks falling firmly into one of two sartorial categories: minimalism and maximalism.

For the minimalists, Tory Burch and Céline unveiled a plethora of back-to-basic bourgeois essentials, Alexander Wang featured understated supple leather, while neutral hues dominated at Victoria Beckham and The Row. At the other end of the spectrum, volume, drama, rich colours and embellishment – in other words, a maximalist’s dream – reigned supreme, with no shortage of seasonal sparkle. With December fast approaching and party season on the horizon, look to the runways for the key ingredients to scoring the perfect festive party look – warning, you’ll be spoilt for choice.

High on glamour, the holiday season is as good an excuse as any to load up on sparkle. With the season’s mantra that ‘more is more’, nothing is too extra when it comes to the party pieces to get you noticed. Imitate the high-shine styles found on the AW19 catwalks, with options abound for glittering looks that’ll slide effortlessly into your party season wardrobe. Seek blinding seasonal sparkle at Michael Kors, where matching feather boas offered the perfect accoutrement to plunging purple halter-necks and royal azure cut-out glitter dresses. Make a festive statement in a black and silver sequin mini dress with a giant outlandish bow, as donned by Kaia Gerber on the Saint Laurent runway. Or, if you’re looking for something a little less OTT, pair a silk shirt with high-waisted sequin trousers that’ll work hard to uplift a winter soirée, as seen at Paco Rabanne, or an all-over glitter blouse with ombre flares and chunky silver heels as demonstrated by Halpern. A little black dress is a fail-safe number for the office Christmas do – add a layer of edge and swathe yourself in sequins with a glittering black blazer dress inspired by Saint Laurent.

Catch the light in disco metallics, which held sway at Altuzurra in the form of a golden pleated tier dress. At Gucci, shimmering leopard print midi skirts were paired with lace blouses and emerald green mermaid pleats took form in a balloon-sleeve blouse worn with opulent lace red tights. Speaking of which, tights are the accessory du jour. From fishnets to polka dots and diamantée embellishment, a pair of tights adds the perfect finishing touch to a luxurious party look.

Have a penchant for roaring 20s Gatsby glam? A jewel-encrusted mini dress serves as the perfect +1 to accompany you to an upcoming Christmas party – add diamond tassel earrings for an extra dose of glamour as seen as Paco Rabanne, or black studded accessories at Balmain for a flapper-meets-90s grunge look. Take inspiration from Michael Kors and go tonal with a copper fringe dress, matching heels and a (faux) fur coat for that extra layer of warmth – the perfect pick-me-up for dark winter nights. Black-tie occasion? Plunge into luxurious plumage inspired by Marc Jacobs’ decadent ball gowns. Feather trimmings were equally plentiful, with feather-lined shoes worn with sparkling hot pants and a fur shawl at Saint Laurent, and a feather-hemmed black blazer dress unveiled at Balmain. Alternatively, opt for an evening tuxedo as the go-to alternative to a dress – but not without a dose of opulence in the form of rich, jewel-toned puff sleeves as seen at Alexander McQueen.

For the minimalists, there’s still plenty of inspiration to be had, with an abundance of classic all-black silhouettes to imitate. Whether you’re looking for a glittering ensemble, disco brights or luxe textures, there’s no shortage of options to help you solve your festive party outfit conundrum.

Words by Ruby McAuliffe

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post ‘Tis The Season: AW19 Party Outfit Inspiration appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Hedi Slimane’s AW19 runway at Celine unveiled a collection that transcended the lines between the controversial ‘new Celine’ signalled by Phoebe Philo’s successor, and ‘old Celine’, embodied by an archetypal French bourgeois dressing.

There is only one thing I seem to want to buy this season. The pieces I’m drawn to in shops, the pieces that stand out to me in magazines, the pieces I’m inclined to compliment at the office, all seem to have one thing in common: checks.

My current eye for checked attire undoubtedly traces back to earlier this year, to March 1st to be precise, when Hedi Slimane’s AW19 runway at Celine unveiled a collection that transcended the lines between the controversial ‘new Celine’ signalled by Phoebe Philo’s successor, and ‘old Celine’, embodied by an archetypal French bourgeois dressing.

An overwhelming feeling of ‘too much fashion’ swept the recent SS20 runways in New York London, Paris and Milan, the pressing issue of sustainability and the questions arising linked to fashion’s detrimental ecological impact giving rise to a wave of streamlined collections of non-trends and versatile wardrobe staples. Slimane’s return to Celine’s non-fashion origins back in spring seemed to be in some ways a reflection of this same message, at once an homage to the quintessential French bourgeois woman’s wardrobe and an appreciation of timeless staple pieces embedded with a glamorous yet wonderfully wearable allure. And no less than 18 of the looks that graced the runway featured some form of tweed or check-patterned clothing, the majority of them essentially a slightly differentiated take on a singular uniform built upon a foundation of a country-check pleated midi skirt, accessorised with printed silk foulards, glossy knee-high boots and horse-bit belts.

The beauty of trends and prints from previous decades making a comeback is that you don’t need to buy or consume anything new to wear them. You’ll find a plethora of checked blazers and skirts in charity shops and vintage stores

The seventies Parisian bourgeois-meets-British countryside aesthetic renaissance headed by Celine also swept the AW19 catwalks at Tory Burch, Chloé and Max Mara. Its ubiquity on the runways and consequent pervasion into high street stores arguably makes checked clothing a trend, but its pulling power lies in its nostalgic history – an ode to a time before trends became the swift one-in, one-out cycle that they are today, – as a timeless classic that works season after season. It slides perfectly into the broader 70s revival alongside conventional country-inspired accessories among the likes of equestrian-style boots and belts, vintage-luxe-inspired gold chain jewellery and classic tailoring.

The beauty of trends and prints from previous decades making a comeback is that you don’t need to buy or consume anything new to wear them. You’ll find a plethora of checked blazers and skirts in charity shops and vintage stores – my work colleague found a £6 vintage St Michael’s (Marks and Spencer’s old clothing brand) tweed blazer that I’m insanely jealous of in a charity shop, while I invested in a second-hand Miu Miu checked A-line skirt in a resale store in Paris.

Some of the trends we see on the runways can seem too unwearable, too niche or too out of reach for the everyday, but checks are an ode to the quotidien, the perfect source of office-dressing inspiration. A checked overcoat or blazer with gold toggle hardware is the perfect subtle yet trendy addition to a monochrome office ensemble, paired with polished pearls and loafers that look as if they’ve been plucked from a Parisian boutique. A tweed skirt with an over-the-knee hemline works wonders with a satin blouse, silk scarf and a pair of mid-heels. Warm and neutral colour palettes, dominated by brown and beige hues, mean they fit effortlessly into winter- and workwear-wardrobes that, even if they seem to be having a particular moment right now, never tire year after year.

Words by Ruby McAuliffe

Graphics by Katie Janes

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