Four days into London Fashion Week’s AW19 shows and the most transgressive trend we’ve spotted has walked straight out of the 2000s. Dresses layered over trousers might not be a revolutionary concept, but in this day and age it’s jockeying for the status of the most evocative fashion statement one can make.
aw19 lfw dresses over trousers
1 of 4Molly Goddard, AW19
Unshackled by the suffocation of tights, models at A.W.A.K.E., Burberry and Ports 1961 walked the runway wearing straight-leg trousers beneath their dresses. Part masculine, part femme, part Princess, part Prince, this was an exercise in the non-binary.
2 of 4Burberry, AW19
Nostalgia is a bankable concept that drives sales of heritage brands and reanimates interest in forgotten markers of youth (see: Take That, All Saints and Spice Girls). Teaming trousers and dresses isn't just a sociopolitical exploration of gender dynamics, but a thoughtful investigation of the inner workings of nostalgia. Molly Goddard styling tailored suiting trousers with a frothy pink tulle dress (that would be very much up Villanelle's street) consciously conjured up the image of Mischa Barton at the Nickelodeon Awards in the mid-2000s, Britney Spears on her Crossroads promo tour and countless other icons of the millennium.
3 of 4A.W.A.K.E, AW19
After watching David Attenborough's BBC documentaries it's impossible to watch, talk about or consume fashion without thinking about sustainability (or lack thereof). Just ask Vivienne Westwood who dedicated her LFW AW19 show to the cause. In a very small way, this runway trick is a method of extending the lifeline of party and sundresses alike. It's a tactical move that protects these fragile, and weather-dependent items from the harsh edge of winter.
4 of 4Ports 1961, AW19
It's all very Mischa Barton circa 2004, but retro TV references aside, this runway trick is a blessing for those of us that feel the cold.