Faced with an unparalleled upheaval in history, influenced by the affirmation of a multi-faceted femininity, brands and designers will have to imagine essential clothing that is both durable and expresses personality, adapted to changing behaviours.
Between pragmatism, a need for durability and a desire for escapism, for the SS 2022, Elisabeth Prat, Peclers Fashion and Style Director, shares her insights with us on how to decipher the new priorities, respond to the aspirations of a plural femininity and find the balance between creative and realistic wardrobe.
Sandrine Maggiani: Because of the accelerated changes in behaviour, how will we perceive the evolution of plural femininity in the way women dress?
Elisabeth Prat: Fashion is a reflection of what we are undergoing, the consequences of the crisis will have a lasting impact on our desires and needs for clothing. By choice or by necessity, we feel a notion of temporary restriction that will require creative resources.
Results: It will be even less a question of dressing to stick to an ephemeral trend or of buying a “seasonal” garment but to pick a thoughtful and timeless piece. On the other hand, it’s not about radical essentialist austerity, being satisfied with “core basics” would be too dull and limiting.
The affirmation of a powerful, versatile, playful femininity will not disappear, but we will perceive more a duality between the need for comfort and reassurance that responds to the return to the essentials and a desire for escapism to put “reality on pause” and use clothes as a means of surprising, transforming and reinforcing one’s singularity.
SM : How will the wardrobe adapt to the need for comfort, and how much space will be left for the expression of femininity?
EP: After this troubled period, we need a garment that will provide both physical and moral comfort. Staying at home, freed from social constraints has accentuated the search for comfort and intimacy with our clothes…
The full analysis and the new SS 2022 Inspirations Booklet are available on Peclers+