For a person interested in fashion, there is nothing as exciting as imagining and preplanning your future wardrobe based on emerging runway trends.
As an editor, it’s frustrating to have witnessed season after season of designers refusing to acknowledge people of different body types, abilities, ethnicities, racial backgrounds, and genders on the runway. It makes you want to turn away from an industry that seemingly reflects inconsistency through its values. But more than that, it makes you want to speak up.
“No color or fabric or cut is gender exclusive.”
Similarly, before I know what looks I’m going to see from a fashion house when I click on a press release, I often see two different links: “download womenswear” or “download menswear.” That alone excludes an entire population of people who do not identify as a woman or a man, and it also speaks to the antiquated idea that gender identity should influence clothing preference at all. Words alone are that powerful, and they can be that divisive.
Gender
For that reason, I still go back to and admire Stoney Michelli Love’s mission statement for Stuzo Clothing all the time: “Our pieces are gender-free as we prefer to call them because clothes don’t have organs last time we checked.” It aligns with Chromat designer Becca McCharen-Tran’s perspective and purpose as a creator. Becca put out a full line of swimwear for trans, nonbinary, and queer people for spring/summer 2022, telling me, “Garments are inherently gender-neutral, as they are just objects . . . It’s important that people realize that no color or fabric or cut is gender exclusive.”
The Fashion
Of course, casting comes into play. The Fashion Spot’s New York Fashion Week diversity report for the season states that transgender and nonbinary model appearances accounted for 2.4 percent of castings for spring/summer 2022. The total number was 30, seen on runways such as The Blonds, Prabal Gurung, Collina Strada, Moschino, Batsheva, Gabriela Hearst, Jonathan Simkhai, and Chromat, of course, which also included one drag queen and one intersex model.
Design
Ultimately, designers are going to be winning if they show how a skirt — or any item of clothing — as cross dressing meaning can be worn by anyone, instead of just one specific type of person, thereby changing the narrow definitions of gender we’ve seen on the runway. The labels ahead grasp that simple idea and approach design through a gender-neutral lens, so I’m here to celebrate them. We need to bring visibility to brands that look beyond the binary in order to extend representation into the future.
Enjoy a slimmer profile
I saved the best for last. If you do end up wearing black head-to-toe, know that the monochromatic look has many built-in advantages. First, an all-black outfit always looks chic and cool, whether you’re wearing a dress and boots or a layered mix. Second, the inky-dark hue has the power to delete bulges, jiggles, and pounds (and stains, I might add!), so you look trimmer, more toned, and taller whether you’re a size 10, XL or 3X. Fashion fatigue? Never!
Pick statement accessories
Give neutral clothes a jolt with some unexpected add-ons. Any shoes, boots, bags, or belts in trendy colors like pink or turquoise (bought impulsively and rarely worn) get a new attitude when paired with wintery neutrals. So do can’t-miss accessories like airy, oversized scarves, lacy black pantyhose, and a neon cross-body bag. It’s the startling color choice, proportions, or texture that makes these items work their out-of-the-ordinary magic.
A Deeper Look At How Men’s And Women’s Fashion Differ
The narrative around shopping has changed with the onset of the pandemic. Whether it’s because of financial situations or simply a shift in priorities, many are trying to buy fewer items but of higher quality. We are learning about the importance of tailoring and mending to extend that garment’s life in our closet. If you’re wondering if this is a brand-new concept, it’s not. It’s how men have been interacting with fashion for decades.
It’s not that men don’t have trends; they just don’t cycle through them as quickly. Men have always interacted with trends at a much slower pace than women. “Trends come and go over the course of years, rather than seasons,” says menswear expert Josh Peskowitz, whose résumé includes stints at Esquire, Bloomingdale’s and Moda Operandi. The rate is “waaaaay slooooowwwwer,” adds celebrity stylist Ilaria Urbinati. “We are still on the Hawaiian print shirt craze that we were doing with Rami [Malek] during Mr. Robot season one press.”
Spring Trends in 2022
The sun is out, hemlines are rising, and bright, bold colors are dominating the streets. It can mean only one thing: Spring 2022 fashion trends are finally here. Time to pack up gray knits and tuck away those wool trousers—the clothing that will carry you through the spring 2022 season has an upbeat, offbeat quality to it.
Seen at runway shows from New York to Tokyo, the trends of spring 2022 embrace vibrancy and joy. At Tory Burch, bold stripes in black and white—some cut with a flash of grassy green—signaled a new quirky order. Prada and Chanel put swimsuits and short shorts on the catwalk, proving that beachwear can be ready-to-wear, while Marine Serre and Dries Van Noten revived the popcorn tops of the ’90s to bring some fun into our closets.
