It’s been an eventful year in fashion to say the least. From the escalating conversation around sustainability and the climate emergency, to the potential impact on the industry of the current coronavirus outbreak and a broader feeling that we need to change not only how we approach our wardrobes but how we engage with the wider world. But, despite all the turmoil and change we still need to get dressed in the morning. So how to approach this mindfully and practically while still not losing our love for fashion and need to express our individuality.
A recent news story that Phoebe Philo is planning to launch her own brand eco-collection, as well as generating a collective, quivering excitement (Is she? Will she? And…when?) seemed to somehow encompass many of these questions. Philo after all owned ‘wardrobing’ for women during her decade long tenure at Celine. Indeed, I’d be hard pressed to name a woman I know who doesn’t own something from Phoebe era Celine. From fully fledged ‘Phoebephiles’ who religiously bought new pieces every season to those who simply opted for a bag or wallet or single piece of jewellery, she spoke to an army of devoted followers who loved fashion but also wanted clothes that worked hard and more than earned their keep. And her signature ‘soft power’ aesthetic seems to chime even more strongly now when a new approach to dressing seems ever more necessary.
So how to dress for this new world order while we wait (or should that be pray?) for Phoebe’s return to the world of fashion. There are plenty of options in fact and pieces that offer both pragmatism and longevity, also informed by a sense of softness, whether that be through colour or silhouette that reflect the growing mood for a new approach in both our wardrobes and lives.
