Fashion Brief
Just as the Inuit have 50 words for snow, so the fashion world has its own pedantic and fanciful vocabulary to describe the shifts and changes of each season. It’s really easy to laugh at, but I actually think it’s fair enough. The world would be a duller place if Miuccia Prada’s collection notes said: “This season I’ve mainly done big skirts. They’re dry clean only but, really, how often does anyone wash a skirt? Don’t wear it if you’re eating takeaway curry and you’ll probably be fine.”
One rather eye-rolling word that designers and fashion writers bandied about for the spring collections was layering. I mean, yes, technically if you’ve put a cardie over your shirt, you’ve layered, but for spring 2015 this is a specific and interesting thing.
There were jarring juxtapositions at Celine and Peter Som, where trousers were worn under dresses or long tunics; there were sort of aprons over dresses at Proenza Schouler. Elsewhere designers showed more traditional layers. Flowing coats and shirts were open over gauzy vests at Burberry. Asymmetric diaphanous layered skirts floated on the catwalk at Missoni. This spring layering meant everything was off kilter. Silhouettes were wonky. The body’s proportions were reimagined. Hems were askew. These are changes worth using a fashion word for.
Like many interesting catwalk trends, layering doesn’t translate easily into everyday life. I can’t recommend wearing an apron over a dress unless you’re a waitress, but most people can do a wafty skirt or a top with an unusual hemline.
There are a lot of garments appearing in shops that have a top layer made of lace or see-through fabric, or a petticoat layer peeping out from underneath. Label Ostwald Helgason has often played with ideas of proportion and transparency in collections and this season is no exception. This shirt with a white lace top-layer is particularly pretty. Croatian designer Damir Doma’s aesthetics may be the antithesis of Ostwald Helgason’s but he’s just as clever at using fabric to create illusions of layers and draping.
If you can’t be arsed with clever, which typically means expensive, then go to the high street. There are some great trompe l’oeil layered tops at Zara, Asos has gone big on dresses with diaphanous top layers and Topshop has done some neat and sturdy skorts (shorts/skirts). These jacquard ones are khaki so they tap into this season’s military trend, too.
Of course you needn’t rely on design. You can layer up yourself. As it’s just putting clothes on, I’m sure you’ll do a fine job. Stick to neutral colours, otherwise it can all get a bit fussy and messy; and keep layers light or you’ll end up looking like Joey in that episode of Friends when he put all of Chandler’s clothes on at once.
Do at least give layering a try. Done well, drapes of fabric play with shape and form. As Mrs Prada would never say: give it a whirl, what’s the worst that could happen?
Follow Alice on Instagram @aliceefisher
