Are you going “out-out”?
As we enter the countdown to the festive period, we can look forward to celebrating and maybe.... even.....dressing up! It certainly has been a long time since we let our hair down and partied, and although it is still a “keep safe” mentality, we can hopefully at least enjoy wearing some more glamorous clothes.
At Conscious Closet we always love the trends and know the thrill of a new purchase to see in the New Year, but try and make this work in a more sustainable way. In other words, using what we have, or buying better and keeping longer.
So what are the looks for this festive season, and how can you adapt what you own to create a modern party outfit? We look at 5 key trends to inspire…
Embellishment
Exactly as it says – we are seeing so many embellished pieces and accessories to reflect the 1920’s and 1980’s style of “more is more”. Wear jewels, bows, feathers, fringing, sparkle. Designers realised we are wanting to show off and have some fun after a sombre lockdown, so you can choose full blown or a nod to the trend in an accessory and hair adornment. Pearl earrings, bow hair accessories, fur wraps. Vintage shops have the best embellishment in jewellery and headwear together with beautiful sequin pieces – and vintage bags are perfect for this trend.
Feather clutch bag
Mango
Vintage sequin capelet
Etsy
Vintage bead satin clutch
Etsy
Beaded hair band
Oliver Bonas - or better still make your own from a knotted scarf with sewn on beads!
Skin show
Ok - a little scary, but the designers showed lots of items with slits and sheer pieces, off shoulder tops, and super short skirts to reveal those legs. The trend is to have a bit of skin on show! So either show a tiny piece of skin such as shoulder, décolletage, or a sliver of your waist or back. Or put some sheen on those legs and wear a micro mini. For those of us who hate showing legs then you can buy some patterned logo tights which were all over the catwalk and help the cause. Just remember to not show both bare leg and bust. Crucial fashion tip!
Knitted cut-out dress
Self Portrait
Sparkle and shine
Loving this trend as it includes sequins (yeah!) Most of us have sequins in our wardrobe but if you are buying new sequins make sure they are recycled, as these plastic little devils are awful on the environment. If not then buy to keep and cherish.
Sparkle trends are mainly silver based but you can still wear gold if better for your colouring – just make sure you have shimmer, shine, satin, and metallic fabrics. Be careful as metallic fabrics are usually polyester based, so look for natural fibres with a shine to them: eco conscious viscose and silk satin for example.
Recycled ideas include sequin blazer WHISTLES, gold rush long sleeve top FREE PEOPLE, Julia midi tea dress OMNES, Tinsel 2-in-1 dress ALLSAINTS
Suited and booted
For the ladies out there who prefer trousers to dresses do not despair! Gucci updated their iconic red velvet suit in stretch cotton for both men and women, which sashayed down the runway with a simple shirt and neck tie just like it’s 1996 predecessor. Perfect! Be inspired to look at cotton or silk velvets for blazers, trousers, and jumpsuits. Velvet is also a forever fabric, so choose a colour you will wear each year, and team with a crisp shirt or fancy top. Perfect!
Gucci catwalk A/W 1996
Colour saturation
Easy to follow as all you need to do is wear a few of the fantastic colour trends top to toe. Verdant green, electric blue, vibrant red and pink - in a beautiful dress with some shine. Colour brings you to life and a dress in a bold colour has excellent mileage through to the summer. Look for a good heavy viscose satin or crepe to add the evening glamour - many brands are now showing items made from Lenzing Ecovero which is derived from certified renewable wood sources using an eco-responsible production process.
Satin flounce dress
H&M Conscious
Adelaide midi tea dress
Omnes