With everything back to normal, fashion seems to have a reality check for 2024. Practicality and utility may not be the usual pegs for designers, but functional details and practical cuts can be found in many collections. It’s no wonder that there’s nostalgia for ’90s minimalism —and a reflex for the sensible, like hardworking denim — during these fraught and divisive times. After the revenge shopping right after the pandemic, people are turning to quiet luxury, quality pieces that can last for more than one season. Craft is more important than ever, a luxury we have in abundance in the Philippines with handwoven fabrics and artisanal crafts like embroidery to embellish ternos and couture gowns.
With global warming raising temperatures to unheard-of highs, the shortest shorts and the sheerest dresses and skirts are our trustworthy friends; and so are mesh, eyelet, lace and slashes. We still want some frills in our lives, of course: fringed flapper looks, metallics and roses will jazz things up. After all we’ve been through, there’s a lot to celebrate, after all, and we should dress accordingly.
Craft
With the wealth of artisans in the country, we are spoiled for the handmade, from couture techniques used by our favorite designers to handwoven and hand-embroidered indigenous fabrics. Lulu Tan Gan’s SS24 collection shown at Bench Fashion Week employed novel ways of showcasing piña, like handblocked gold prints in easy, contemporary silhouettes.
At the same fashion series, Abdul Gaffar, Ternocon 2 Chief Mentor’s Medal winner, accented his pieces with gongs and okir swirls in brass using repoussé techniques, giving his pieces a distinct touch of his native Mindanao.
Ternocon 3 finalist Cheetah Rivera, on the other hand, has been experimenting in her atelier with Jackson Pollock-inspired paint splashes on crisp, white separates.
At Bottega Veneta and Diesel, craft is used to create illusory effects: fringed gowns looking like feathers but actually made of leather in the former and peeled-paint looks using shredded deadstock denim and jersey at the latter.
Smell the roses
It’s the year of the roses and our designers have geared up for it, from Cary Santiago’s exquisitely sculptured blooms to Dennis Lustico’s ternos featuring just the right accent of embroidered buds with their stems.
Global warming-friendly
Climate change is real, so dresses and skirts are going sheer. For maximalists, lace is the way to go, as seen in Ternocon 3 finalist Bree Esplanada’s black terno with floral lace top and dotted tulle bottom. Kifu Augousti of Kifu Paris is often seen in her favorite Olivier Theyskens couture pieces in white or black lace. Ivar Aseron’s beaded jigsaw cutouts make sure you stay cool in artisanal refinement.
Hardworking denim
Designers worked extra hard to do novel things with this beloved fabric. Carl Jan Cruz, in grappling with the question of what we really need, has denim solutions that are well-thought-out and place a premium on craftsmanship. Junya Watanabe also has unique silhouettes that have tiered stitching. Schiaparelli makes denim cargos luxe paired with a tweed jacket.
The quiet luxury of the ’90s
The TV series Succession made such an impact that quiet luxury has become a major inspiration that fits right in with a nostalgia for ’90s minimalism exemplified by Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, that decade’s style icon, whose 25th death anniversary is coming up this year. Get ready for camel pencil skirts, gray tailoring, white shirts and boyfriend-style jeans from the likes of Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Max Mara.
Go high
Who doesn’t want legs that seem to go on forever? This year, the high-trouser silhouette can do just that, from Loewe’s model that is so super-uber it comes with a built-in corset to hold it in place under the bust, to other leg-lengtheners at Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Saint Laurent.
Go short
Further focusing on the legs while being climate-friendly, skirts and shorts are super-micro. Whereas shorts seemed like underwear used as outerwear in previous seasons, they have been styled to be more suited for everyday wear this year. The new Gucci creative director, Sabato de Sarno, showed a lot of them on the runways, paired with blouses and bra tops and even in leather topped by a casual hoodie.
Country club
Fashion oracle Miuccia Prada has declared that it’s time for the polo shirt again, styling it at Miu Miu with men’s board shorts, gold brocade shift dresses and ruffled micro-mini skirts. In a similar country-club mood were rugby shirts at Dries Van Noten and DSquared2.
Fringes and feathers
Nothing spells celebration like fringes and feathers, which Cheetah Rivera embraces wholeheartedly in many of her couture pieces for clients. Just like the end of the Spanish flu pandemic that heralded the roaring ’20s, fringed and feathered flapper looks are back.
Olympic gold
2024 is Olympics year in Paris, so go for gold and silver and bronze, too. There will be many ways to shine, from all-out glam at Ralph Lauren to subtle fringes on the edge at Gucci. For a more relaxed vibe, mix gold with preppy at Miu Miu.
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