TINKER TAILOR
AN ENDURING SYMBOL OF MODERNISM, PROFESSIONALISM AND POWER: DESIGNERS ARE PLAYING WITH THE ARCHETYPAL SUIT WITH RENEWED VERSATILITY
WOMENSWEAR TREND
Despite taking a hit throughout the pandemic, tailoring is seeing signs of revival: In May 2020, as Chinese cities reopened, EDITED, an online retail intelligence platform, reported a boost in sales across the category, while predicting demand for “items that can double for meetings and special occasions”.
As a result, tailoring is going through a metamorphosis; as consumers demand more from their clothes, designers are providing silhouettes to see customers through work, rest and play. Notably, cropped silhouettes are having a moment: Throughout S/S 21, WGSN recorded a 17% YOY increase in cropped topweights, seen everywhere from bolero jackets at Jacquemus to shrunken blazers at Alexander
McQueen. New and noteworthy was Peter Do, whose modular take on the blazer provided multiple silhouettes in one, allowing cropped, full length and sleeveless styling via detachable components.
Fast forward to Fall and modularity was also explored at Ambush and KIMHEKIM, who reworked the blazer with a separate waist piece, offering two silhouettes for the price of one.
Elsewhere, designers looked to a mix-and-match of style tropes. Punk met prep at
Our Legacy, whose tailoring combined moto-leathers with corduroy and boiled wool, while ul:kin of Concept Korea revived the pin-striped blazer with trench details. Comfort, of course, remained firmly on the fashion agenda; Raisa Vanessa added athleisure elements to two-piece tailoring via sporty stripes and elasticated waistbands.
Indeed, versatility resonates in moments of economic instability; mix-and-match separates defined the dress code of the Great Depression and today’s parallel economic climate sees designers evolving the tailoring category to suit changing consumer needs.