Prepare for a full-on 80s revival forSS17
Inspired by Ivana Trump, more is more this season as lamé, puffball sleeves and bum-skimming dresses are de rigueur, writes Meadhbh McGrath
They say it takes 30 years for a decade to come back in fashion. With new Star Wars films hitting cinemas, Stranger Things becoming the most-buzzed-about show on TV, synth-heavy music storming the charts and even a
Dynasty reboot on the way, it looks like we’re in for a full-on 80s revival — and this was nowhere more evident than on the springsummer catwalks.
The news may strike fear deep in the hearts of those who gave it gusto the first time around, as the resurgence is sure to resurrect your most grievous sartorial mistakes from that most garish era. The shoulder pads! The perms! The frosted eye shadow! And my God, the lycra…
In the 80s, there was no such thing as ‘less is more’, and after seasons upon seasons of cool minimalism, Planet Fashion has taken the plunge into Ivana Trump maximalism ((inset) — a woman once described as “the ultimate symbol of strength, glamour and worldliness”. Ahem. The US president’s first wife was named as a key influence for the season by Sarah Rutson, buyer at Net-a-Porter. She cited Hedi Slimane’s final AW16 collection for Saint Laurent as heralding a comeback: a flurry of 80s excess, with bum-skimming disco dresses, ostentatious jewels and heavy sweeps of eyeshadow. Slimane set a template for SS17, one the house’s new creative director, Anthony Vaccarello, elaborated on with liquid lamé, leather biker jackets and puffball sleeves. Shoulders were big and bold at Balenciaga, where Demna Gvasalia presented Spandex leggings and high-neck blouses secured with dazzling brooches. Isabel Marant offered high-shine mini dresses, while Topshop Unique reimagined the perm — a far more wearable iteration than Thalia Heffernan’s barnet on Dancing With the Stars. If you’re not ready to go full Working Girl, try a power suit or oversized blazer for the office with Victoria Beckham’s favourite V-cut heels. For evening, embrace the resurgence with an off-the-shoulder dress, feature sleeves or lavish ruffles.