2024 - A Fashion Year in Review

It gets more difficult to determine what was unique about, or dominant in, fashion each year. That is because for the past 25 years, fashion has drifted further and further from the ‘golden’ age (1790s – 1990s), when fashion progressed in measured seasonal shifts. Today, fashion is a series of brands, revivals, and micro-trends popularized by influencers and celebrities, or created by one of the young-designers-whose-name-we-barely-get-to-know-before-they-move-to-another-fashion-house-established-by-a-dead-designer-that-is-now-owned-by-one-of-a-half-dozen-mega-corporations.

Fashion no longer has a discernable progression because it doesn’t really change anymore – it just spins. It no longer matters what the width of the pant, length of the hem, shape of the sleeve, or where the waistline falls between the bust and hip. In Swiftie talk, we have left the ‘era’ of fashion, and have entered the ‘era’ of style.

Like politics, what is called fashion these days is polarized. It's not really a pair of leggings and puffer coat, but it’s also not Zendaya wearing a suit of armor on the red carpet, even if it was designed by Thierry Mugler. Fashion has always been about more than just clothes. It is the result of the successful merger between business and craft, and it becomes a complex expression of who we are by what we choose to wear. When celebrities change into different outfits during events, each outfit becomes part of their vocabulary to express who they are: this outfit shows I have a sense of humour – this outfit has been loaned to me because I am mega-important – this outfit is upcycled from seaweed because I care...

Although I find the topic of fashion fascinating, I no longer participate in it’s excesses like I did when I was in my early 20s and mousse, eyeliner, and zhuzhing the sleeves of my jacket mattered. I am now nearly 64 years old, and my ‘style’ has become one of understated respectability that has its foundations in ivy league prep. Most of the time I wear black jeans or coloured chinos, comfortable walking shoes (because my feet hurt), or a pair of Doc Marten knock-offs, and one of a dozen or so Brooks Brothers button-down shirts, most of which are some shade of blue, worn over a black or white T-shirt. I have a dressier outfit for weddings and funerals that includes one of two jackets and one of my vintage ties, but I haven’t worn a tie to work in 25 years. My wardrobe will probably remain unchanged for the rest of my life because I have found my style.

Here are some styles I noticed in 2024 that I think are recurring themes in fashion:

Revivalism – this year it was Y2K – from wide legged pants and bare midriffs to chunky soles and backpacks. Throw in a bit of ‘Brat’ girl-power and Swiftie cowgal for good measure.  

Minimalism – a modernist pallette of neutrals in sleek designs that, admittedly, I saw more in store windows than on streets, but it will forever ebb and flow in popularity as a style basic.

Maximalism – a mash-up of colours, patterns and textiles that jar when worn together.  Sometimes it’s through juxtaposition, like ballerina skirts worn with sneakers, and sometimes it’s just a vivid mix of pattern and colour, often because each garment or accessory is a key piece worn together in purposeful discord.

Genderless – Men wearing dresses and nail polish has subsided, but both sexes wearing genderless jeans, sweaters, coats, ties and belts (what we used to call unisex) has been a recurring trend since the late 1960s and grows stronger.

Upcycled – This style struggles to become mainstream, and its not there yet, but it's gaining momentum. From making patchwork skirts to reinventing old clothes, the problem is that upcycling requires creativity and work, and is usually the product of individual sewists or small boutiques. A favourite is vintage denim - repair patches or Sashiko (the Japanese tradition of obvious mends) can add more chic.

Vintage – This trend is small but continues to grow. It's not just about wearing vintage in an academically-correct manner, but about adopting vintage style by making, commissioning, or buying reproductions so authentic pieces don't have to be sacrificed.