HIGH CAMP!
SLEEPING BAGS – probably the least likely thing to win the FROW’S approval at Paris Fashion Week. But it happened. In a word: Céline. It’s no secret that the Parisian house’s creative director, Phoebe Philo, has a sixth sense for anticipating exactly what women want and, this season, that meant sleeping bags strewn on seats at the show.
Céline’s sleeping bag moment was certainly comforting at the tail end of a long fashion month. It was also indicative of a wider fashion movement that’s gained momentum over the course of the S/S ’18 shows: High Camp, haute reinterpretations of proudly practical camping garb. Of course, in normal circumstances, it would be fair to say fashion folk aren’t the sort who would go camping out of choice or pleasure (and no, a Winnebago at Glasto or a cabin at Soho Farm House does not count as ‘camping’), but that’s not to stand in the way of a trend.
If you need one item come spring: it’s a luxe windcheater. There was one at Céline, yes ( in butter-soft white leather, it was definitely not for the woman who will go anywhere near the elements), but also
at Balenciaga, Anya Hindmarch, Fenty Puma and even those bastions of high-end hyper-femininity like Mary Katrantzou and Oscar de la Renta. You’re also going to want to put multi-pocket cargo pants and lace-up boots on your wish list.
So how do you pull it off ? Don’t go literal (nobody’s finding their way to shows with a compass just yet). Instead, take your cue from Marc Jacobs’ gloriously eclectic S/S ’18 show, which saw models walk out in bumbags, technical fabrics and functional Velcro sandals, mixed together with turbans, sequins and lairy ’60s florals.
As any seasoned camper will tell you: prep is everything. So, get ahead of the trend now. Anyone who did the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at school will have painful memories of hiking boots. Redeem them with this season’s reinterpretations from Off-white, Isabel Marant and Acne – easy to walk in and the perfect way to toughen up a pretty dress. And if you want the genuine article, Patagonia fleeces, North Face puffers and Teva sandals (with socks, naturally) have already been adopted by Gen Z-ers. This is Normcore 2.0. Sadly, there’s no sign of Kendal Mint Cake replacing canapés at fashion parties – yet.