7 Fashion Trends That Are Big For Winter 2019
The Autumn/Winter 2019 shows were many, many things. It was clear, 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.
There were jarring moments: the gilets jaunes protests on the Paris streets for economic justice, as designers unveiled dress codes inspired by the super-rich; the two steps forward, one step back momentum of diversity and inclusivity, and so on.
So, full disclosure, there’s no neat and easy new look (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.
AW19 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.
This is the Monster Mash... set to be a high-street smash. This is the kitsch B-movie iteration of goth.
It’s Boris Karloff in Frankenstein, appearing as prints at Prada; it’s 1960s TV shows like The Addams Family and Munsters. Think Wednesday Addams (as some designers literally did, looking at the Prada woman’s hair), and the raised boulder shoulder of Uncle Fester at Louis Vuitton.
The Look: black, of course, but with bold-coloured accents. The look has the graphic impact of vintage movie posters with a palette of lurid yellows and greens, and bright blue, red and purple. Key pieces include a black kick-hem midi dress, tops with swirling graphics or stripes and lug-sole boots.
The suit is a wardrobe classic (the seasonal appearance of Le Smoking at Saint Laurent is testament to that). It’s evergreen. In this case, literally, with SS19’s new take on the style. This is the season of Starburst suiting that runs the gamut in terms of colour and cut.
Skirts, shorts, trousers and jackets come in bold, bright shades that can pack a punch as a full look, as they were at Chanel and Gucci, or be mixed up with softer hues and dressed down with denim, as they were at Victoria Beckham and Giuliva Heritage Collection.
THE LOOK: colour – subtle and statement – with bold, bright shades, as well as pastels. Blazers are single-breasted, double-breasted, asymmetric-knot-fastened, and the lower half is either relaxed or fitted. Whatever the shape, it’s all about colour.
At his debut Louis Vuitton menswear show in June, Virgil Abloh introduced the concept of ‘accessomorphosis’: the transformation of bags and wallets into clothing. This season, everyone from Chanel to Proenza Schouler did a riff on that theme, with boxy car coats at Fendi featuring patch pockets labelled ‘Keys’, ‘Coins’ and ‘Phone’.
Proof that fourth-wave feminism can take designers down unexpected avenues, the thinking behind this trend is, presumably, if you have to multi-task, so should your clothes.
THE LOOK: patch pockets; front-loaded tool belts slung across the body; the mega-return of cargo pants in dusky hues.
Consider this SS19’s antidote to the hoodies and athleisure-wear. Fine tulle, ruffles, balloon sleeves, bubble skirts, swirls of taffeta and duchess satin, sunray pleats and personality-packed volume dresses – for Spring, everyone from Raff Simons at Calvin and Marc Jacobs to Miu Miu and Matty Bovan, made a case for the appreciation of couture dressmaking and craft skills. With its inclusive fabulousness of shape, the Valentino show received a standing ovation and marked the trend at its apotheosis.
The general rule: 50s and 60s era couture gowns reworked as shorter, less precious, more casual pieces. Wear with a pair of trainers and make this work for the every day.
THE LOOK: a devil-may-care attitude to precious, crushed cocktail sheaths; volume dresses, corsages, ostrich feathers.
From ostrich to peacock, feathers are the new fur.
We've been seeing a 90s revival in many ways over the last year, with slip dresses, satin skirts, fluffy accessories and, yes, even frosted lip shades making a come back. But we've yet to see this one 90s trope striding back down the streets, until now that is.
Back in the guise of satin pumps and flats at Erdem, giving Regency vibes and in the form of high heeled boots at Cavalli, the square toe is having a renaissance.
And if you thought square-toed shoes were a blip on the radar, you'd be wrong. The AW19 show season is currently underway, with brands like Eckhaus Latta putting square toed boots (a collaboration with UGG) on their cosiest looks.
Nostalgia is nothing new, but this throwback to early-Nineties terrestrial television is. This is Fresh Prince of Bel-Air style (no, that isn’t Ashley, with her boxy blazer, XL lapels and clashing graphics at Louis Vuitton). Think back to the word art and swirling graphics of the opening credits of Saved By The Bell and Clarissa Explains It All – but on shirts and skirts at Balenciaga and Versace.
THE LOOK: swirling terrestrial TV graphics in bold, bright shades; pastels clash with paint-stroke prints. The silhouette is top-heavy, with oversized jackets and shirts. The return of key Nineties styles: acid and light-wash denim, and the boxy blazer.
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