People have deemed the fashion calendar “broken.” They’ve pointed out how strange it is to appraise clothes on the runway six months before they’re actually available to purchase. But I don’t know. There’s something wonderfully anticipatory about being made to wait. It reminds me of seeing a trailer for a movie before it comes out, which in my personal experience has never made me less excited to see the actual movie in full. The opposite is usually the case: The trailer piques my interest and the subsequent lead time allows that interest to build.
After combing through every collection shown over the course of fashion month for Spring/Summer 2018, my interest is definitely piqued, and I can already feel the tell-tale momentum starting to build. As a consumer, fashion is distinctly fun right now. The ability to discover and experiment is at an all-time high, and the trends that designers delicately planted this season, like bulbs in the soil of our imaginations, spoke to that sentiment of individualism and delight. Below, the ones sure to sprout tall tulips come spring, with plenty of pruning and watering and sniffing on our end to look forward to in the meantime.
1. Say goodbye to skinny jeans, say hello to cargo pants and shorts
I WAS RIGHT. Sorry. Had to. It’s not every day that I find my brain this close to the same wavelength as Pierpaolo Piccioli, so I need to seize this opportunity to gloat. Alexander Wang, Emporio Armani, Prada and Valentino are all on board, too. If the resurgence of this trend is a secret marketing ploy via Apple to make sure people have big enough pockets to carry around their iPhone Xs, I’m all for it.
2. Keep borrowing your dad’s oversize polos
Céline’s slouchy taupe contribution was the cherry on top of the oversize polo sundae this fashion month courtesy of Marc Jacobs, Joseph and Marni. The fact that many of them were paired with equally commodious bottoms leads me to conclude that we will all be swimming in comfort this spring. Chic.
3. Swap your sweatshirts for windbreaker jackets
Eckhaus Latta, Peter Pilotto, Gucci and Isabel Marant want you to dress like an off-duty ski instructor from the 80s and pants are optional.
4. Give a round of applause for Niagara Falls tourist accessories
You’ll notice that cargo pants and shorts, oversized polos and windbreaker jackets just so happen to be the stereotypical sartorial fodder of an enterprising tourist at Niagara falls, give or take a pair of binoculars. Coincidence or not, this season’s accessories came out in support of that uniform at Marc Jacobs, Versus Versace, Gucci and Chanel, where fanny packs and bucket hats were in abundance.
5. Schlep your stuff in gargantuan bags
On the other side of the accessories spectrum, enormous bags were trotted out at Tory Burch, A.W.A.K.E, Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton. I guess if you’re already wearing a fanny pack, why not take advantage of your free arms by loading them up with an excessively roomy vessel? You never know when you’re going to need to transport a baby dinosaur across state lines. Or groceries.
6. Tell your bubble hems they get another 15 minutes of fame
I haven’t worn a bubble hem since the holiday party I attended my freshman year of high school. It was a champagne-colored dress with an empire waist. Very 2005. According to Phillip Lim, Mary Katrantzou, Missoni and Saint Laurent, it will also be very 2018.
7. Tell your dresses to give your bras some attention
I don’t blame bras for wanting more visible credit for the job they do, which is an objectively important one. Diane von Furstenberg, Toga, Versace and Valentino are giving them the spotlight they deserve with dresses that function as ready-made picture windows for lingerie at work.
8. Toss your fidget spinner and ruche, baby, ruche
Once we tire of fidget spinners (which, let’s face it, is already kind of happening), our fingers are going to start roaming around in search of another plaything. The copious drawstring on display at Calvin Klein, J.W. Anderson, Tod’s and Saint Laurent will undoubtedly fulfill the need with flying colors, providing not only ample fiddling opportunities but also the ability to ruche your own garments at will.
9. Get ready to go out in peplum like it’s 2009
The peplum trend really snuck up on me this season. I was blind to its very apparent presence at Rosie Assoulin, Roland Mouret and Fendi until BOOM! Balenciaga happened, which essentially stamped a wax seal of approval on the croissant-scented confirmation envelope that gets sent off to the mystical department of trends after Paris Fashion Week wraps.
10. Jump out of bed and dress in head-to-toe red (sorry, had to)
Lilac was a strong contender for “color of the season,” but red ousted it purely on the basis of how intensely it manifested itself: not just in abundance, but in head-to-toe abundance. In other words, there were multiple instances in which models were sent down the runway wearing an entirely red outfit from top to bottom, shoes included. Mansur Gavriel, Gareth Pugh, Ferragamo and Proenza Schouler.
Style stories are in the Man Repeller pipeline for both peplum and head-to-toe red because, no matter how much you love a movie trailer, there’s no reason not to try these six-months-away trends now. Let me know what Spring/Summer 2018 happenings are strumming your emotional harp. I’ll be waiting in the comments section with a notebook and a fanny pack.
Animations by Melanie Duran; follow her on Instagram @melbduran.
