Baggy is better: the modern and minimalist approach to fashion on the oversize trend

I have reflected on the challenges of fashion: in particular the current trend for loose clothing.

It’s an obstacle for me. What can I say ? I got used to knowing where my height is. But I imagine that before long I’ll be rummaging through my wardrobe for something that doesn’t fit where it touches.

In the meantime, a period of readjustment is called for. In fashion lingo, this is called “getting your look”; a moment to get used to something wrong before it becomes the norm.

I remember interviewing designer Alexander McQueen in the ’90s about his extreme butt cleavage revealing disappointments – his way of altering erogenous zones, proportions and perhaps a cheeky play on the more earthy concept of “Builder’s bum” – and think, really? Well, hipsters were the way this idea evolved, and they lasted a good decade.

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While I enjoy familiarizing myself with my own take on a new look, it’s why they pop up in the first place that really intrigues me. Because while fashion’s constant quest for something new may be based on the retail requirement to sell more clothing, there are times when a change in style direction points to something deeper. . In its most fascinating form, fashion reflects the values ​​of our time.

So why is loose clothing fast becoming the new normal? If you think they’re just a cozy, comfortable response to intermittent blockages, think about it.

A trend that advocates shapeless clothing that makes it difficult to read the genre is undoubtedly also a reflection of the growing acceptance of the fluidity of the genre.

It’s no surprise that fashion is the order of the day when you read that in 2019, 56% of Gen Z consumers shopped, “outside their assigned gender zone,” and Z has a purchasing power of 143 billion US dollars (201 billion New Zealand dollars) according to Rob Smith, founder of the genderless fashion brand Phluid Project.

In recent years, street giants H&M and Zara have created genderless ranges. And according to a recent article by Vogue, trendy stores such as Dover Street Market are rethinking layouts in terms of color and style rather than male and female sections.

This gender-neutral or unisex approach has already been taken by local brands such as Jimmy D, Jason Lingard, Papa Clothing, Salasai and Zambesi. Wellington-based Kowtow recently launched a unisex capsule collection featuring soft, simple, mostly minimalist clothing (no prints, no frills, no structure, no hard edges).

Gosia Piatek, Founder and Creative Director of Kowtow, says it’s a way to rethink the way we dress. The sizes range from XXS to XXL, with sleeves that are too long, accordion fabric at the ankles, a square cut, loose T-shirts; all of the above will undoubtedly become the hallmark of this style of dress.

What is most striking though, is how much this casual change of clothes emphasizes the faces of those who wear them.

I come to clothes that favor the loose fit, however you identify yourself: something that wraps rather than clinging, allowing you rather than your shape to speak.