You never would’ve thought your SS20 wardrobe would be dominated by variations of grey joggers, oversized sweats and anything else that simply screams total comfort.

Umm where are all the floral dresses and strappy sandals that we usually gravitate towards when the UK sees anything higher than 18 degrees?!

September Fashion Shows back in 2019 (which seem like such a distant memory now) couldn’t have seen this coming. Our new and unexpected Summer wardrobe tailored towards our new and *very* unexpected at-home lifestyle, is a vast contrast to what we thought we would be donning this time of year.

Outfits are now envisioned with comfort and couch appropriateness in mind and our only runway to showcase our new OOTD’s is the aisles of your local Supermarket - how high fashion.

But fashion never sleeps. The show must go on. And why not revel in the feeling of wearing *real* clothes again.

The days where we can dress for anything more than a walk around the block or a jaunt to Sainsbury’s are *almost* within our reach so let’s get excited to wear something other than glorified pyjamas.

I know you’re still online shopping. I mean what else is there to spend your 80% furlough pay on. And yes, at a difficult time like this, retail therapy of the online kind is by far a crucial form of self care - I greatly support this.

And with that said, here’s 3 emerging SS20 trends to get excited about…

90’s Minimalism

Think clean lines. Think stripped back and simple pieces. Think 90’s minus the Clueless check skirt suit and pedal pushers.

A decade which gave us timeless pieces, the 90’s perfectly demonstrates an effortless and sophisticated style of dressing.

Slip dresses are the core of this trend, giving a femine touch to what can be an androgenous capsule. Paired with boxy blazers to play around with shape and structure, the slip dress embodies effortless style. It’s silk and satin fabrics give elegant movement on the body, aiding to the femine feel it exudes.
This 90’s Minimalist moment gives us “I-only-wear-black” clothing lovers the chance to shine with it’s monochromatic focus and lack of any colour other than black, white and neutrals.

Accessories are key in this trend and lack thereof more importantly.

The shoulder bag is back and smaller than ever with a key focus on neutrals and moc croc prints.

Accessories play a big part in the trend but on a much smaller scale. Size down in your hoops, your heel height and your sunglass size. Less is so much more for this minimalist trend.

Ways To Wear:

Simple Day to Night 

/ Slip Dress (think ivory and off-white shades) 
/ Boxy Blazer (black, navy or pinstripe - wear your Dad’s size, think charity shop find)
/ Thong Sandals (mega toe cleavage, kitten heel height) 
/ Shoulder Bag (the smaller the better, just enough to fit in a lippy, forget your purse you can use Apple pay)

Athleisure

/ Oversized Sweat (stick to black or navy and again pick you Dad’s size)
/ Cycling Shorts (play around with mono colour blocking with white or grey)
/ Ankle Socks (white and ribbed - your secondary school pe socks will do)
/ Chunky Trainers (white, chunky and lace up)


My Top Picks

Tailoring

A trend with nods towards the above 90’s minimalism, SS20’s Tailoring is the perfect trans-seasonal wardrobe staple. The Bermuda short is back with it’s coordinating suit jacket counterpart and the ability to wear these as pairs or separates leaves little room for error.

Oversized and boxy fits will get you raiding your Dad’s wardrobe for that perfect shapeless fit.

Think back to the Summer before you started Year 7; where you Mum would put you in your new school blazer, 5 sizes too big in the hope that it would (and it did) last you from your first to your last day of school. That first day at school picture; sleeves dangling down, shoulder pads out to *here* - that’s what we’re talking about - minus the school badge obviously.

Size up 3 times more than you would usually in a suit jacket and pair with shorts of the same fabric; tailored city shorts, belted or linen work particularly well. Less floaty, more structured.

Inject colour the right way and opt for pastel hues. Think sage, lemon yellow, peach and blush.

Ways To Wear

Simple Day To Night

/ Oversized Boxy Blazer (choose sage, in a polyester & linen combo)
/ Matching Bermuda Shorts (again, choose sage, a longer line short with a concealed fly)
/ Tight Crop Top (choose white and figure hugging to contrast from the masuline lines of the boxy suit. Go as cropped as a bra or something meeting the waist of the shorts, showing an inch of midriff. Play with necklines; opt for high neck or a low v)
/ Trainers for the day and strappy sandals for the night (meet in the middle with a platform trainer or low kitten heel flip flop style. Stick to white or neutral)


Brunch Date

/ Boxy Fit Blazer (choose a neutral/off white/ivory shade)
/ Short City Shorts (modest length, shorter than a Bermuda short; something comfortable and either matching to the blazer or in keeping with a neutral tone)
/ Logo tee (band style tee; choose a dark grey or acid wash with vibrant and wordy and design. Again size up; crop and leave a raw hem if you dare)
/ Shoulder bag (choose pink or pick colour from the logo tee design, keep it small but playful)
/ Black chunky boots (think cleated soles; Prada AW19 dupes or Docs. Think heavy and biker)


My Top Picks

Décolletage

Sex appeal, but subtle. Necklines but not as we know it. A real contrast from encouraging you to rifle through your Dad’s suit jackets and cover up your top half in the most masuline way possible.
Strip back in style with tops that will show off your best feature. We’re talking Victorian-style sex appeal with a modern day twist.

Scoop, squared and slashed necklines in a variety of forms.

Opt for a scoop neck body, a wardrobe staple; a key layering piece in cooler months and something to wear dressed up or down in warmer weather.

Square neck tops (especially with a puff sleeve) are an ideal “jeans and a nice top” must have.

Slash neck and your off the shoulder top give a peek into this key body part in a subtle and wearable way.

Ways To Wear

Casual “Errand Running” Day

/ Scoop Neck Body (go vest strap style, white/grey/black)
/ Casual Joggers (keep the outfit monochromatic and contrast your white body with black joggers and vice versa)
/ Black Leather Jacket (throw this over the shoulders so chest is more exposed, choose silver hardware over gold and keep the length cropped and the fit more oversized than snug)
/ Chunky Trainers (simple and clean lace ups, choose white to match the body)

Day To Night 

/ Square Neck Top (choose a puff sleeve detail and ¾ length sleeves, you can be bold with colour and print here if you so wish)
/ Light Blue Wash Mom Jeans (roll up the hem, think light to mid wash, rips optional)
/ Strappy Sandal (choose block heel for comfort and keep the colour neutral)


My Top Picks







So let’s get excited and play dress up again - staying at home has never looked so stylish!

*BRB adding all of the above to my basket*

Comment below your favourite pieces!

Thanks for reading!

Bethany