It has been an interesting year in the fashion world. Couture and ready-to-wear are intertwined, along with a new wave of creative directors in established fashion houses. As we begin to see a shift from traditional runway shows to reality-augmented videos, many designers are trying to find a new sense of style in the latter half of the ‘10s.
Most importantly, fashion is attempting to focus on the average person, and not just a strict, luxurious palette. New media has allowed the fashion world to “open its doors” to inspiring young designers: those among the likes of Scott Gabrielson have brought a new voice to an expressive, contemporary youth. Fall has always paid homage to fashion, and college students will rejoice when hearing about the newest ways to shop this season.
Thinking back to the experimental wave of the 1970s, we saw a new form of abstracted cuts, with an even greater focus on utilizing pattern and texture. As we’ve seen in most spring collections, bell-bottomed jeans are all the rage for fashion-forward people. However, this fall, velvet and suede will be able to find commonplace in anyone’s wardrobe.
In such a hyper-realistic setting like the 21st century, these fabrics can transport us to a time where garments were meant to be worn for years, even decades. Fast fashion cannot adapt to such threads, and we will be expressing these textures beyond the realm of “classic.” Sporting a brown, suede jacket with any pair of jeans can certainly add to any look during an autumn outing.
Normcore movements have appeared in fashion since 2013, but has only been brought to the foreground of popular fashion in the past year. Those who expose themselves to normcore trends often take on a “dad” persona: wearing statement-less pieces to express individuality. The days of wearing Abercrombie and Aéropostale uniforms have come to a close.
UNIF, KYC Vintage and countless other brands are embraced by millennial fashion gurus. Seeing a shift towards “the individual” will likely cause rifts among major labels, as they struggle to capture a general youthful audience in today’s world of fast fashion. Whether or not they adapt this season is definitely worth observing.
While many trends seem to have come and gone over the past year, the fall season tends to define how fashion-forward minds interpret style within the next decade. Although a more globalized citizen is subjected to trend fatigue on an hourly basis, fast fashion companies are in desperate need of adaptable styles. The push towards a classical style of dress, with an emphasis on quality over quantity, will make the industry realize its true craftsmanship. It’s not just meeting business quotas and appealing to Instagram followers. Whether or not we embrace it is truly up to any regular shopper.
