Wearable inflation
Pockets are getting smaller but the clothes are getting bigger. Is the puff-ication of staple classics at Prada the beginning of a trend we will be seeing much more of in 2023?
Loewe puffer jackets, big red MSCHF boots so on and so forth is just reflection of how unreal everything feels. The cartoonification if you will.
Prada’s current ready-to-wear loafers and handbags all appear to have been cushioned. The thick nappa leather gives the products the appearance of being inflated. Prada has been able to remain at the forefront as top one of the selling brand thanks Muccia incessant innovative approach at each collection. Miss Prada combines the juxtaposition of the classic Prada products with modernism.
Inflated clothing
Inflated clothing resurfaced a few times during previous fashion weeks. The significant moment for me was Kanye West’s release of the 200$ blue Yeezy x Gap puffer coat, made of recycled nylon in Summer 2021. Ye has a cool factor of simply being ahead of the times, as we saw his blueprint being used throughout this F/W fashion week in terms of outwear. Honorable mention to Thee trendsetter Missy Elliott in her patent leather blow up suit from her ‘The Rain (supa dupa fly)’ music video.
Thee Loewe puffer jacket popularly seen on street style IT girls Taylour, Hailey, Lori and Melissaswardrobe, quickly became a Winter staple piece, with the likes of Acne and Zara releasing their own more affordable version of the coat. Prada F/W23 shows included 2 white puffer jacket looks. Jacquemus’ newest “Le Bambimou” bags, playing on the word ‘soft’ in french, literally blows up like a balloon in the Instagram ad. Comparable to the coach pillow tabby that was released in 2021. The list of blow up products goes on though there is no real trend forecast. What seems to be happening in the industry is a more subtle approach to maximalism, that the industry seemed to be condemning with the departure of flamboyant creative directors.
Cartoonified clothing
Stand out show this season to me was Marni but since we’re talking puffication the stand out looks were pieces by DINGYUN ZHANG. The theme resonated “almost cartoon gangster-like tailoring silhouette painted in graphic polka dots and checks”.
JW Anderson pushes the lines of design, we saw polly pocket-seque clothing that were entirely made out of leather. He continues to blur the lines of reality and what we once believed was only for fantasy. Hence Elie Hirsch x Loewe metal jackets constructed from copper and Wellipets x JW Anderson frog clogs…
The signs of the times
It is nothing novel that fashion serves as a mirror to the world. Often, trends reflect cultural, political and economic goings-on, with seasonal looks. Inflation is at an all time high right now. Perhaps we were to witness Miu Miu-esque hemlines or Versace-esque heels; sartorial signifiers that things were rising.
There’s a growing theory that the closer regular folk get to celebrity the further away they reach to appear different and inaccessible to us. Certain influencers and style trend setters may be removing fillers and implants from their bodies but again their clothes are getting how do you say… ridiculouser.
What it means for fashion and is it trending with people?
Inflatable fashion feels like a trend that shouldn’t be trending this long. In reality, it has held currency for a few years now. You may look at certain pieces and think they’re absurd and unpractical, but when real life gets you down fashion is always here to bring joy into your life. Will the polly pocket looks be for the average day? We’re they intended for the average girl?
“Inflation will have a bad reputation when we are talking about the economy but for fashion inflation can be a little bit more form forgiving”. The industry long criticised idea of garment perfection is always related to sizing more specifically sample size fitting.
We are no longer forcing ourselves to follow strict chick pea diets to be desirable and squeeze into brands that never consider regular folk when making clothes.
The fashion industry has put a soft and gentle touch to the term inflation. By sacrificing its chic seriousness for its cartoon era…
