Trend report: What to wear and do for SS19

Even though people are sniffy about trends, I still quite like tracking them. The trick is just to pay attention to the ones that work for you. So in this wee SS19 round-up, I’m deliberately ignoring anything overstatementy or hype-y that will have disappeared in a year. And instead homing in on the classics that have been reinvented or lifestyle movements that will impact how we live.

NOGO We’ve reached peak logo (sorry Gucci) and now it’s about deliberately unbranded products. I signed up to Italic last year, which is a membership-based direct-to-consumer company selling unbranded, yet high quality products that come straight from the factory. There are Valextra-esque card cases for $40, a lush lambskin biker for $425 (below), cashmere scarves from the same supplier as Burberry for $95 (if it’s the factory I visited a couple of years ago, then I’m sold), and soon to come, beauty from the makers of La Prairie for a fraction of the price.

BALLERINA BANDS Hair bands (as opposed to ‘head bands’) are trending and I love all this ballet practice styling, it reminds me a lot of 90s Prada and Helmut Lang. Guido did a fab job at Dior (which in itself was one of the best shows performance-wise with its Sharon Eyal choreography), wrapping the models’ hair around their heads and topping with an elastic hair band. I haven’t worked out how to embrace this with short hair but I’m working on it. (In the meantime, I’m cultivating my fringe…)

CHRISTOPHE LEMAIRE I think we need to stop with all the #oldceline mourning now and move on. Instead, let’s celebrate other designers who are just as relevant and female-friendly. This season’s Lemaire is the best yet I think. I’m living for these voluminous, crunchy, knotty separates and his bags are also a bit of an insider secret.

NECK-CESSORIES The new bum bag is… a neck purse. Jacquemus strung these little leather pouches (below left) around the necks of his male models, but I’m sure they’re going to be snapped up by womenswear buyers too. (For now, we can have the Le Pitchou neck purses carried over from AW18.) I’m also partial to the Cos key pouch in polished leather (below right) that I think doubles as its own little necklace. Buy it here.

UNDERSTATED TRAINERS I’ve got a separate post coming about the hyped trainer backlash, but for now, these Dior Homme SS19 pink 70s-style kicks are on my radar. They’re men’s but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them produced in smaller sizes. If Dior doesn’t, I’m sure someone else will…

JELLY BEAUTY Make-up and skincare wise, we’re having a texture moment. Last year saw a huge relaunch from Shiseido that categorises its make-up according to textures (powders, gels, inks etc), rather than product type. My texture of choice is anything gel-cream like. I can vouch for the WASO Clear Mega-Hydrating Cream, a thick but lightweight moisturising jelly, Clinique’s amazing Moisture Surge Intense Skin Auto Replenishing Hydrator, and the Shiseido Essential Energy Moisturising Cream. I’ve also got my eye on the WASO Fresh Jelly Lotion, that uses Japanese white jelly mushroom to help skin retain moisture, kinda like hyaluronic acid (tip: mushroom is a big emerging beauty ingredient apparently).

BANDS OF GOLD AND PEARL DROPS Pearls have been reinvented and I’m liking the organic-shaped drop earrings and rings by Hernan Herdez, aka Brooklyn-based Melissa Hernandez (below). Also, now that Japanese jeweller Tasaki has finally opened in Bond Street (I first wrote about it here), I can get a close look at Thakoon’s minimalist designs for its Balance line. To accompany a single pearl piece, add a simple skinny bangle of beige gold. Tiffany’s T line is still going strong, Le Gramme is another great investment, and it looks like Chanel’s new Coco Crush bangle is hoping to take on the Cartier Love bracelet. Wear with a tight-sleeve black turtleneck and a red velvet nail.

GIVENCHY GOWNS I have only ever worn a gown once. It was a Stella McCartney for Chloe black satin bias cut number circa 1998 and a panic buy for a music industry bigwig’s white tie dinner. I lucked out and nabbed it off the Harrods sale rail for £150. I’ve never pictured myself in a gown gown since. That is, until I saw Givenchy’s punk-poetic pleat creations for SS19 (top and below). I think it’s the combo of the length, the bracelet sleeves, the footwear and the short hair that makes me think, yes, I could do that!

Plus, the trends that you may not be wearing but will most certainly be experiencing…

PLANTFLUENCERS Move over #skinfluencers! ‘Plantfluencers’ are going to take over as we start hearing more about the skincare benefits of indoor plants. I wrote about this in the New Year edition of The Beauty Conversation newsletter (have you subbed?), but the TLDR is that surrounding yourself with tons of houseplants is good for your skin as well as your mental wellbeing. My favourite accounts to follow include @houseplantgal @houseplantclub and @theplantmagazine. And to get you started in your houseplant journey are direct-to-consumer start-ups The Sill and Leon & George, or for the full bricks and mortar experience, head to Conservatory Archives (below) in East London.

MARKET OF ONE A development of the personalisation movement, LVMH’s chief digital officer Ian Rogers describes the ‘one market’ concept as that in which brands cater for an individual’s personal taste, shifting the design power to the customer. One of the best examples of this that I’ve seen is Valextra’s brilliant No Logo, My Logo concept (below), in which the customer works with Valextra’s in-house graphic designers to come up with a unique take on a repeat typographic print based on their initials. Co-creating with the designer means you come out with something great, yet unique. According to Valextra, “We’re a no-logo brand, so we’re doing the logo in our way. It becomes the customer’s logo; you own the design.” The finished piece (the bag itself is chosen from the current collection) is paid for in advance then delivered three months later.

NON SPON The influencer economy is set to reach $10 billion by 2020, but to many discerning consumers (that’s us lot), the excessive sell, sell, sell culture is too much. Shifting the landscape are newcomers like @Thingtesting and @Gelcream (below); grown up reviewers whose Instagram feeds are resolutely unsponsored. Jenny Gyllander of Thingtesting is a venture capitalist by day, who adds commentary to her feed on the commercial viability of the start-ups whose products she reviews. Meanwhile, skintellectual influencers like @sortofobsessed take time out from the relentless unboxing to produce PR-free posts where they review – gasp! – only products they’ve bought with their own money.


NOW CLICK BELOW TO SHOP THE POST… (these are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission on the basket value if you buy anything)

WORDS: Disneyrollergirl / Navaz Batliwalla
IMAGES: Givenchy ss19 by Corey Tenold/Vogue Runway; Italic jacket; Dior ss19; Christophe Lemaire ss19; Jacquemus and Cos; Dior homme ss19; beauty by Caroline Leeming; Hernan Herdez jewellery; Givenchy ss19 by Corey Tenold/Vogue Runway; Conservatory Archives; Valextra; Gelcream;
NOTE: Some posts use affiliate links and PR samples. Please read my privacy and cookies policy here

CLICK HERE to get Disneyrollergirl blog posts straight to your inbox once a week
CLICK HERE to buy my book The New Garconne: How to be a Modern Gentlewoman

Disneyrollergirl Beauty, Brands, Business of fashion, Design, Designers, Fashion shows, Menswear, News, Online shopping, Retail concepts, Shopping, Trends beauty, Cartier, Celine, Chanel, Clinique, COS, Dior, Gelcream, Hernan Herdez, Ian Rogers, Italic, Jacquemus, jewellery, Lemaire, luxury, LVMH, menswear, personalisation, retail concepts, Shiseido, shopping, ss19, Tasaki, Thingtesting, Tiffany, Valextra, WASO