Fashion has been on a two month freeze. I mean it! When researching, “COVID-19’s effect on the fashion industry” editorial sites have not dared to make a comment since March, and those who did, didn’t have much to say. When did the most dynamic, flashy, glamorous industry stop being in the press entirely? As a consumer who lives for creating looks, I set out on a quest to answer this question: “When we get out, when life slowly resumes will designers, celebrities, and other cultural icons continue to throw new trends our way or will be stuck wearing the March 2020 designs for a while?” For the first time in fashion history, maybe trends won’t change.
With there being so little information out there, I will start by explaining some of my insider knowledge as a buyer who chases consumer demands on the daily.
Whether you (the consumer) are buying from a brick and mortar location or a website, you’re still purchasing from a store. How an item is brought to a store remains a mystery to most. A little crash course: for years buyers, who represent a store, travel (Woah, I just used the “t word”) to market, and spend days in brightly lit showrooms eating chocolates, schmoozing, and agonizing over every detail a garment can possibly have with vendor reps and designers alike. Picking fabrics, prints, colors, detailing, and number of SKU’s takes forever because buyers, from dollar store goods to Oscar de la Renta buy seasons in advance in hopes of predicting what you may want and when you will want it. Lead time varies but I know I personally had selected all sweater designs for Fall 2021 before March closures and was beginning on confirmations.
This little system has proven to bottleneck the industry in this time of crisis. Cruise shows and Resortwear 2021 were scheduled to run this spring and be in stores in November, right in time for snowbird season. All have been canceled since March, with some houses continuing to work on the line and present to buyers digitally and others postponing indefinitely. The thing with fashion is you can’t postpone it. With the industry’s instant atmosphere, the day a new dress is released it is technically already old news. No one moves quicker, therefore I am astounded by the lack of willingness to move forward exhibited by some brands. Menswear and Coutiere shows in New York, France, and England (and most other countries) will be nonexistent this year. As far as the big Fall Fashion Week womenswear announcement - there hasn’t been one yet. Armani is among the first to hold his own show in an empty Milan theater and live streamed it out to the masses. But people are sick of looking at screens. Especially with something as tactile as fabric. “If there were a time to reinvent oneself it is now,” said Aslaung Magnusdottir, a Forbes contributor.
It is no secret that today is a consumer’s market. With global cotton consumption down 12%, brands are looking to give consumers exactly what they want. At the same time they’re desperate to make a sale. Projecting out seasons in advance is no longer smart nor feasible for the industry. Fashion’s life cycle will be slowed as companies are forced to rely on in demand manufacturing due to lack of inventory in the correct season. Luckily, the industry has slowly been making strides towards a sustainable, more couture-(er?) way of making for the last three or so years. Perhaps COVID-19 was the unfortunate catalyst the fashion industry needed.
In the near future, product selection will be less diverse and innovative (due to an all-out halt in production). Here are some shopping and outfit coordinating tips to help your looks feel fresh in spite of themselves.
Add a scarf. Even in the summer (think 60s head scarves or through belt loops 00s style), their versatility never seizes to amaze me. More on this to come.
Find your signature scent. When one wears perfume one feels more poised. And these days, I’m all about feeling. Daisy by Marc Jacobs is a highly celebrated love of mine however, I am on a quest for something more unique.
Wear a skirt in place of your normal jeans. Beginner level: jean skirt; same idea new shape. Advanced: printed and silky with a wild top. Why not?
Braid your hair. It frames your face differently, transforming the most mundane or even repeated outfits.
Experiment with shirt tucks. Or maybe lack thereof. To tuck or not to tuck or to half-tuck? Whatever you normally do, try the opposite!
Without a heavy street style or runway presence, we as individuals are given the rare pleasure of seeking inspiration in other sources. Take advantage of Whitney Wisdom, moments in history; and rework what you already have. In 2019 I stated on this blog, “It’s tough because, nothing is really not in right now.” That was true then because we are at a point in history where people are more accepting of others than ever before. It is extra true now with media and inspirational mentors forced to take a step back. Without the influence of major fashion houses we are all encouraged to define on our own what is trendy for the first time in modern years. I hope you use this next year or so to find your style and to fall in love with the ever changing, ever shocking, fashion industry. To evolution!
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