What will the clothing fashion trends be in 2022?
February 3, 2022Skipping ahead of all this Autumn/Winter 2021 nonsense and already wondering what will what will the clothing fashion trends be in 2022? We’re here to help! In more ways that one, because as it happens, just like in seasons past, Spring/Summer 22 is going to have a massive vintage element to it. We’re talking lovely whimsical crochet and hand-knits for a 70s/80s/90s look, cropped cardigans and boleros, worn with miniskirts, again like the 90s, and gingham, a summer staple since the 50s. An alternative is a bra top worn with an oversized blazer. These are all vintage staples, so have a look in store to see what we have that fits to the bill.
In environmental terms, second only to wearing an outfit that already exists rather than buying new is wearing an outfit that does not exist. No, we’re not suggesting that you go out in just your birthday suit, but have you investigated digital technology for clothing? A massive trend for 2022 spring summer will be digital dresses. And trousers, and whatever other garment you fancy. They don’t exist in real life, and are applied to your selfie for the gram. More on this below.
Finally, a continuing key trend will be gender fluidity. The fight for female equality and trans rights, against toxic masculinity, and our national love of Drag Race UK isn’t going away any time soon. Clothing is reflecting this with plenty of collections featuring models of all identities in clothes made for everyone.
What is not hot for 2022: Loungewear. Climb out of those trackie bottoms, we’re finally going Out Out.
Here is the fashion trends forecast.
What will the clothing fashion trends be in 2022 – Vintage-style
A look from Erdem SS22. Image via Vogue.
The attendees of the shows are as good an indication of 2022 fashion as what the fashion designers put on the catwalks. Spotted in the street this season were swarms of people in skirts and dresses over trousers. That was a brief trend in the 90s. It’s imperative to be creative with it this time around: you can go matchy-matchy if you like, but it’s more fun not to. A draped silver evening dress over a black bodysuit looks almost elegant, but a mini-kilt over jeans is more thrown together.
Following on from this is the trend of mis-matching generally. Tired of your pink jeans and white t-shirt combo? Try them with a fuchsia top. Or how about a with a green one? Try them with all the tops in your wardrobe, just to ring the changes.
Another vintage trend for this coming year is the maxi dress. You can dig out any maxi dress at all in your collection, and it’ll fit. The one from last year, the one from the 70s, the one from the 80s, they’re all great. Which is a relief, because in the UK it’s always such a shame to get a beautiful summer dress and find it’s confined to just one or two items before you put it away again.
Prairie dresses, massive floral dresses, Victoriana, loose dresses, corseted and swagged: all got an outing. Anything from midi to preferably floor length works.
Prabal Gurung, Michael Kors Collection, Brandon Maxwell also went for cropped and shrunken cardigans.
How about the pattern trend
Ok, so I mentioned gingham too. The change we will be ringing with this pattern is gingham, but make it winter. Many designers featured this, in its traditional sunny summer colours: pink, lemon yellow, crisp black and white. But at Prabal Gurung and Carolina Herrera it was transformed by heavy fabrics, sequins, and topped by fluffy coats. Brandon Maxwell and Michael Kors Collection gave it a sleek makeover, using it for sporty shapes.
Richard Quinn, as always, went for florals, as did Erdem, of course.
Fashion colors trend
For ss22 fashion the fashion trend is bright, joyous colours and strong black and white monochrome. Colour blocking was seen at Molly Goddard, Roksanda and Richard Quinn. They used clashes like orange, yellow and pink together, or a massive lime green dress, unrelieved by other accessories, or yellow, red and black. An easy way into this trend is for just one bright colour worn over a neutral base, for example a scarlet cardi with black jeans and a black t-shirt, or one statement maxi dress in a hot pink.
What will the clothing fashion trends be in 2022 – Digital designers
An outfit from the Fabricant. Image via The Fabricant.
You know what’s supposed to look carefree but actually just comes across as annoying and a waste of a good dress? Films and adverts where a model or actress climbs into a swimming pool in a ball gown and tries to look seductive while sopping wet, cold, and with her designer gown ruined by chlorine.
You know what else is annoying? How uncomfortable those same gowns are on dry land. I knew the actresses were all corseted and high-heeled and everything, but it didn’t occur to me that they can neither sit down, pee, or step backwards in most of these outfits. That’s not glamorous! But if you have a massive sweeping skirt with a train it gets in the way. Of everything. (Historically when women wore these dresses they had a servant who came and slipped a special dish under the skirt and then took it away so that women could pee while still socialising without batting an eyelid. I don’t think Beyoncé has a person to do that. Wait, maybe she does). Well, anyway, all of this can be avoided with digital.
Fantasy or Realistic
Digital garments can be designed to look as realistic of fantastical as you wish. They can be added to that holiday snap of you in the sea, so while you sensibly wear a bikini for the actual shoot, a ballgown is digitally and totally imperceptibly grafted onto the picture, gracefully floating all around you without actually getting wet. It saves a lot of resources if the picture is just for social. And it’s far more comfortable!
The Fabricant was one of the first digital design houses on the scene, and along with Toni Maticevski they designed a stunning metallic overcoat inspired by sea urchin. It was shown at Australian Fashion Week back in June. The coat has spikes and a huge train that pools around the feet of the digital wearer. They have also released flaming trainers in conjunction with Buffalo Shoes. These are the fun styles that are obviously not practical for real life, but perfect fantasy items. Other brands er more towards the realistic, aiming to be undetectable in their use of digital.
What will the clothing fashion trends be in 2022 – Gender-fluid
Bimini Bon-Boulash models for Richard Quinn, SS22. Image via the industry fashion.
Richard Quinn had a multi-gender show where he put everyone in frilled bonnets and floral leggings, puffa jackets and big, floaty dresses. Drag queen Bimini Bon Boulash modelled for him. Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood put men and women together on the catwalk. He dressed them both even-handedly in a mixture of Westwood classics. Tartan and punkish layering featured. So did wonderfully simple slip dresses and oversized shirts with colourful cowboy boots. He also went with impressive chaps that doubled as pockets. And tufted shorts for all genders that were left unbuttoned to show off bums.
Loverboy by Charles Jeffrey has always cast his friends and family on the catwalk. Queer, trans and non-binary models showed off his characteristic designs again. Beautifully cut suits in black and white were given flashes of scarlet and turquoise. And those colours evolved into kilts and dresses. Towards the end was what must surely have been a tribute to artist Nick Cave, which might be a bit outré for the high street, but the rest was really wearable, despite its theatrics.
And Finally
SS22 is about letting loose and having fun. Your dressing up inspiration could be existing pieces in your wardrobe, which didn’t get much of an airing this year. Or you could be fed up of everything you own, take it all to the charity shop, and start anew. It could be a really over-the-top maxi dress, in big colours and massive florals, because why not? Or you might go on a vintage shopping spree, coming home with a whole new experimental wardrobe, which can be swapped out next year.
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