TO STYLE
Sometime in June, I left the house to brave the mall in search of winter clothing. When I arrived at my favourite stores, the shelves were less packed than usual. No wall-to-wall campaign promos showing off the latest in winter fashion. Instead, I saw people nervously rushing about, masks on, and mostly going to the food section. I can’t help but wonder: Did the winter merchandise from other countries make it to SA before the lockdown? If not, will it be arriving on our shores at the beginning of spring, only to be sold on markdown as summer makes its way? Is spring/summer going to be launched in time? What trends are we going to see?
I recently sat on a panel with peers, and one of the topics discussed was the future of fashion. I lamented the death of dressing up, and how fashionistas were trading in their over-the-top garbs for more minimalist utility-wear that neither lived in summer nor winter. Think pairing your track pants with a smart blazer or heels, or even swopping stilettos for designer sneakers. My colleague echoed my sentiments, calling it “the death of shoes”.
Because of WFH, shoes are fast becoming the least important thing when dressing up. We now only need to worry about what we wear from the waist up – so, enter tops with details, collars and colours. The last panellist called it “peacocking returns”, basically disagreeing with what we had pointed out. Instead, she believed that we were so starved of fashion that any opportunity to dress up, people are going to grab and run with it. Picture rocking a faux-fur coat just to go buy milk or whipping out the family heirlooms you had kept at the back of the closet!
We can only guess as to where the fashion compass is going to be facing in the next month. But, masks are definitely here to stay, and gloves will also be making a comeback. Remember those dainty lace and velvet elbowlength gloves our grandparents used to wear? Whatever your stance on the future of style and trends is, I’m very relieved that I don’t have to spend hours scouring my wardrobe for something to wear for work daily. My compass definitely points to anything comfortable right now.