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A Guide to the Future and Next Season’s Product Springtime brings a chance to start fresh, to simplify, to leave the boots, scarf, and mitts behind. Though this season, you’re more likely to hear about shedding microplastics—one piece of synthetic clothing can release 700,000 toxic fibers in a single wash—than shedding layers. While many of the SS20 trends are still referencing moments from the past, thankfully, the conversation around fashion’s environmental impact has changed in a big way. This means innovation. Designers are upcycling, fabrics are mutating, silhouettes are morphing. With the new decade comes a new frontier of trends. Time to get acquainted with the help of the SSENSE SS20 trend report, part two.  Victoria’s Secret Funeral In 2019, heaven (or rather, hell?) gained another angel—Victoria's Secret angel, that is. The lingerie label finally canceled its annual winter "fashion" show after decades of seven-figure Fantasy Bras and declining sales, putting to rest its presentation of passé beauty standards, carbon copy casting, and, of course, those wings. Fortunately, VS is survived by SS20's preferred take on sexy: long latex gloves, hardware details, mesh tops worn without bras, and a better perspective. Rick Owens sent models down the runway in half-zipped jumpsuits and jackets worn as shirts. London-based Supriya Lele offered a collection of ultra-cinched silhouettes, strappy trench coats, and shorts in the form of loose-fitting green underwear. Ann Demeulemeester's girl appeared ready to dominate in high slit black mini skirts with exposed fishnet undergarments. This season, we're following the footsteps of Queen Rih—didn't they tell you that she was a Savage...x Fenty?  Bag Buffet "It" bags for all! This season the handbag has been liberated. There is no one must have shape, color, or size, rather, anything goes. A Thom Browne crossbody bag shaped like a football? Why not? We saw even more sculptural bags, in the shape of baseball hats at JW Anderson, and hard wrecking balls with chain-link handles at Marine Serre. Rhude took the mini-purse trend to menswear with a literal cigarette carton bag. And we can’t forget the classic baguette bag, updated everywhere this season in fabrics from snake-print to patent leather. For SS20, grab hold to whatever catches your eye. The choice is yours at the bag buffet.  Princess Peach Princess Peach is that unattainable half-mushroom goddess who brings purpose to Mario’s eight-bit life. She is elusive, light on her feet, strong-willed, yet laughs easily. She’s also an absolute unsung style icon. Her puff-sleeved pink dress with ornate bodice and bustle, her jeweled crown, elegant white opera gloves, and occasional coordinating parasol. Peach is, of course, a damsel—in itself sartorially aspirational—but she also knows how to play dirty to beat Bowser. For SS20, we’re seeing Princess inspiration everywhere, from ruffles and rose-tinted palettes at CDG, GmbH, and Dior Homme, to bustle-inspired, nip-waisted silhouettes at Ashley Williams and Thom Browne. And while Molly Goddard and Simone Rocha have been about Princess styles from the start, for SS20, Peach is upping her reach.  The Mask Our relationship to color has been fickle at best—vacillating from bright and bold one season to cold and muted the next. If 2019 recipient of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, Christopher John Rogers, is any measure of what we’re feeling chromatically this season, it’s loud and proud color all the way. While structured, corporate silhouettes have been making a comeback in recent seasons, don’t be fooled into believing this means it’s all work and no fun. Quite the contrary—this year we’re channeling a more colorful character: Stanley Ipkiss, aka The Mask. Zany to a point that verges on irritation, Ipkiss might be obnoxious, but he bears an important message: it’s possible to find success while still never taking yourself too seriously. There’s usually very little return for white-knuckling control over your aesthetic self and body for the sake of the performative illusion of corporate competence, so why not loosen your tie and pick canary yellow or kelly green when choosing tomorrow’s suit. In 2020, having a personality is the epitome of professionalism.  Cap’n Brunch All-aboard! SS20 is calling for a new take on nautical and you don’t want to miss the boat. Sperrys and shorts in the city exude total leisure as downtown meets starboard for a vibe that’s equally Yacht Club and brunch in Brooklyn. If you’re the type of person to go sockless in loafers, all-season your striped Polo swim shorts, and regularly debate a Noah bucket hat in the morning mirror—you’re primed for SS20’s sporty captain look. Consider the sailor-inspired “tar flap” collared shirts from Loewe, or Prada’s striped short-suits, reminiscent of the days when a bathing suit was a full fit.  Van Gogh
This summer, fashion goes Dutch. Haystacks, the harvest, starry nights, sunflowers. Knitwear and evening wear that call to mind Van Gogh’s en plein air countryside tableaux. Straw hats, farmer details, thick brushstrokes, palettes that include pollen-yellow, pale green, browns and blues (and root vegetable neutrals). Consider Jacquemus’ entire oeuvre: the runway itself staged on a field, but also, the clothes. Simon Porte’s airy and exaggerated silhouettes, his straw carryalls and bucket hats, and sun-kissed palette that feel totally on brand (i.e totally hopeful, cheeky, unserious and merry). More painterly options include brands with a decidedly downtown cool like Collina Strada or Charlotte Knowles, whose body-conscious florals feel somehow fairytale and free: rich orange-yellows, gilded petal patterns, camo-horticulture, gold lips. Or Marine Serre’s macrame bags and botanic patchwork—only Marine Serre could add a raw edge to macrame and patchwork. There’s Palomo Spain’s scarecrow-inspired suiting and Nanushka’s fringe and fishnet details. And one cannot talk about poetic knits without mentioning Missoni or Stella McCartney’s careful application of rope and strappy heels. And of course Jonathan Anderson’s Loewe wonderland that—while not at all rustic—was so purely romantic with lacework and flared shapes in colors like wheat-y taupe signalling the outdoors and those long afternoons spent seeking patches of shade. But no other brand better captures Van Gogh’s post-impressionist influence like Christian Dior. Maria Grazia Chiuri sent models down the runway in artisanal interpretations of a Provencal farm. Meadow-y likeness was the mood with pasture-inspired haystack sundresses and slouchy decorative wildflower sweaters. This summer, the Dior profile calls to mind Van Gogh’s “A Woman Walking in a Garden." So: Van-go and get some fresh air.
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A GUIDE TO THE FUTURE AND NEXT SEASON’S PRODUCT Springtime brings a chance to start fresh, to simplify, to leave the boots, scarf, and mitts behind. Though this season, you’re more likely to hear about shedding microplastics—one piece of synthetic clothing can release 700,000 toxic fibers in a single wash—than shedding layers. While many of the SS20 trends are still referencing moments from the past, thankfully, the conversation around fashion’s environmental impact has changed in a big way. This means innovation. Designers are upcycling, fabrics are mutating, silhouettes are morphing. With the new decade comes a new frontier of trends. Time to get acquainted with the help of the SSENSE SS20 trend report, part two.  Euphoria Carnival Despite fashion's regular revival of the 70s and 80s, not even Sandy's power-move makeover in 1978's Grease can compete with the carnival looks worn in HBO's latest hit highschool series, Euphoria. Since the show's premiere, trend-savvy teens (and full-grown adults) have transformed their wardrobes, makeup bags, and Insta feeds with a surplus of tie-dye, miniature knapsacks, and enough sequins to form a lifetime supply of confetti. For SS20, the anticipation for season two becomes even more apparent: Palm Angels' Francesco Ragazzi offered classroom-fleeing butterfly iconography, Versace's beauty looks featured cotton candy-colored hair dye, and Bella Hadid's backstage look at Fendi brought to mind both Jules' signature mesh shirts and Rue's glitter tears. Unlike Grease, Sam Levinson's Euphoria isn't preoccupied with dressing for happy endings—instead, it sets the scene for the bittersweet (and at times exhilarating) moments of coping with reality.  Candy Land If Candy Land were a real universe and not just a delicious fantasy, then Tyler the Creator’s alter-ego IGOR would be the mayor, governing the town in matching pastel suits, a different color for every day. Elements of the SS20 runways were clearly inspired by the sweeter side of things, an interesting parallel to the dark, apocalypse-adjacent styles seen in many shows. At Jacquemus, models in relaxed pastel suits glided down a pink runway that wound its way through fields of purple lavender. Fellow French label Officine Générale made a case for the timelessness of the perfect pink suit, layered over a striped tee and finished off with some white sneakers. Even austere brands like Givenchy and Bottega Veneta offered lighter moments with compelling soft pink and blue blazers respectively. A styling tip, complete your sweet-as-can-be look with Balenciaga’s Hello Kitty handbag. What better vessel to tote your Sour Keys and Fuzzy Peaches?  Molting Mesh Molting is the process by which a snake routinely casts off its skin to facilitate new growth, evolving into a bigger, stronger version of itself. The action of shedding that which no longer serves us is cathartic, and catharsis an essential ethos to carry with us through the transition from FW19 to SS20, where mesh figures heavily. Topographically similar to a snake’s skin, its knotted, open texture varies in dimension, from discreet and gauzy, to netted and loose. Hanging from our bodies or clinging to our flesh, it suggests a soul in transition. Are you revealing or are you concealing? Growing into your truest form through shedding toxic habits (and toxic relationships), when posed with the question, “are you ready for what’s next?” mesh says, “yes.”  The Blue Lagoon Find your beach, your villa on the beach, that is. Your private resort getaway, steps from the bluest ocean waves—the kind of water with crystal, gemlike aqua tones that feel discoverable and exclusive. While vacationing is a state of mind—cozy plan-canceling, face-masking and couch-islands certainly rejuvenate—the upshot of actually departing for warmer temps means dressing the part. Think: T Magazine travel stories, Faye Dunaway or Rene Russo in The Thomas Crown Affair, or Lee Radziwill in Ravello, Italy. Think effortless beige and ecru and all things The Row, whose minimal silhouettes reduce beach-dressing to essential tenets: crisp cotton, crewnecks, and white denim, leather Tevas and refined layering pieces. Clare Waight Keller’s vision for Givenchy is similarly subdued and sensible, but with a touch of runway drama—vacation dressing should be cinematic, always. Become the vacay-lady who wears her sunglasses at night and her leather in shades of tan (and more tan...a whole spectrum of delicious tan!). Brands like Max Mara follow suit with tailored shorts or sporty leather (for day-tripping to nearby seaside towns) and brands like Khaite commit—big time—to loose and loungey states of undress that bring to mind the chicest shipwreck vibes in these Jacquemus-playful times. Bottega Veneta’s continued reign of all things sex-and-suggestive-leather is a SS20 trove of vacation fetish-wear: sandals, sandals, more sandals. Shoulder-revealing dresses and silky tops that look like boat sails, and leather in summery shades of 90s baby blue, creamy coffee, and bone-white. Lemaire’s enduring pledge to earthy-slouchy tailoring and belted nonchalance (the sort of coat that’s meant to be tossed on a Thonet chair) only further establishes the brand as refined, selective, nostalgic (their seat-cover bead bags are instantly iconic it-bags for those who loathe the term). Lemaire’s chill austerity is ideal for the vacationer who knows what she wants, but more accurately, knows what she doesn’t. And finalement! As if we’d forget the most important getaway detail: hidden treasure. Nothing says rest like returning with a tan and some gold. Or jewelry that looks like you found it at the bottom of the sea or “stumbled upon it” at the local antique market. Alighieri’s raw metal treasures have that one-of-a-kind sparkle that feels traveled, unique, rare. Jewelry for the journey home. Riches that at first glance look nonpareil.  Busta Rhymes In his legendary 1998 single “Gimme Some More,” Busta taught us that if you ain’t gon’ be part of the greatest, then you have to be the greatest yourself! He is not only one of the most original lyricists of his time, but his style is just as unique. Along with peers like Missy Elliot, Janet Jackson, Puffy, and Hype Williams, Busta created the 90s, flamboyant futuristic look. Nobody has done it like them since, but their influence is clearly still an enduring source of inspiration for contemporary designers. For SS20, Anne Demeulemeester, GmbH, and Rick Owens all sent shiny, silver, sexy cyborg-esque looks down the runway perfect for a 90s red carpet rap moment or big budget video shoot. This aesthetic is all about lounging the luxe way, draped in uncommon threads and shiny things. Think silk pyjamas and velvet Versace slippers. It’s all fair game, but be warned, requisite confidence is not included.  Brown Paper Bag
You can’t get more minimal than a brown paper bag, and we still can’t get enough of minimalism, apparently. This season, simplicity stalwarts The Row and Lemaire deliver what they do best: eloquent, tailored silhouettes in luxe materials and basic, basic shades. And there’s one thing about fashion that’s forever certain: reliable minimalism will never go out of style. Boredom can be absolutely thrilling. Written by Max Lakin (Dec, 2019) and originally posted here: https://nosax.me/2NSHFEU From Louis XIV to Harry Styles, Stacked is Back in Menswear  Antwuan Sargent picture courtesy ssense.com Did any man love wearing heels as much as Louis XIV? You might suggest Prince, or Marc Jacobs, but The Sun King came first, barely breaching five feet and so perhaps preternaturally partial to a four inch heel, particularly in a proto-Louboutin red. His affinity meant that under his reign, the altitude of a man’s heel became a shorthand measure of his virility, so much so that the heel was diktat: only nobility were allowed to wear them. Like pumps in New York winter as the telegraph that your chauffeur is idling outside, a red heel was wildly impractical and hopeless to walk in, which was exactly the point—it’s wearer is rich enough to not have to walk.  Lemaire Boots Along the way men transferred their affectations elsewhere—the Great Male Renunciation sloughed off the flamboyant and the jaunty—and convinced themselves of the high heel’s effete connotations, which of course never made any sense. What is the cowboy boot, the preferred footwear of the most masculine caricature conceivable, if not a high-heeled stunner? The conspicuous flash of the cowboy’s heel is insulated by its utility (necessary to keep it in a saddle’s stirrups), but the teetering thrill of a few extra inches is surely undeniable. Still, something subversive in a men’s heel persists, a gleeful flouting of arbitrarily prescriptive rules, the frisson of something unallowed and untested. Women have recognized the stiletto as a fount of sexualized power for a century. It was only a matter of time before men unyoked themselves. Harry Styles, the spiritual heir to the joys of pop rock’s sartorial swagger, has been dallying about in a selection of Gucci heels (it helps that he’s on the payroll); last month he announced an upcoming world tour with a tightly-cropped image of his shoe’s heel. Marc Jacobs has taken to clomping around New York in a series of Rick Owens vertiginous “KISS” boots, an ankle-high, squared-off Chelsea style in buffed leather with a three-inch stacked platform midsole that ascends, like the build before a log flume drop, into the exclamation point of a four-and-a-half inch block heel. It’s total, uncompromising camp, and pictures of Jacobs in them, vamping downtown, admiring the foliage in Central Park, doing jazz hands, suggests he’s never had more of a ball. Men find canny ways to skirt gender edicts. For generations of men desperate to carry a bijou handbag but hemmed in by calcified gender codes, liberation arrived in the shape of the harness pack, by all appearances a bum bag but styled as a gun holster, an acceptable concession ratified by every streetwear-addled man under 35. There’s precedence, too, in Dr. Martens, a classic of the genre, a combat boot with a hefty lug midsole and heel to match which, because of its history in the punk scenes of London and New York, carries an unimpeachably hard-edged look. For the more assured pocketbook, Christian Louboutin offers his own take, a polished version with a slightly more pronounced heel that willfully jostles gender norms.  Gucci shoes, Lemaire boots, Y/Project boots, Y/Project boots and Rick Owens boots. Where once innovation in menswear was marked in glacial increments of suit lapel drift, a man dressing himself in 2019 is spoiled for choice. A lot of this is thanks to the European creep into American taste: if Alessandro Michele’s Medici maximalism at Gucci doesn’t thrill, there’s Demna Gvasali’s Balenciaga’s Central Bloc chic. These are two wildly different expressions of taste and proportion, and yet, each is pushing a men’s block heel: Gucci with horsebit ankle boots, the word “Kitten” hammer-stamped on its two inch stack; Balenciaga with a glossy pretty-ugly square toe trailing a minorly more demure inch-and-a-quarter. You can find a straight flush of two-inch ankle styles in the current crop from Balmain, Lemaire, and Fendi. Y/Project has an especially mesmeric calf-high stack heel in oil slick patent leather. A high-octane treaded pair from Thom Browne, with pin-buckle straps and antiqued gold-tone hardware, looks like Timberlands on HGH, perfect for a morning of Madison Avenue mountaineering. Amiri suggests a suede Jodhpur with silver studded straps that promise the muted sheen of a Robin Hood enjoying early retirement in Palm Springs. Of course most classic men’s dress shoes have been built with a modest heel for generations, a poorly kept secret that, like the necktie, is a holdover of subconscious masculine assertion. How funny is it that most of the men who would balk at the assumed feminized notion of wearing a heel already do so on a daily basis? To placate them, men’s heels usually exist in angled, stacked proportions that have precedence in the sturdier Cuban heel, so named for the style’s popularity among Flamenco dancers, as opposed to the taper of the stiletto, which apes the idealized feminine shape. Because of its latter-day verboten status, the heel’s appearance on a man is like a natural wonder, like clocking a meadowlark in a scrum of pigeons. It’s instantly read as provocation regardless of the particulars or total aesthetic effect. This is true of the Tabi boot, Maison Margiela’s split-toe secret handshake introduced in 1988, a fashion deep cut until last year, when Margiela began offering them in men’s sizing, a heretofore inaccessible imprimatur opened to a new swath of men looking for something—anything—else. A picture of Stefano Pilati, late of Yves Saint Laurent and Zenga, attending Pitti Uomo in Florence in 2017 positively bleeds sprezzatura: the designer in a pair of well-worn Tabi boots, leaning against a sun-baked wall, ascending from the cobbles by eight ecstatic centimeters of cylindrical stacked leather, a spent bottle of San Pellegrino at his feet. If there’s a better appeal to men to get lifted, the world hasn’t yet known it.
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