Theresa May’s dress yesterday. Though perfectly out of line with what she stands for (it was quite nice), it did suggest the PM has a little fashion foresight. Not only has she worn it before (recycling a dress is a great way to win the hearts and minds of the proletariat, even if your policies don’t), but it’s worth noting for the neck – extra-wide – which happens to be a signifier of what is happening to necklines now.
Off-the-shoulder shirts, deep-W’s as opposed to deep V’s, a bit of back flashing (flashback?) and, hysterically, padded coats worn off the shoulder. Shouldering, if you will. In a post-Vetements world, wearing something basic and simple in a slightly off way has become fashion’s way of subverting the norm. Balenciaga’s whole collection featured heavy draping, as befitting a label headed up by Vetements’ Demna Gvsalia: anoraks and jumpers and trenches, belted to keep them hoiked up, but otherwise worn in a state of semi-dress. Because that’s the thing. If you’ve been looking for a sexy way to wear a massive coat – and who hasn’t? – then this is the answer. It’s also on the high street. Zara has a bunch of striped Wall Streetish shirts that are cut to sit off the collarbone. So does Asos, whose white variations sit somewhere between Bardots and regulation school uniform.
This is the natural successor to shoulder robing, fashion’s once alpha move that made you look forthright and wealthy because it required a good upbringing (straight back), a yoga-like posture, and no shoulder bag because you were too important to carry heavy stuff. Very May. The sexy bit, not so much.
