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Sometimes clothes become symbolic of a certain era by looking back. Sometimes it can happen as quickly as a dash to a charity shop.
I knew we’d passed the peak of the epidemic, at least emotionally, the day I picked up my locked pants. Calling them ‘trousers’ sounds grandiose – low-rise, cropped, wide-leg gray running bottoms with a slug character. But I’ve seen hundreds (thousands?) of work that zooms in when it’s locked.
I moved, and the only way was up. I spent the summer in Bridgerton-esque dresses and little Mod minis. Everywhere I turned, people were making an effort. The season’s looks were shorter (Miu Miu did her own Instagram feed), tight (corsets), loud (highlight-bright suiting), sexier (Nancy Dojaka’s get-up) and, yes, sillier than anything on the inside. The last two years. Logo-dubbed luxury mashups and Y2K throwbacks suddenly felt like logical choices.
Imaxtree
And now we go to the next step. A new era, characterized less by hope than by worry – the protracted conflict in Ukraine, rising energy prices and inflation. Even with government intervention, this autumn/winter promises to be another jumper season. Emerging problems will filter how we interact with fashion, and not just in our fingerless gloves, but on our laptops.
Everyone is talking about it; Few are willing to share their thoughts openly. One industry insider told me: ‘Fortunately I met, I worry about talking about fashion when a lot of people struggle.’ The unspoken consensus is that a sea change is coming – we’re about to move from outdoor wear to quieter wear. After periods of in-your-face logomania, could we be on the brink of a return to prudence and hidden luxury?
Not necessarily. ‘I always try to look for the positive,’ says Ida Peterson, the Browns’ director of acquisitions. The luxury retailer has seen a ‘strong response’ to AW22 pieces that are ‘very fun and trend-led’, she says: ‘Pink, OTT glamour, Y2K and lust – everything is going on in the news with optimism, but I think it’s going to be ahead. The high-octane party wear and Barbiecore aesthetic is a welcome injection we all need, so I’m sure there will still be demand from our customers.’
Some of the AW22 sets, seen early in the war in Ukraine, had a more substantial look. Designers — even those who specialize in miniskirts easily mistake them for belts — have shown comforting, cocoon sizes. If you believe in hemline indexing (the idea that dresses are shorter in good times, longer in bad), you might recognize the sense of foreboding in Anthony Vaccarello’s latest Saint Laurent outing. Instead of the usual wet-looking latex and mini-minis, he showed off a lineup of floor-skimming dresses and skirts.
Demna Gvasalia of Balenciaga dedicated his collection to refugees and sent models on a bare snowy landscape, while in New York, Marc Jacobs’ giant ribbed jumpers took the form of protective pads. Even Gucci’s Alessandro Michele made a change of tone.
But before you start packing monogrammed Gucci caps and Fendi tights, ask yourself the crucial question: ‘Do they radiate joy?’
Fashion psychologist Shakayla Forbes-Bell says, “During Covid, more people are looking at their clothes in terms of functionality and comfort, rather than just looking good.” Great dress energy. We now know more about how clothes affect us emotionally. In tough times, people look for simple tools that can help them get a quick boost.’
That will be different for everyone. One person’s comforting navy sweater may strike another as distressing — in which case they’ll have to stick with bucket hats and cargo pants.
“While the news of increased spending may not be exciting for many, I think the post-pandemic statement will wear off,” Peterson said. We see our customers expressing positive emotions through their clothes.’
Perhaps we can cling to sources of happiness when we find them, lean into fashion to feel good, no matter the cost. The financial results of luxury brands clearly show that the sector is still growing despite inflation (the price of raw cashmere has increased by 30 percent).
People may not stop spending entirely, but most of us make at least some changes. We’re more likely to research potential purchases online and we’re more likely to show stores with specific categories in mind. Or we buy smarter by increasing the rental, resale and secondary markets.
‘Wine bags now have the same prestige and value as vintage cars,’ says Danny Dance, founder of pre-owned luxury and vintage handbag specialist The Hosta. ‘[Vintage] Instead of being seen as anything less, it has entered a crowded market.’
That’s especially true for vintage Chanel. As of 2020, the French luxury fashion house has increased the price of its mid-classic flap bag by 35%. That has increased the value of second-hand versions, to the extent that Credit Suisse and Deloitte recently described Chanel bags as better investments and inflation protections than fine art, vintage or classic cars.
Economic ups and downs have always changed fashion. In the twenties, as more women moved to cities and took jobs, they ditched restrictive styles—ergo, the flapper. In the year In 1947, when Christian Dior introduced his new look, the wasp waist and full skirt must have seemed like an unintended surplus after the Second World War fabric shortages. The political turmoil of the seventies gave birth to the punk movement. He spent eighty years with big shoulders and big hair. Grunge was a response to that excess aesthetic, and minimalism—white space, gold-stamped logos, and millennial pink—was understandably a self-soothing response to the 2008 financial crash.
When the world turns upside down, clothes can be an anchor. The legacy of the cost-of-living crisis in our closets may be more deliberate marketing. As Selfridges points out in its AW22 preview, consumers are looking for ‘brands with strong ethos and purpose’.
‘I think consumers will start to consider their purchases more,’ Peterson said. In the year During the last recession of 2008, we saw customers investing primarily in items they were most excited about, moving away from what they already had in their wardrobe – like black pumps – and buying that one special pair of heels. I couldn’t live without it. I have a feeling we’ll see a similar pattern this time around.’ Shiny shoes: just to brighten up dark days.
This article will appear in the November 2022 issue of ELLE UK.
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