From sexy sheer to going incognito, we round up the trends – both big and small – that you’ll be seeing everywhere next season
Can you believe it? IRL shows are back, officially. After seasons of pretending we were all happy at home, SS22 ushered a return to the runway and the designers, as expected, went all out.
From Balmain’s 10-year anniversary bash, and internet-breaking collab Fendace, to Balenciaga’s already-iconic Simpsons episode, we’ve been keeping you up-to-date all season with our city round-ups in New York, London, Milan, and Paris.
It was a lot to unpack, but that’s what you’ve got us for. As fashion experts, we’ve gone through the shows with a fine-toothed comb to weed out the trends that emerged. There’s sexy sheer, big bows, surprising cameos, headpieces, and so much more to discover and try out yourself if you’re brave enough.
Click through the gallery below for the full list.
WHO’S THAT GIRL?
After months of being locked away indoors, going outdoors and socialising again is honestly exhausting. Who really wants to be perceived these days? Not even Kim Kardashian. Feeling equally seen are some of your fashion faves, who all sent visage-obscuring designs down the runway. At Marine Serre and Balenciaga it’s what we know and love, but Vaquera and Richard Quinn joined in on the fun too with the latter shrouding models in Babushka bonnets and sunglasses.
FINALLY, ACCESSIBILITY!
Once again NYFW is leading the way with diversity and inclusion on the runway – Milan and Paris, WYA? At both Collina Strada and Moschino, wheelchair models appeared on the runway – Aaron Philip at the latter – prompting us to ponder why we don’t see more of this every season… Meanwhile, in London, designer Harriet Eccleston made her debut with an adaptive clothing collection that won her the Faduma’s Fellowship grand prize. It’s good, but we can do even better next season!
GIVE US A SMILE(Y)
After a rather dark period in our lives, what’s wrong with some sunny optimism? Remember, it takes more muscles to frown than smile. Giving us their best grins, your London fashion faves Chopova Lowena and Christopher Kane both debuted smiley printed garments – with Kane opting for surreal patches versus the design duo’s more playful scribbled approach. In New York, blink and you’d miss Collina Strada’s two-headed smiley face bag. Say cheese!
BIG BOW ENERGY
Did somebody say Rococo? Seemingly throwing back to 18th eleganza, this season saw the re-emergence of bows on the runway. There were big bows, trailing behind models at Prada, little bows, on cutesy dresses at Saint Sintra, Moschino, and Richard Quinn, and esoteric bows at Comme des Garçons – entirely 2D and printed on giant sculptural looks.
OH HEY!
Who doesn’t love a runway cameo? There was no shortage this season with Dua Lipa giving the gays everything they needed: opening and closing Versace. At Richard Quinn, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season two queens Bimini and Tayce appeared, while Balenciaga’s red carpet-themed presentation had a whole host of models including Elliot Page, Offset, Isabelle Huppert, Dev Hynes, and Juergen Teller. Special shoutout also goes to Michele Lamy for opening Rick Owens as a stunning septuagenarian and showing everybody how it’s done.
CHILD’S PLAY
With the constant stream of bad news that TBH started back in 2012 with the Maya Doomsday (remember her?), it’s no surprise we all just want bright sounds and colours to ooh and aah at. Moschino’s Kindergarten-appropriate garments were printed with child-friendly teddy bears – and came with bonus baby-themed purses – and Collina Strada’s collection featured childlike stars, flowers, and dog motifs. At Balenciaga, Demna Gvasalia went the whole nine yards, creating a 10-minute Simpsons episode with a cameo from Ms Wintour herself.
UNEXPECTED ACCESSORIES
In addition to the mouth watering bags and shoes of the season – somebody please buy me every pair of surreal Loewe heels – there were also some accessories that needed a double take. Take Burberry’s Bambi ears (though Twitter thinks they’re more Dobby), for example. In JW Anderson’s SS22 lookbook, models carried actual tyres like handbags, while Charles Jeffrey turned a pair of boxers (clean, we think) into a chic little purse. Meanwhile in Paris, Botter – styled by Dazed’s fashion editor Imruh Asha – made a case for scuba masks as sunglasses.
IT’S GIVING… SHEER
Begone tracksuits and hoodies from the WFH chapter of our lives, SS22 is all about showing off the skin you’re in with confidence with nothing but a sheath of sheerness for your modesty. From stalwart sexies Maximilian, KNWLS, and Christopher Kane to new recruits in the form of Acne Studios, Loewe, and Eckhaus Latta, it’s time to serve some body-ody-ody.
GOOD HEAD(PIECE)
While there were plenty of good hats to choose from this season, we can’t help but have our eyes on the wild headpieces that also appeared. At Puppets & Puppets in New York, models flounced with giant cheese wheels strapped to their heads. At Botter’s show, when models weren’t wearing aforementioned scuba masks, they had umbrellas sprouting à la Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty. Our fave, and potentially most dangerous, came courtesy of hair wizard Eugene Souleiman at Charles Jeffrey. Totally hot and no doubt a serious fire hazard, models emerged with lit candles on their heads, a wig-cum-wax-sculpture – hold the hairspray.
POOLSIDE CHIC
SS22 clearly wants to go to the beach-each because swimwear and bikinis were all over the place – from Chanel and Supriya Lele to Fashion East’s Chet Lo, Maximilian, and HRH. Not to mention, Chopova Lowena, Ludovic de Saint Sernin, Nensi Dojaka, and Rejina Pyo, who took things to a new level by presenting her show poolside at the London Aquatics Centre. Bonus points for Juergen Teller for getting the memo early, seemingly shooting JW Anderson’s SS22 lookbook in his budgie smugglers.
WHITE OUT
A trend best avoided to those prone to spills and scrapes, white was the surprise breakout colour for SS22. Virginal, innocent, and pure, all-white looks gracefully floated down the runway at Simone Rocha, Peter Do, and Ottolinger. Harris Reed’s breathtaking designs would be perfect for a bride who wants all eyes on her while Fendi’s disco-ready looks wouldn’t look out of place at Studio 54. Somebody hand us a bib!
I’VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY
In addition to the fabulous fashions of SS22, it seems that some designers also wanted to make a statement with their collections. Louis Vuitton unwittingly joined the crowd when Extinction Rebellion protesters stormed the catwalk, but others were more forthcoming – from Botter’s plea for saving the ocean to Marni’s upcycling efforts. At Comme des Garçons, Rei Kawakubo, who usually describes her collections in just a few words, sent out a short manifesto detailing her current state of mind and the things she no longer needs, including: “The intention to make clothes”. We’re guessing next season’s collection will be invisible then…
MIX AND MATCH
We’ve all had those moments where we can’t decide what kind of look we want to serve: full-on glamour or cute and casual. Well, why decide when you can have the best of both worlds? Molly Goddard and Louis Vuitton sent out a number of ‘jeans and a nice top’ looks, while Balenciaga’s chic combination of a sparkling, floor-skimming gown with plain hoodie just hits differently. In New York, Luar’s Raul Lopez made a case for the new workwear: shirts and ties up top paired with sporty joggers. Don’t retire that WFH uniform just yet.
RUNWAY WHO?
While SS22 saw a major return to the runway, a handful of designers decided to avoid it again – pretty sensible TBH, as COVID is still very real. JW Anderson headed to a scrapyard to capture his latest collection, lensed by Juergen Teller. Elsewhere, Marine Serre decided to democratise the fashion show by featuring her designs in a short film. Never one to do things by halves, John Galliano’s co-ed SS22 collection was a fantastical film directed in partnership with Olivier Dahan, the mastermind behind the label’s Couture film.