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rounstyle · 4 years

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How royal women have shaped fashion

It seems that nothing can stop the so-called "Meghan effect" - the phenomenon whereby every garment Meghan Markle wears sells immediately. The white coat of the Canadian brand Line, worn by Prince Harry's future wife for the announcement of the couple's engagement, proved so popular that the company's website crashed - soon after, the brand officially named the coat "the Meghan" ". Meanwhile, traffic on the Birks jewelry brand's website has increased by 400%, and even a simple black Marks and Spencer sweater has sold twice after Markle wore it for a public engagement. And this, even before the bride has been able to choose her wedding dress, which is already generating feverish speculation in fashion circles and, of course, will certainly give birth to new trends in marriage.

The phenomenon of royal women influencing fashion is of course not new. Just think of the "Kate effect" that the Duchess of Cambridge continues to create, not to mention the "Diana effect" of the 1980s and 1990s. But perhaps less is the influence of the personal styles of some royal women, long before the invention of the Internet or any other mass media. So what does it take to be a royal style icon? And how was it different - or not - at the time?

In 1863, Princess Alexandra, born into the Danish royal family, married Queen Victoria's eldest son, Prince Albert Edward, also known as "Bertie". Until then, Bertie was known for his many adventures and was known as a 'playboy prince', but the marriage was a great success, and the couple

It seems that Alexandra was exactly the kind of royal woman the audience wanted. "Queen Victoria had been in a mourning robe for years and was quite far from British society," Summers explains, "She was wearing an austere black uniform and did not attend the parties. Edward and Alexandra, on the other hand, were a dazzling couple who had an active social life and were considered more accessible. It was good for the royal family to reconnect with the public, having been so far away."

And it turned out that the popular Alexandra also became a great influence of fashion. "She was a fashion icon and people copied what she wore," Summers says. "She has forged her own look, she has invested a lot in creating her image and she has created trends, even if it was not necessarily intentional. "

Not that the Danish princess has enjoyed complete irish freedom and independence. Her future mother-in-law, Queen Victoria, insisted that Alexandra wear British lace for her wedding, rather than the Belgian creation that the King of Belgium had given the princess. "The Queen was absolutely keen for her to become British and it was important to show it," Summers explains. "It was a new identity and he was told to align his identity with that of the British."

As a result, the wedding dress that Princess Alexandra wore was lavishly decorated with British-made Honiton spindle lace, asserting forcefully that she was giving priority to her new country. Orange blossoms adorned the dress, which was worn with a voluminous veil. The fabric design included delicate roses, clovers and thistles, the traditional symbols of England, Ireland and Scotland.

Alexandra insisted, however, on a modification, reducing the width of the original large crinoline skirt. Moreover, a few days after the wedding, the dress was, at its insistence insistent and without feeling, eliminated in order to be completely redone, reduced and simplified. "Alexandra preferred simple models," says Summers. "She had a different, more practical sensibility. She came from a branch of the Danish royal family that was not rich, did not live in luxury and her wedding kit was small."

Alexandra was the first woman in British public life to favour bespoke daywear, which was previously only associated with riding coats and other sportswear. A Vernon cream wool cross-yachting jacket and an elegantly cut Jacket from Bussbein are two examples in the exhibition of what was then a bold new look. As Summers points out: "The tailor-made suit for women's daywear is now a proven formula, but until now only for men."

A perfect princess?

In the 20th century, royal women continued to influence fashion. As the Queen's sister, the late Princess Margaret had complex and often conflicting expectations. She had more freedom to express her own tastes and was therefore seen as a fashion icon rather than the monarch.

As a young woman, Margaret was a favourite of the press because of her glamorous and fashionable image, but she was also intensely scrutinized and her love life often made headlines. In the post-war years, his worldly reputation and the shenanigans of the bohemian "Margaret Set" aroused great interest. And his recent portrayal in the television series The Crown has brought his sense of style - and sometimes his dissenting ways - to a new audience.

Princess Margaret's glamorous sensibility was felt very early on. She was only 17 when in 1947 she met Christian Dior, who came to London at the Savoy to show off her iconic and revolutionary New Look collection. Margaret and her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, were both eager to see the collection. After the parade, the dresses were secretly smuggled out of the Savoy and taken to the French Embassy, where the two royal women were able to see them in private. Christian Dior described Princess Margaret as "a true fairy princess, delicate, graceful, exquisite".

She certainly made an amazing figure in the delicate Dior cream silk dress she wore to Royal Ascot in 1952. With its chiffon, boneless bodice, skirt and asymmetrical bolero, it was exquisite and delicate. Paired with elegant black elbow gloves and a cream and wide-brimmed cream and black hat, the outfit made Margaret a model of princely perfection.

A year later, Norman Hartnell's black and pink lace evening gown that Margaret wore at a Performance of Guys and Dolls was another stunning dress. It was only a few weeks after the press heard the news of his untimely affair with group captain Peter Townsend. The dress was a glamorous choice, without praise, suggesting a certain grandeur and a challenge in the face of criticism.

Margaret had a certain reputation for arrogance, but she also had her moments of convenience and diplomacy. When she wore a red and white cotton evening dress, it was an unusual and unostentatious choice of fabric for evening wear. It was actually a nod to the British textile industry in times of post-war austerity. As a member of the Royal Family, there has always been an underlying expectation to promote British industry.

How do 21st century expectations of royal women differ from the past? "There are always key considerations in each set, and royal women must always balance all the factors," summers explains. "Now I think it's similar, but more intense and more immediate. People have always wanted the dresses to be worn by royalty, but before, for example, with Princess Alexandra, the women of the court asked their seamstresses to make them something similar, then the ladies of the circles aristocratic copied them, and then it filtered to the general public. Now it's more immediate, it's directly on the street.

"In some ways, it was easier in the 19th and early 20th centuries because it wasn't the era of the media," Summers explains. "We were just dressing for a particular event - now you have to dress for everyone all the time.

"But even today, royal women would not go to an informally dressed ball," she adds. "People always want to see royal women dressed in beautiful clothes, they would be disappointed if they weren't.

#fashion #fashionwomen #fashionworld #fa

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rounstyle · 4 years

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Is it the end for high heels?

In January 2014, the late Karl Lagerfeld organized a Chanel haute couture show in the mythical "Cambon Club". Under the direction of Cara Delevingne, the models descended the grand staircase to the sound of a string orchestra, each wearing creations in gossamer, tweed or organza. So far, haute couture. The big difference? Each model's outfit was complemented by custom sneakers, each pair costing about 3,000 euros and requiring 30 hours of work. But while the choice of shoes may have raised eyebrows, it also represented a radical step.

The trainer was welcomed into the rarefied and glittering world of haute couture. It is no longer a functional item to be hastily removed for the office or a party, but a real luxury shoe approved by Chanel.

Five years later, the phenomenon of fashionable sneakers seems to have reached a point of no return. Since their release at Chanel, sneakers have become crazier, clumsier and - in many cases - more expensive. The more showy and clumsy they are, the better. According to fashion research platform Lyst, sneakers accounted for four of the top ten fashion items in the fourth quarter of 2018. While sports brands like Nike and Adidas were the first to see the possibilities of sneaker fashion, luxury homes quickly realized the potential - both in terms of style and results. And these brands are experts in creating an accessory to covet.

Instagram is flooded with influencers - including Gigi and Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber - who all proudly wear tight sneakers, with cocktail dresses, jeans and a T-shirt. The favorites are the Louis Vuitton Archlights and Balenciaga Triple S, which both sell for between 600 and 1,000 pounds a pair, depending on the iteration.

Serena Williams even wore her sneakers at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle under her Valentino dress, not to mention her own wedding party. While sneakers would never have been considered an appropriate ceremonial shoe only a decade ago, attitudes have changed considerably. Dress codes have, for the most part, relaxed, allowing coaches to thrive in the workplace, in tandem with city wear and sports and leisure clothing.

"Generation X and Generation Y have slowly moved away from the heels, abandoning the sexist and discriminatory idea that women should wear heels to the office," says Morgane Le Caer of Lyst. It is perhaps no coincidence that the rise of the trainer coincided with the fourth wave of feminism and a larger public discourse on non-binary gender identities. "Luxury sneakers are a sign of our time and an evolution towards a more inclusive way of dressing," agrees Lucia Savi, curator at the Victoria-Albert Museum.

If the high heel is a patriarchal tool designed to slow down a woman, the rise of the fashion trainer is the perfect replica. Does this mean the end of the heels? Not quite. Today, our relationship with vertiginous shoes remains a complicated source of feminist debate. Often, the symbolism of the high heel depends on context and personal opinion. "It's a shoe for when you're on, for ambition, for magazine covers, red carpets, awards ceremonies, boardrooms, courtrooms, parliament buildings and debate desks," Writes Summer Brennan in her Book High Heel, published in March. "Paradoxically - or perhaps not - according to the 150-year-old fetish industry, it has also been consistently seen as a shoe for sex," she adds.

The relationship between heels and power depends on historical time and place. In fact, they were originally worn to convey masculinity. The heel was introduced to Europe from Asia at the end of the 16th century and was originally worn by men for riding as the heel held the foot in the stirrup during the climb. Associated in the European spirit with the military strength of Persia, the heel was enthusiastically adopted by men, and was only worn later by women and children. Louis XIV, who ruled France from 1643 to 1715, was one of the first to influence the heel. His ornate shoes were unsuitable for any physical effort - thus underscoring his power status.

Today, in some industries, heels are still part of the women's dress code. In 2016, Nicola Thorp, a receptionist in the UK, was sent home because she refused to wear high heels. But the incident turned into a scandal, prompting more than 150,000 people to sign a petition calling for a law that would ban policies on their heels in the workplace, and therefore a British parliamentary inquiry into the codes sexist clothing. So far, the law has not been changed.

Heels also remain the standard dress code for women on the red carpet. The Cannes Film Festival suffered a setback in 2015 after it was revealed that women had been excluded from film screenings on the red carpet for flouting the single heel rule and wearing flat shoes encrusted with precious stones. Actors such as Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro have denounced the festival's tyrannical approach to fashion policing, and in 2018 Kristen Stewart ridiculed the rule by walking barefoot on the red carpet.

But the inconsistent nature of fashion trends means that once a trend is in the mainstream, the pendulum of taste oscillates in the opposite direction. The proliferation of sneakers certainly means that a heel revival is at hand. Not surprisingly, there are signs that fashion designers are moving away from the sneaker trend in the last few weeks of fashion. Demna Gvasalia, Balenciaga's creative director and the man who pioneered luxury dadtraining, did not include a single style of sneakers in her recent fall/winter collection for the fashion house.

While we are moving away from the trend of luxury trainers, Beth Goldstein, an analyst of footwear and fashion accessories at the NPD Group, says that accepting trainers in a formal setting is a sign of a long-term lifestyle change term for women. "I don't think it's a fad, it's been too long for that - consumers are prioritizing comfort for their busy lifestyle, and athletics as fashion continues to evolve. The growth trajectory will naturally slow down, but sneakers will remain the engine of the market." According to a 2018 study by Mintel, U.S. buyers aged 18 to 34 are the most likely to buy shoes because they are comfortable (37%).

"Comfort, functionality and interesting details are without a doubt the same as the feeling of dressing for others," says Natalie Kingham, Director of Fashion and Purchasing at Matches Fashion. "The flat shoe has gone further and further, whether it's a clompy boot, embellished, or a sportier version of the sandals." Kingham adds that even for customers who wear heels, the demand is for lower and more comfortable styles. "It's interesting to note that the majority of our heels business has grown to 90mm and less, and that many new shoe brands like Wandler, or those with a new creative direction like Bottega, don't have a heel over 90mm in the ur collection." A high-end shoe brand that Kingham favours is Gray Matters, which has low heels, "almost like a collector's interior with sculptural details such as spherical heels."

Savi thinks we'll never let off steam completely, but the relationship evolves. "The role that height has played in various cultures of the world goes back centuries, and I don't think it will fade quickly. The stiletto heel could turn into something else, where size will always play a role."

Men's heeled shoes have invaded the runways and red carpets in recent years

In recent years, men's heeled shoes have invaded runways and red carpets, giving an idea of how the company's relationship with heels could change again. Brands such as Gucci, Calvin Klein, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga feature heeled boots and shoes in their collections, often adding bold sequins or prints to models.

In 2018, Italian luxury designer Francesco Russo launched a line of genderless stilettos, available in Italian sizes from 35 to 45. "It's not a polemic, it's not political," the designer told Vogue. "It's just the way society moves forward." I think it is our duty as a people to produce products to meet the world." The limited edition collection has been so popular that it has become a permanent part of the brand's offering.

The Brooklyn-based Syro brand is another brand that upsets the traditional symbolism of heels. The company sells male-sized heels and boots to its male, trans and non-binary customers. The styles are chic and promote a fluid sense of style. The brand's stated manifesto is to promote 'diversity through visibility' and 'empowerment by the community'.

Maybe that's the point. Instead of banning high heels, they should be freed from the expectations and social norms imposed on gender. So they're just a pair of shoes. In the end, wearing them should be a matter of individual choice. After all, one person's patriarchal or physical oppression can be a powerful liberation for another.

#fashion #fashionwomen #fashionworld #beauty #man #women

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WHY ARE THE FRENCH SO CHIC?

"It was my dream to visit Paris," says designer Kenzo Takada, recalling the days when he had travelled there by sea as a visionary of twenty years. The founder of the global fashion brand Kenzo - headquartered in the French capital - admits that while London in the mid-1960s was a "very dynamic and interesting" place, it was not the bustling British capital that dominated his imagination - it was Paris. "When I grew up in Japan and wanted to enter the industry, fashion was really in Paris... I was pushed to go to the fashion capital."

Takada was far from alone in his feelings. Despite competition from London and New York in Paris, and despite the fact that the "golden age" of French couture had ended the previous decade, in the late 1950s, many at the time, French and others, thought that Paris was still the capital world fashion, if it were one. Not much seems to have changed. Just as Takada's eponymous brand is still located in the City of Light, Paris - which is the subject of an exhibition at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York - continues to be seen as the embodiment of all that is fashionable. But why? What makes the French so chic?

It is in fact outside Paris, in Versailles, that the history of French fashion really begins. During the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715), the court invested heavily in the arts - and fashion. Visitors to Versailles are dazzled not only by the "Sun King" himself, but also by the many courteless and mistresses of the palace, who create trends in France and abroad. According to Dr Valérie Steele, curator of Paris, fashion capital and editor of the accompanying book of the exhibition, this emphasis on fashion is much more than just a matter of aesthetics. "The theatre of power was very important," she told BBC Designed. [Louis XIV] wanted to ensure that his appearance and that of his courtiers were consistent with his idea of being a modern, powerful and civilized monarch - no longer just a warrior king of the Middle Ages, but a true kind of "Sun King" with all kinds mythological connotations. And of course, fashion and ceremonial clothes... were an integral part of it."

Louis XIV's sartorial investments were incredibly successful, and he came to be seen as a monarchical paragon. "Everyone [wanted] to look like him and act like him," Steele said. But Louis XIV wasn't content to be interested in soft power and cultural branding. In the field of fashion, he and his finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, also saw enormous economic potential. That is why they worked together to eliminate foreign competition and protect the local textile industry, which they also substantially financed. Colbert said that "fashion will be for France what Peru's gold mines are for Spain," Says Steele. "This belief would be at the heart of their economic programme, which is remarkable, because three and a half centuries later, it is still true: [fashion] is a major pillar of the French economy."

After the death of Louis XIV, the courtiers of Versailles began to spend more time in Paris. Alongside the emergence of fashion icons such as Marie Antoinette, this has led many people to associate Paris with "fashion and sensual pleasure," as Steele writes in the exhibition's book. The French Revolution may have caused a lull in this regard, but thanks to the incredible scum and their wonderful (members of a fashionable aristocratic subculture in the post-revolutionary period), fashion was far from forgotten. It is only a matter of time before the Old Regime is looked at with nostalgia and admiration, at least in terms of style.

Even though it had lost the title of the world's greatest superpower to Great Britain, France's superiority in fashion - and all forms of high culture, for that matter - persisted long after the fall of the First French Empire. Unlike London, which excelled in men's fashion, Paris focused on women's fashion. French fashion revolved around the idea of the Parisian - the ideal Parisian woman, elegant, cultured and demanding - and Paris itself was designated feminine, even anthropomorphized as a woman. But for all its prestige and fame, French fashion operated on a small scale until british designer Charles Frederick Worth moved to Paris in the mid-19th century. "You had a lot of seamstresses," Steele says, "but... they were mostly small craftsmen."

Worth revolutionized the French fashion industry by introducing the concept of great couture. For the first time in the country, haute couture was produced on a large scale. However, Worth, who also founded the Trade Union Chamber to regulate and supervise the French fashion industry, then spoke not of great couture, but of haute couture (i.e. "high fashion"). "It was, according to Steele, a way to differentiate haute couture from the simultaneous growth of clothing, the first series of ready-to-wear clothing sold in department stores in France... He claimed that haute couture was an art form and that he was an artist."

Today, haute couture is often used as a catch-all term for luxury clothing in general, but in France - and in fashion circles in general - it is a name reserved only for designers who respond to a set of rigorous criteria. Contrary to popular belief, haute couture pieces are not necessarily unique. "High fashion is not unique," says Steele. "It's made for your body, but it's not unique

hé de New York ou de Berlin, [ressemblait] sacrément à une version haute couture de Chanel".

. In the spirit of Louis XIV, the French once again used haute couture as a means of soft power after their defeat at the hands of the Germans in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and the Paris Commune (1871), when a government revolutionary socialist briefly took power. While it is clear that they were no longer a significant economic or political force, the French at least had their culture and clothing. "It wasn't... not a coincidence," writes Dr. David Gilbert of royal Holloway University in an essay entitled Paris, New York, London, Milan: Paris and a world order of fashion capitals, "that aggressive promotion of the sewing system... followed the military humiliation of the Franco-Prussian war and the subsequent traumas of the Commune of 1871." Gilbert goes on to say that "Parisian fashion... under the Third Republic... was part of a broader reaffirmation of French power and influence abroad." And, in trying to reassert themselves on the world stage, the French, as Steele says, "[equated] France [to] civilization and Germany [to] barbarism, which [were part of] a long-standing French ethic."

The French made the Sun King proud. Even after the devastation caused by the two world wars, New York - the undisputed economic center of the world - largely followed in the footsteps of Paris in the early and mid-20th century. "The Trade Union Chamber," Gilbert writes, "..." promoted the idea of the overriding taste of women in Paris, but lasting power came from the way this idea was repeated, often without criticism as almost a fact of nature, in the promotion of fashion and media based in other major cities. And nowhere else but in the "capital of the 20th century", New York, this idea has been more powerful and important, both locally and for other geographical regions of fashion."

It may seem strange that a city as ambitious and powerful as New York would promote Parisian fashion rather than its own; but there were obvious reasons for this, as Steele hastened to point out. "Many American magazines like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar were aimed at the social elite," she says. "These people had been travelling to Paris for decades to buy haute couture clothes... They were very invested." Steele also mentions a sense of nostalgia that many people around the world feel for "the glamour they [associated] with French fashion." That said, the rage for French fashion in the United States was double-edged, as cheap copies of French haute couture models abounded, with many North Americans at the time more than willing to settle for much less than the Reality. "You know," Steele notes, "a little black dress, a cheap copy from New York or Berlin, [looked] damn like a haute couture version of Chanel."

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, designers such as Christian Dior, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel and Hubert de Givenchy inaugurated what is now called the "golden age" of French fashion, and the supremacy of Paris in the field of fashion. there was no doubt about it. Things got a little complicated in the mid-1960s, however, with the "youth earthquake" in London, led by personalities like Mary Quant, while the 70s and 80s saw the emergence of Milan and Tokyo as major centres of fashion. And if the "defection" of many Japanese designers to France at the Takada has mitigated the threat from the East, Paris - although it has experienced a kind of renaissance with stylists like Christian Lacroix and Jean-Paul Gaultier - has had to face pressure London and New York, old and new rivals, in the late 1980s and 1990s. "But they kept pushing back," steele of the French said.

Thanks to soft power and cultural branding, the emergence of haute couture and the assiduous promotion of French fashion on behalf of the French, as well as the help of tastemakers abroad, Paris has come to enjoy a reputation of apparently chic ir Rebuttable. But today, given the status of cities like London, Milan and New York, and the increasing globalization of the fashion industry - "[fashion] is pretty much everywhere in the world", as Kenzo Takada says - can we still speak of Paris as the capi world fashion tale?

According to Steele, Paris still reigns internationally as a fashion metropolis for a variety of reasons. First, it is home to some of the world's largest fashion conglomerates. "Fashion is no longer so much about small independent companies," she says, "but giant conglomerates. Almost all luxury groups - LVMH, Kering, etc. - are based in Paris, [although they have] bought Italian companies [and] invested in English [and] American companies." Steele also believes that Parisian fashion shows are superior to those held in other cities. "It's not as exciting to go to Milan. [And] I mean, New York is a wonderful place, but the New York fashion shows don't have the glamour and excitement that those in Paris have, for the most part."

The Parisian designer Agnès b agrees: "They tried with Milan and London, [and] with New York - there are shows everywhere," she told BBC Designed, "but the inspiration comes from Paris, that's for sure." Similarly, the designer Isabel Marant, also based in Paris, underlines the greatness of the city's fashion shows, commenting on its status as the world's fashion capital. "Paris," says Marant, "is quite unique for the way fashion is expressed in it, for the quality and level of the fashion shows of its fashion week."

The presence of large conglomerates in Paris and the quality of its contemporary fashion shows are certainly important to consider. History, however, is perhaps the crucial element in the continued perception of Paris as the epicenter of fashion - regardless of whether the historical associations made are rational or the result of intelligent marketing made by French and others with an interest in French fashion. "France has always been ... [the introduction] of new ways of wearing clothes," says Agnès b. "It has always been [so] in France. We've had this for a long time." Marant agrees: "France has a great cultural heritage," she told BBC Designed, referring to personalities such as Paul Poiret, Elsa Schiaparelli and Chanel, who "created new trends [and have been] admired around the world." And as Agnès b points out: "There is now a new generation [of designers], but Paris still has that aura, I think."

It may seem strange to put so much emphasis on Paris's sartorial past, however dazzling it may be. But as Gilbert writes, "The status of fashion capital in the 21st century is as much a matter of reputation, expectations, heritage and tradition as of the design and production of real clothes... Deep and lasting symbolic associations also have real economic and cultural consequences." Steele says it a little more casually. "The law of precedents is really important. If you've been the fashion capital for the longest time and you have this incredible reputation, you can go out of your way to make it look like it's still the best."

In light of these arguments, it is difficult to deny the primacy of Paris as the capital of fashion. But what about the future? Do those who think that Paris is the fashion capital of the world think that the title could be seized by another? "Of course, everything can change," says Steele, who suggests Shanghai as a possible candidate, because of China's growing economic power. And, while not naming any particular city, Takada and Marant also raise the issue of increasing international competition and the proliferation of fashion shows around the world. "There are many cities that show... very interesting emerging styles and talents," admits Marant. However, given the immense role played by heritage and history in the perception of cities as fashion capitals, it seems unlikely that Paris, the legendary "Queen of the World", will leave her throne anytime soon, if ever.

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FASHION HAS CHANGED IN THE 2010s

millennials - who today account for about 30% of the world's population (soon to be overtaken by Gen Z) - want everything now, now, now, whether it's instant sartorial responses to cultural events or collaborations with icons. The industry has tried to keep pace; average garment production times have been reduced from 120 days to 60 days. Does this make millennials happy? Not. Awareness of sustainability issues and the response to the amount of products thrown in their faces from all angles contributed to the 2010s saw significant changes in the fashion world, including awareness damage that fast fashion inflicts on the climate. At the same time, there was a sense of reaching a "summit" and the growing influence of millennia and Generation Z. And there is a feeling that, in the end, the diversity of fashion is becoming more widespread. Here are seven of the biggest changes we have seen in this decade.

The influence of the millennium

Volage, passionate, listening, zoned: people born between 1981 and 1996 keep fashion brands awake. While in the past fashionistas waited patiently for the new seasons, the emergence of a movement against excess. In fact, all indications are that millenniahave: 74% of Americans now prefer to spend money on "experiences" - restaurants, trips and spas - rather than for things. What should a brand do?

In 2008, supermodel Naomi Campbell said that black models had been "sidelined" by modeling agencies because of their color. For too long, the industry has celebrated a beauty standard. Progress has been made. In 2015, Denise Bidot was the first plus-size model to open a full-size fashion show at New York Fashion Week; Halima Aden became the first model to wear the hijab on an international catwalk in 2017. Last October, Krow Kian befell the first transgender man to close the women's ready-to-wear season. Is the job done? Not quite. Fashion is known for jumping on test benches in order to stay relevant. Plus, Bidot, Aden and Kian are all amazing. For an example of diversity, look at The Real Catwalk, by Khrystyana Kazakova, a veteran of America's Next Top Model, where literally everyone who applied was able to walk.

Decades of relentless campaigning have finally begun to bear fruit, as luxury brands one after another abandon the fur of their offerings. From trapping to breeding, many animals still lose their lives to make clothing for which there are dozens of alternatives for animals and the planet. Adherence to real fur was difficult to change; the old associations with luxury have proved - and in countries like Russia and China, the world's largest consumers of fur are still proving to be too tempting. Why the backlash? Campaigns by animal rights groups, spurred on by the reach of social media, have caused images of undercover investigators to travel the world, causing outrage to see sentient creatures being brutally butchered for such frivolous wardrobe pieces. Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri really put the fur industry on the back steam when he said, in 2018, "Fur? It's not modern." Coming up on the agenda? Leather, which kills many more animals than the fur industry and whose processes are notoriously toxic.

In the face of growing concerns about the planet and the need for human novelty, alternative modes of ownership come into play. The opportunity, in particular, took over, with the resale of fashion increasing 21 times faster than its industrialized counterpart. Platforms such as The RealReal and Vestiaire Collective are evolving the luxury of opportunity which, with the Depop of the peer-to-peer market, is a cultural phenomenon in its own right. At the same time, rental services such as Rent the Runway are gaining popularity. "Considering fashion as a service, as something we have access to instead of owning it, is going to be an important part of solving the environmental crisis that is fashion," says Elizabeth L Cline, author of The Conscious Closet. Finally, refurbishment is back in fashion. Patagonia's internal repair and resale model buys back its own products and sells them at a discounted price; Nudie Jeans offers free repairs for life; Eileen Fisher refurstages lightly worn products.

Sex will always sell - hello the Kardashians - but the days when a woman has to be tied up in one of Hervé Léger's bandage dresses to be considered attractive is fading for those whose appearance is not their currency. Sportswear, sneakers and, of course, street wear are now basic items. It is estimated that leisure wear alone will generate $37.7 billion (28.67 billion pounds) in retail sales by 2021, up from $24.8 billion (18.86 billion pounds) in 2012. But it's not just about wrapping yourself in cozy sweatpants or in the cocoon of a hoodie - although it helps. The new casual is the expression of burgeoning social ideas that include inclusion, gender neutrality and aesthetic ideals that are not based largely on pulling one's next companion. "These are all things that are here to stay," says Lazaro Hernandez, co-des

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THE STORY OF RESISTANCE FASHION

For centuries, clothing has been an armor for those who feel alienated from the mainstream, whether because of their opinions, gender, class, race or sexuality. From the red cap "Freedom" worn by the sans-culottes of the French Revolution to the ripped denim T-shirts and hippie slogans, to the pink hat of the Women's March, the clothes were used by marginalized groups as a tool of resistance, and to be seen and heard by the authorities

These are views that have generally developed within popular movements, although in our politically tumultuous times they appear more and more on the podiums, which inevitably leads to accusations of commodification. But a new exhibition at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York, which explores the many ways in which fashion can wield its power, suggests that the relationship is not always so simple. Resistance clothing can be fashionable, and the catwalk can be an effective protest tool.

"It has always been in the interest of a movement to have some kind of visual cohesion," says Emma McClendon, curator of Power Mode: The Force of Fashion, who cites the Suffragettes as an example. "They wore white to gather them and give them a cohesive identity during the parades."

White often comes in the form of a feminized version of the ultimate symbol of male civility, the costume. It is a dress requirement of equality tempered by the purity of its color, which emphasizes that women are always ideal citizens.

Some bolder equality activists even wore pants, an illegal practice in many parts of the United States and Europe. The association of pants with patriarchal power was so strong that women did not really achieve popular acceptance by wearing it until the 1960s.

The archetype of the rebellious look that still endures today is of course the combination of leather biker jacket, jeans and white T-shirt that gained momentum in the 1950s, helped by the fact that "there was such a cross between the resistance and the appearance pop culture," McClendon told BBC Designed. However, she considers that the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969 was the tipping point that allowed resistance clothing to become common, and even fashionable, which inevitably created tensions.

Hippies "used very consciously clothes like Suffragettes or the culottes as a tool of resistance," McClendon explains. The second-hand denim they wore that could be patched up and embroidered as it usurped was "a political and visual protest against the brilliant, plastic consumerism of the space age that was taking hold in the period of post-war period," she says.

But, in the wake of Woodstock, Levis and Coca-Cola began to use this look as a marketing tool. It became a choice of style for those who had little understanding of the original hippie ethic. Those who bought Tom Ford's ripped and embroidered denim jeans for more than $3,000 in the late 1990s clearly didn't have one. While this is a particularly egregious example of the commodification of resistance clothing, it is by no means indicative of the fashion industry as a whole.

In the pre-digital age, designers such as Katharine Hamnett and Patrick Kelly were clearly aware of the impact of using their collections to promote a message. Hamnett wore a 58% "Don't Want Pershing" t-shirt at a meeting with then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Downing Street in 1984, while in the United States, Kelly, who died in 1990, used her label to address aspects of African-American identity. He designed leggings printed with a pattern resembling The African fabric, kente, and chose denim overalls for his personal uniform, a reference to black sharecroppers in the southern United States. Today, in a world where protesters are aware that visual information can be instantly shared through social media, "there is a gravitation toward these highly visible symbols much faster than what we have seen in past movements," says McClendon.

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