Iindeed it seemed for a while as if the 2020s might represent the event of extinction for the dress. I got used to spending an entire fashion month without seeing one person. And that is not an exaggeration. It was in pants and jeans.
Sometimes – just sometimes – someone might dress up for a very flashy occasion. But the dress? No. Indeed, I’ve been involved in many conversations with fellow British fashion journalists where the discussion was that while we still liked the idea of the dress in theory, when we did we couldn’t remember the last time we’d worn it, and we probably wouldn’t wear it again. (I know, all the big topics of the day. Even though we’re talking about them again.)
How things have changed. I will go as far as to say that spring / summer 26, as the next six months are known in the industry, still makes it the season of the coat. Yes, it is the measure of their ubiquity. Just when it seems that nothing has changed over the years, trends wise, following the most remarkable cycle change from the past.
It’s all about one man, and you’ll know who this man is if you’ve looked at fashion lately. I don’t know what Matthieu Blazy’s middle name is but by rights – given what he’s been up to since starting Chanel last year – it should be Skirt. Well, since Blazy is French-Belgian, it should be Jupe. But you catch my drift.
Instantly a dress – the right dress, needless to say – makes you look modern rather than out of style from the 1990s. The most unusual, most modern of all – or, ahem, currently, to use the language of fashion – is a suit.
Yes, those two pieces that were called decades ago as a “dress”, and after that it began to look more along the lines of the dress of fancy clothes, the part of Jackie Kennedy, the part of Margaret Thatcher, has a moment. It was Coco Chanel’s gift to the world in 1925. More than a hundred years later Blazy added the last act of registration.
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I still keep my beds over the skirt suit. You need a straight-bottom figure to pull off a Chanel-ish style, and I worry that a more fitted style looks better on those of us with curves. (If you’re game, Karen Millen has a tailored jacket and longline combo, in cream or olive, reduced to £135 for the skirt and £100 for the jacket, karenmillen.com.)
However, I’m mostly here for the skirt itself. There are three main modes of travel: mini (no, me too); pencil/straightener; full. If you are looking for a mini, I think you will not need any advice or recommendation from me. Honestly, you could teach me a thing or two about it the spirit of lifenot to mention the adductor exercises. It’s all ears.
If you’re considering other options, however, I have some ideas that might help. One of the reasons why dresses have fallen out of favor in the first place is that they can be incredibly difficult – which, if you read unattractive – to wear on anyone who doesn’t look like Mademoiselle Chanel.
The important thing is to play the second role. If you’re full in your bottom half, make sure you emphasize your waist and go for a neat top half – a small tee or knit, or a shirt that doesn’t fit too much. I will avoid the jacket, and if you are wondering why, I would suggest that your next internet search should be “whirling dervish”.
That’s why a full dress is best in spring or summer. So a year needs to be committed only once instead of always making bad friends. British retail brand Wiggy Kit is great fun in bulk. For less, try Boden and Albaray (bubble hem is the ultimate 2026 tweak).
A different style can be contradictory, as it can seem very interesting if it is on the big side. Also, check out Boden, as well as Massimo Dutti and Anthropologie. A neat blouse slides down your lower half when paired with something fuller on your upper half, such as a simple fitted cotton shirt (again, tucked in, but loose rather than tight, so you don’t see the actual waist) or a fitted utility jacket (Drake by Baukjen, £199, baukjen.com). A mistake made by many women who are not completely happy with their size is to flatten their lines instead of flattening them. Another heel can do wonders here too – go for a chunkier style if you want to make your legs look slimmer.
Vacancy. It turns out it’s exactly what we’ve been waiting for.
@annagmurphy
#Moleka #years #closet