Safety in somber
As the spring/summer 2024 fashion collections make their way into the shops, Stephanie Smith highlights the key looks you need to know about and the ways in which you should be wearing them.
IT ain’t what you wear, it’s the way that you wear it. Fashion for the coming spring and summer is all about understatement, refined detail and exploring how you can style up and down pieces that you might well already have in your wardrobe (quality pieces, that is, not any old fast fashion tat). Fashion is nothing if not reactive. Therefore, it is suggested that, as a response to national and global economic and political climates, with mind-boggling levels of unrest, uncertainty and danger continuing to beset lives near and far, the fashion world is seeking safety in the familiar, the low-key and the subtly luxurious, underpinned by self-sufficiency and the art of making better choices.
Discreet chic is what Vogue has been calling this move towards clean, unshowy, classic dressing. Minimalism was a watchword for many of the spring/summer 2024 catwalks of Milan, Paris, New York and London, with a focus on the understated tailored looks of the Nineties. Quiet luxury is a trend that Succession picked up and ran with, and this is blending into a Nineties revisited take, taking as its muse the New York elegance of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, the 25th anniversary of whose death comes in July. The key to achieving the Nineties New Yorker look is to start with the basics, making sure that you have a classic basic wardrobe including a trench coat, a well-cut blazer, a pair of quality jeans, a pencil skirt and a sleek trouser suit.
Black and white feature high on this year’s seasonal colour palette, unusual for spring and especially so for summer, although there are yellows from mustard to buttery, as well as soft pastel tones of pale pink, mint and chambray blue. Red is an exception, however, not just for Christmas, and adding a flash of red is a hot way to channel SS24, whether you go for a dress, a shirt, a bag or the shoes.
Speaking of accessories, Mary-Janes and ballerinas are neat daywear staples, and a bowling bag will be a useful and cool addition to your wardrobe. Here are some key trends for spring: ■ Siren red: If last year was all about Barbie pink, this is the summer of hot red, rather unusually for a shade so much associated with winter and the festive season. You can, if you wish, wear red top to toe, or (perhaps easier) simply mix a piece of bold red (a top, a dress, a bag) into your look as a flash of brightness, especially with cream, caramel and chocolate tones.
■ The white dress: From sheer and filmy to crafted and embroidered, white brings a pure and luxurious edge to summer dressing, a welcome antidote to the more usual spring pastels and brights (although still not advised as something to wear to a wedding, if you are not the bride).
■ Shorts story: Tiny shorts opened the Gucci show in Milan and were spotted at Paris on the runways of Chanel, Alexander
McQueen and Isabel Marant. An easier
way to wear shorts is to opt for a slightly longer and looser style, and a matching shirt or jacket co-ord look is an elegant way to go.
■ Everyday elevated: Classic minimalism is bringing what many see as a much-needed response to the logo-driven politics of the US. Invest (if you do not already own) in a camel cropped trench coat and midi pencil skirt, white shirt and boyfriend jeans, the perfectly fitting blazer, a striped shirt, and consider adding an expensive looking belt for a luxe finish. ■ Utility dressing: Look out for sombre grey Nineties-style tailoring (waistcoats are a must, especially worn alone). Boxy jackets and cargo pants have become a spring perennial, translating well for holidays (ideal plane wear), but try mustard yellow, inky blue and green for a change.
■ Mellow yellow: On the catwalks we saw soft, buttery, pastel hues but there is a more opulent mustard-gold shade coming through to the high street, with both John Lewis and Marks & Spencer choosing the shade to complement pleated midi dresses (special occasion must-have alert). Yellow can be hard to wear but these golden notes work for many, and you can choose a yellow skirt or trousers if you are concerned about looking washed out. Look out too for soft shades of powder blue, pale pink and cool mint to wear alone or pair perfectly with black and sand tones.
■ High waist trousers: The trouser silhouette of the season, and a real flashback to the late 1980s and early ‘90s for those who remember. This time around they have been refined and defined by Jonathan Anderson on the international catwalks, great for lengthening the look of legs (especially if you add heels).
■ Floral romance: Roses were also seen at Balmain and at Sarah Burton’s goodbye to Alexander McQueen, while Simone Rocha offered pink, long-stemmed roses within layers of tulle. Look out for floral embellishment and crafted and embroidered flowers, plus threedimensional appliqué and petal-shaped silhouettes.
■ Peplum talk: Yes, the peplum shape is back, with the idea that it accentuates the hips and makes the waist look smaller. Which it does, kind of. A cool way to wear for SS24, as seen at Alexander McQueen, is when the peplum is integrated with the top half of the outfit, gently cascading over the lower or skirt part.
■ Liquid metallics: As Paris looks forward to hosting the 2024 Olympics, we have a host of summer silver, gold and bronze metallic tones coming through, expensive-looking and working well with fluid pieces, as when Christy Turlington stunned in a liquid gold gown at Ralph Lauren and Claudia Schiffer sported chainmail at Versace.
■ Country club: Miu Miu gave a tick to the collared cotton polo shirt, styled with shorts, ruffled mini skirts and gold shift dresses. Rugby shirts are back on the fashion pitch too for SS24. Make it feel less prim by keeping hair natural and slightly messy.