by The rise of fashion daddies
Dad dandyism is the male viral load that keeps on giving. What this means for atestosterone-strewn dinner table near you soon, we want to know. But when Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jonathan Bailey and Matt Bomer teamed up in a knitting thirst trap the internet had to shut down in shock. You may have also noticed Jacob Elordi’s Saltburn premiere appearances with Barry Keoghan, not to mention Taylor Swift’s new man, Travis Kelce, whose looks are getting more attention than her. Of course, Timothée Chalamet and his Tom Ford Wonka turned in at the end of the year; and lest we forget, A$AP Rocky’s Bottega Veneta campaign and Pedro Pascal’s legs at the Met Gala. See a high fashion runway wearing men of our Roman Empire. No, you’re leering.
Barbie and Birkenstocks
Was it a feminist-lite look at entrenched, degrading representations of women, or just an excuse for fashion labels to cash in on a litany of pink tats and for beauty brands to churn out products promising “plastic-perfect” faces? If the thought of those fuchsia billboards still makes you feel inspired, then don’t worry – awards season is upon us. The film launched 1.1 billion #barbiecore views on TikTok as well as a plethora of unadorable grown women dressing up as the doll. Thank God Pink’s fashion restraint seems to be fading.
No coat, just percussion
Emma Corrin’s turn on the Miu Miu runway in Paris in March set off an unnecessary fall-out trouser trend for the festive season. According to fashion search engine Lyst, searches for hot pants are up 133 percent year-on-year. Good luck to us all. The crushing scene, as seen again on Corrin in Venice, shows where the naked dress is heading towards strong ground. Some people, Julia Fox for example, may wonder why they should touch clothes at all.
Dressed Rich
Was it only in March that Gwyneth Paltrow gave us the dreaded phrase stealth wealth in action with her rivetingly nonchalant Utah court appearance? The endless pieces of thought that were imitating the meaning of the Loro Piana suits and coats from The Row were only partially satisfied at the end of Succession. Dear quieter clothes! Not forgetting a very ludicrously capacious non-U bag. The bourgeois obsession with dressing like a rich person persists, with fawning exponents littering TikTok with a beige Zara jumper to buy to show off more domestic cars than a Tube car.
Putting Kylie on
This year the Kardashians brought Kylie fashion. Up until now the mother of two has been more concerned about her lipstick acolytes, but after turning up at the Schiaparelli show of Paris Fashion Week with a giant (faux) lion taxi stuck to her chest, Jenner got into the obvious style. Her 399 million Instagram followers can now emulate her with Khy’s newly launched brand.
Summer girl tomato
Did TikTok kill off the actual style? The tomato girl summer may have given those opposed to pink Barbie something to chew on but isn’t it time to start thinking beyond the algorithm of our fashion guide? A thought.
Mom is the word
Just when everyone was abuzz about the appalling lack of women in creative director roles at luxury fashion houses, Phoebe Philo entered an unbroken internet bid for a £3,000 Mum’s necklace. Their first collection certainly had a stealthy feel – ideal gray roll neck coats and military inspired coats will soon be littering a high street store near you. But there are also flashes of splodgy leopard print shoe fun. Move over daddies, Mother is back.
Crocs of the Cows
Hideous, and not even splash proof because of the holes on the side, but the Croc cowboy boots are still sold out. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, what’s wrong with everyone?
Harry Cardin
The humble cardigan emerged triumphantly as this year’s knit du jour – although something gendered up (Prada’s was forceful). Immortalized by David Hockney, Molly Goddard’s Harry Styles striped cardy set the jumper for autumn.
Bad taste on tour
I’m not sure any of us had money for feather boas and dyed cowboy hats at a fresh time in the sun, but there’s no accounting for pop fandom. Harry Styles rolled and Beyoncé and her convoy were busses and rubbish outside stadiums around the world. The Beyhive also managed to make money head to toe.
The nerdy Noughties Sloane returns
Loafers and socks? Ballet pumps? A white shirt with a popped collar with a jumper thrown over the shoulders? The King’s Road tribute was strong this year. An £800 price tag didn’t stop Alaïa’s studded ballerina shoes from being the hottest flat of the year. Hardware sockets-toppedloafers and white sports socks came very close. For full immersion and OG Sloane-style instructions, see Saltburn and The Crown.
Coming up clip
Menswear writer Derek Guy only needed to drop a few words on X to create an obsession with Rishi Sunak’s trouser length. In a slow news cycle in August, he wrote: “It baffles me how the richest UK Prime Minister in history could live just steps away from Savile Row, the largest number of highly skilled tailors, and $2k paying for an MTM suit in the end. with sleeves and trousers two to four inches too short.” We’re relieved he’s still not showing off his Palm Angels slides.
Is the floral dress dead?
It’s been a long year, but in February John Lewis announced the death knell of the ten-year conflict we’ve had over the long-winded floral midi dress. We couldn’t resist the safe style of blousy high street numbers and white trainers. But such a caveat. There are enough rose motifs next spring to put the brakes on the cibos, but reconsider your shoe choices.
The bag £15 It
A savior came directly into the eyes of the stealth wealth movement. Uniqlo’s crescent bag, available in endless color options, has racked up 119 million views on TikTok. We’ve seen a lot of them by now, but we can appreciate the allure of a useful, wallet-friendly companion.
Bow down
I say this carefully, but we may be reaching a tipping point. The items are spread over Christmas trees, blow dryers and party frocks. Camille’s Saloni crystal bow serial number three is one of Hurr rent’s most popular loans. Which means everyone is wearing it. However, maybe not?
