WORDS Baillie Jones
HEADER IMAGE Backstage at Masha Popova by Heidi Jones
As the Spring/Summer 24 fashion season comes to a close, we investigate the biggest trends on show throughout the collections and how these luxury aesthetics can be reimagined by incorporating elements into our everyday wears.
This is an accessible way to emulate your favourite looks from the runway and revive preloved pieces, lowering our consumption is a more ethical shopping choice for both the environment and our wallets. Even if you want to buy something new to modify, you can still stay on trend for less.
As the well-documented cost of living crisis continues to soar, so has the popularity of repurposing our belongings. According to parliament, inflation reached over 11% at the end of 2022, with the combination of this and the aftermath of lockdown it’s no surprise that people became resourceful with their clothing.
During these difficult times, creativity is beginning to flourish with people up-cycling the pieces they already own and the tutorials are all over our TikTok feed. With the DIY hashtag having over 380 billion views, TikTokers have become the best guides on replicating the latest trends with their accessible tutorials. There are many benefits to getting imaginative with your closet. Adding your own spin on a piece only adds to its value, making it an original that no one else will have, not even the runway.
CHARMS
Balenciaga asks: how many charms are too many? Introducing a heavily embellished bag to the runway in Paris; embossed with charms, hanging keychains, chains and tassels. This trend has been revived thanks to Gen Z’s fascination with Parisian style and
Jane Birkin pioneered the trend of heavily overdecorated handbags. Inspired by the way Birkin wore her Hermes bag and made it her own signature piece even further than its title, people have been transforming their own handbags and ‘birkinifying’ them. Whether it be adding charms, badges, safety pins and bows, people have been showing the outcome of this inspiration through their videos with the hashtag #janebirkinsbag withholding over 162k views.
Chopova Lowena took over London with both its charm and charms, sported through the collection of embellished skirts, and dresses and even replacing zipper tags with more jewels.
LAYERING
As well as offering of-the-moment trend items, we can also thank Fashion Month for providing sartorial suggestions to reimagine wardrobe staples.
The Maison Margiela show was playful and inventive with its styling, incorporating masses of layers, compiling oversized shirts, stacking jumpers, jackets and coats all accompanied by classic loafers and thick white socks. This is a look that can be achieved with wardrobe staples- even raiding your Dad’s work closet to achieve the elevated classic office-wear look.
Masculine tailoring was imbued with emphasis on androgyny this season. Continuing the heavily amplified office wear chic, trench coats and longline blazers dominated the forefront of this season’s collections by Coach, Burberry and JW Anderson. There are countless online tutorials on how to effectively layer basics to create a high fashion look, TikTok creator @ava.ark demonstrates how to casual down office wear for everyday style with their captivating get ready with me videos.
MOTOCROSS
Motorcross aesthetics have been a lasting trend over the past couple of years – no doubt thanks to Diesel’s mega-revival in Milan and Mowalola’s racy offerings in London. This season, biker chic could be seen throughout fashion month with designers including Masha Popova, Courreges and Chloé among the many walking leathers down the runway.
The high octane and intense energy of the sport is expressed outwardly through toying with form and sculptural shapes to create movement. Elements of this trend can be easily imitated at home by upcycling old denim and leather. The worn-in element is the main component of capturing the essence of the sport, as if you’ve just jumped off your motorcycle, removed your gear and are ready for action.
Acne Studios reigns supreme with its dusty, worn-in leather jackets which can be replicated by wearing down the surface of your favourite leathers with sandpaper or leather treatments. Diesel’s iconic acid wash finish can be created by soaking your old denim with household bleach. To parallel the sleek, matrix-style Courreges looks, opt for an all-black outfit paired with vintage leather from your favourite local vintage market.
FABRIC MANIPULATION
Continuing with the manipulation of fabric and proportions, brands like Ann Demeulemeester, Y-project and Loewe created silhouette-altering shapes and asymmetry by displaying conventional pieces in unconventional ways.
Instead of buying something new you can transform an item by wearing it the ‘wrong’ way; wear a dress as a skirt, a skirt as a top or layer pieces to change their original appearance. Creator @itsjakeflemm has produced a series of tutorials on TikTok, displaying how they use pieces in their closet to create whole new outfits; including button-up shirts as maxi skirts and trousers contorted into tops. Structure can be further manipulated within our closets by using safety pins to gather the fabric together to create ruching and movement, adding a playful element to an otherwise plain piece.
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