Mask-like sunglasses, cycling-enthusiast chic, or J-Lo circa 2003 – which will you pledge your allegiance to next season?
As quickly as they came around, another season of fashion shows has ended. What a season! Debuts from Riccardo Tisci and Hedi Slimane and more trends than you could possibly digest before the next lot comes around. Luckily for you, we kept an eagle eye on all the happenings on the runway so we could let you know in great detail (probably too much) what you’ll all be wearing in Spring. OK, maybe you won’t all be... From cow prints to beekeeper hats and cycling shorts to gigantic bags, here are all the trends you should pay attention to from the SS19 womenswear shows.
DO HAVE A COW, MAN
A wise person (read: RuPaul’s Drag Race queen Monique Heart) once declared “Brown cow, stunning!” in reference to what was actually a giraffe print. While there was no giraffe on the catwalk this season, there was a whiff or two of stunning brown cow print at both Burberry and Richard Quinn. For Quinn, this was a nipped-waist coat comprised of patchworked zebra, tiger, leopard and aforementioned brown cow panels. For Riccardo Tisci’s Burberry debut, he paired a cow-print skirt with a t-shirt that cleared up any confusion, simply reading: COW. We had one at all of these bovine-inspired beauties, TBH.
SAVE THE BEES
Where last season the likes of Raf Simons and Maison Margiela made a case for protective headwear – with vinyl hazmats and futuristic leather helmets amongst each label’s AW18 offering – this season the trend has developed to encompass hats not dissimilar to those worn by your friendly neighbourhood beekeeper. At Simone Rocha, this manifested in delicately embroidered veils that hung over models’ faces. Whatever the origins, next season (and every season, guys!) it’s all about saving the bees – think backyard apiarist, but, like, make it fashion.
BEST IN CLASS
Sometimes fashion operates in a way that’s just too spooky to be simply a coincidence. Need proof? Look no further than both the Vaquera trio and Raf Simons, who both sent mortarboard-wearing models down the catwalk on the very same day. First up was Vaquera, appropriately presenting its SS19 collection in a school, with a closing look that can only be described as Couture-gown-meets-Valedictorian, accessorised with a giant mortarboard (naturally). Later that night, Simons sent more graduates down the runway at Calvin Klein, as inspired by Mike Nichols' 1967 film The Graduate.
BICYCLE ENTHUSIAST
Over the course of the last few months, cycling shorts have become the go-to for the likes of Kim Kardashian and Kylie and Kendall Jenner, and now it seems like fashion is really catching on too. As seen at Fendi, where Bella Hadid strutted down the runway looking like a sexy, long-legged bicycle enthusiast from the future, and at Off-White, where they were rendered in neon snakeskin and worn by IRL athletes, they also infiltrated the catwalk at Prada, Chanel, Charlotte Knowles, and Marine Serre.
NO GLOVE, NO LOVE
Seasons don’t exist anymore in fashion – who says you can’t parade giant coats down the runway as part of a summer collection? In the same vein, this season a handful of designers decided that gloves are not just a winter thing anymore. At Marc Jacobs, this manifested in the form of candy-coloured lattice gloves perfectly picked to match the accompanying outfit in his OTT, more-is-more, 60s-tinged collection. Miuccia Prada went in the opposite direction with her subversive SS19 offering, covering leather gloves in gold studs, while at JW Anderson, bohemian girls slash futuristic farmers wore armpit-high white leather gloves that didn’t show an inch of skin. Not the kind we imagine would be all that useful for mucking out the stables…
THE NEXT GEN
On the one hand, we’re not saying you should consider borrowing a niece/nephew/cousin-twice-removed under the age of five to keep up with the SS19 trends, but on the other, we totally are saying exactly that. This season, everyone’s favourite Futurewear aficionado Marine Serre sent a band of kids wearing mini versions of her crescent moon-emblazoned styles down the runway, while at Eckhaus Latta, a v cute troupe of tiny musicians banged makeshift instruments throughout the label’s NY show. Special mention also goes out to the secondary school on the FROW at Richard Quinn, who offered up their thoughts on the designer’s collection and made it known they’re basically gunning for our jobs.
J-LO CIRCA 2003
If you’re not quite convinced by the chic beekeeper look for SS19, perhaps you’ll be more inclined to don something more understated, like, say, a leather bandana? At JW Anderson, the designer’s bohemian looks were finished with sleek, milkmaid-esque scarves featuring chain-detailing, while at Versace, Queen Donatella made a case for J-Lo-esque silk head-wraps in the house’s iconic Baroque prints. Elsewhere, Tom Ford’s retro beauties harkened back to 40s glamour with their chic, silk headscarves. The chances of looking like Jenny from the Block circa 2003 might be slim, but fuck it, we’re going to try it anyway.
BIG SACK ENERGY
We first coined this term back at the beginning of September after Proenza Schouler’s return to the NYFW schedule – we’ve had big shoe energy, big dick energy, and now, it’s time for big sack energy. After Proenza’s giant denim bags, others followed suit, with Matty Bovan presenting his version in collaboration with Coach. If you thought Marc Jacobs’s SS18 fanny packs were big, they looked like tiny handbags in comparison to Bovan’s absolute units. In true Jacquemus style, Simon Porte’s models carried giant raffia versions, perfect for a day trip to the French Riviera, and Jonathan Anderson joined in at Loewe too, with his enormous straw bags ideal for the beach and big enough to carry all your emotional baggage to boot.
CUT IT OUT
First seen at Riccardo Tisci’s debut Burberry show a few weeks ago – although blink-and-you’d-miss-them, given there were approx. 472 looks – sexy cut-out styles are seemingly super-hot for SS19. Also seen at Saint Laurent, where models including Anja Rubik and Freja Beha literally walked on water while wearing some seriously high-cut swimsuits, Givenchy, where Clare Waight Keller presented a series of tailored jackets and utility-style trousers worn over underwear-inspired bralettes, and as part of Charlotte Knowles’ subversive SS19 collection, even Miuccia got in on the act – sending a super-sexy collection of deep-cut tops, knee-high stockings, and fetish-y Mary-Janes down the runway this season. At Hedi Slimane’s Celine debut, one of his glittering party dresses had a giant teardrop cut-out down the front. Note to self: stock up on tit-tape.
HU(UUUU)GE SUNGLASSES
First they were tiny. Then they were big. And now, in much the same way as handbags have this season, sunglasses have gone supersized for SS19. As seen as part of Dazed fave ASAI’s new collection, at Rick Owens’ show at the Palais de Tokyo (where Paris was, quite literally, burning), and on models throughout Alessandro Michele’s dramatic, theatre-set presentation, shades reached mask-like proportions in all four fashion capitals. By the time you’ve read this, though, it’s likely tiny shades will be à la mode again, so this point must be taken with a pinch of salt.
STRAP IT ON
Harnesses in fashion first resurfaced at Virgil Abloh’s debut Louis Vuitton show, as worn over tailored jackets, but now the womenswear designers want to join in the action too. At Calvin Klein, Raf Simons amped-up the sex appeal of an already pretty sexy collection by layering rubber harnesses over dresses and jackets – both for guys and girls. At Fendi, the girls were strapped up in more utilitarian harnesses, which also included utility belts with miniature Fendi bags hanging off them. Ann Demeulemeester’s drowned corpse-inspired collection featured leather belts refashioned as harnesses, that contrasted flowing chiffon dresses. The sexiest harnesses though, came courtesy of Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. What better accessory for low-riding bumster trousers than a body chain? Probably best not to wear it to your next family function though.
PANTS ARE (LITERALLY) OUT
Showing off your underwear is not a new concept, especially when it comes to Gucci. This season though, Alessandro Michele pushed pants to the nth degree, declaring that they be worn on the outside of his fabulous Gucci fashions. For the less daring, this could simply be trousers with a different coloured panel to give the illusion of wearing your knickers for all to see. If you want to go all out though, try pants as actual trousers. It’s fashion. Or maybe you’re jockstrap wearer instead? Not a problem, they go on the outside of trousers too – covered in crystals obviously. It is Gucci after all.