A look back at the fashions of 2022 holds a various array of styles and trends, as is the nature of fashion in this day and age. A mixing of styles that were once thought of as separate has seen an increase in popularity this year, business wear hasn’t bounced back since meetings moved back to in person, and replacing shirts with jumpers is now considered firmly acceptable! Weddings have gone the other way with 3 piece suits at the front of the queue, spiced up by a mix-and-match style between the pieces.
With increasingly diversified looks and themes becoming widely accepted and subsumed into mainstream fashion, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what is ‘on trend’ as there seems to be no clear answers! Here are some of the trends we've enjoyed this year:
We have seen a significant rise in the popularity of the cardigan, with them having been a firm autumn staple and now showing as a prominent feature in the Spring Summer '23 runway shows. Whether a heavy woollen cardigan that will stand the battering of a brisk winter wind, or a lighter and more versatile garment used as a layering piece, the knitted garment is seeing a welcome resurgence.
There was a fleeting trend of the cardigan being used in place of a coat or jacket which has been and gone, and we are now increasingly seeing cardigans becoming a layering staple with the cold weather firmly cementing the need for a coat atop. They come in such a range of finishes (cable knit, cashmere, shawl collar etc.) that there now seems to be a cardigan for every style and occasion, whatever your preference!
Another switch we've seen has been to the full-placket and long-sleeve polo shirts which are finding some middle ground between their shorter-sleeved cousins, and the ever-formal shirt. Now quite an acceptable first layer, their collared appearance lends them an edge of the formal that elevates them out of the casual category. It seems more of a necessity than a style choice that has prompted the lengthened sleeves, as at this time of year they are largely hidden beneath a sleek jacket or coat.
A surprising trend has been the popularity of the mildly gothic flair that has gained a foothold recently with a revival of the Kentucky bows and lavallieres atop a monochromatic background. In tune with the recent smash hit ‘Wednesday’ where the unashamedly eccentric makes a come back, the black and white colour palette is back in fashion. Black suits, white lace, draping bows and checkerboard patterns are all here to stay, at least until the spring thaws into a new fashion.
I think it would be reasonable to say that the characteristic of this year has been the blending of styles and the dissolution of strict dress codes to allow for a fresh take on what it means to be ‘fashionable’. As these boundaries further disintegrate into the coming year, we will hopefully see an exciting amalgamation of clothing to come!
