The shops are open! What to buy?
Transitional Dressing
Summer trends have become a bit redundant with 4 months of in-store shopping time vanished forever. Although the majority of brands have a strong on-line presence the inability to physically shop has resulted in the fashion shopping process being stunted. The ‘trickle-down theory’ from catwalk to customer never really got going.
Street style interpretations, celebrity influences, in-store styling, window dressing and taking in fellow shoppers’ choices came to a standstill. Social media has allowed for an element of this but the things that drive us to shop online and inadvertently persuade our purchases, didn’t gain momentum. On top of all that the desire and need for fashion, never mind clothes, has waned.
Most retailers cancelled out of a lot of their summer stock, had permanent offers to shift it or have maybe phased stock back to bring in as autumn merchandise and now the official summer sales are upon us.
So, now that shops are open, what to look for?
My advice is to shop under the following 3 headings, to avoid random buys, unworn mistakes and to set you up for the exciting A/W season ahead.
Basics
These are timeless with minimal detailing in neutral colours. You can never have enough basics and will wear them on repeat until they wear out. It is always more exciting to buy fancy, colourful or on-trend pieces and as a result most people don’t have enough basic items in their wardrobe, preventing the creation of outfits. ‘Lots of lovely things but nothing to wear them with,’ is a common complaint I hear a lot.
It is a perfect time to shop for basics either in the sale or full price as most retailers offer essentials at all times.
These include:
White, cream or ivory ( depending on your skin tone) tops. This can be anything from a vest to a blouse.
Jeans - Perfect time to clinch that perfect pair. Look for smart and casual styles in the right silhouette for your body shape.
White Trainers - There are lots of these in the sale, making it a good time to invest in a leather pair.
Top Tip: Look out for single breasted blazers and white shirts. These are both classics set to be big trends for A/W.
Transitional Pieces
These will take you through from summer into autumn. Cool enough to wear right now but with the ability to layer up and be adaptable for cooler months.
For example;
Floaty dresses that you can wear with sandals now and boots later.
7/8 trousers
Jumpsuits
Top Tip: Look out for A/W trends in the summer sales. I’ve got my eye on anything metallic, sequinned or bejewelled.
Autumn/Winter Trends
Early emerging winter trends will start to hit down from end July beginning of August. Some of the trends that began in summer (or didn’t really get going) and are set to continue into autumn are:
Romantic ruffles and frills
Waistcoats
Volume sleeves
And look out for the new trends. ( My A/W 20/21 trends Blog is out on the 3rd July) Some of my favourites include:
Fringing
Precious Boho
Big shoulders
Hats
Leather - skirts/trousers/coats - anything
Top Tip: It is a great time to buy a leather jacket in the summer sales.
Use the time if you haven’t already to clear out your wardrobe. The three pile method works well.
1. Wear regularly/ fits/ like - Keep
2. Don’t wear/ doesn’t fit /don’t like on- Chuck or at least take out of your wardrobe/daily dressing space
3. Not sure -Try on and re-asses into piles 1 or 2
Do this quickly (gut reaction is good) and honestly! This will highlight the gaps that you have and provide a shopping list of what you need. Quite often the problem is that we have nice things but don’t have the right items to wear with them. Then find out what shapes, styles and colours suit you.
I’m full of excitement to see how fashion forward the retailers will go. It’s easy to imagine that many will play it relatively safe, keeping stocks tight, fearing a second wave - but the trends are, perhaps purposefully, wearable and positive.
Get ready for a confident new beginning.