The other day, while stomping down the road I caught a glimpse of myself in a shop window. I was wearing so many clothes. Hundreds of them. But not in a sexy, apres-ski kind of way. And definitely not in a leather trousers and chunky knit way either. I was wafting along Regent Street in a tangle of knitwear and maxi dress with suede boots peeping out from underneath, all just about visible under an imposing, longer-length cape. And although I looked quite Hocus Pocus, this weird but wonderful outfit made me really happy.
It’s not just me, everyone’s feeling it. Everyone that’s got on board with the Autumn Winter ‘18 and Resort ‘19 collections that is. Never, ever, have we had such flattering, fun and feminine trends. There have been years of loose-fitting Scandi styles that were very much for the female gaze and were equally comfortable, but flattering? Nah, not so much. Not for those of us sub 5ft 5 anyway. This season it feels like women are dressing not just for other women, and definitely not for men, but for themselves.
The catwalk shows brought a flurry of full-length dresses, fitted but not too tight, printed but not in a crazed way. And the sleeves? They were gloriously long. Erdem and Toga sent models down their runways in silk, ankle-grazing gowns with pussy-bow necklines and silk headscarves. Victoria Beckham got in on the action too, showing animal-print shirt dresses worn with, wait for it, flats. We event saw cocoon coats in idiosyncratic prints shown by the veritable king of sexy dressing, Roberto Cavalli.
According to NET-A-PORTER, the highest percentage of their dress sales were driven by midi lengths, with brands such as Rixo London, Isabel Marant & Ganni leading the charge.
‘We want to flatter and empower woman,’ explains Rixo’s co-founders Orlagh McCloskey. ‘We love getting feedback from our customers. The best messages we receive are those from women who’ve bought a piece and tell us they’ve worn it to a certain occasion and received lots of compliments and that wearing it had made them feel confident.’
Perhaps that’s just it. It’s about confidence. I think about my Catholic convent school uniform (a maroon pinafore if you must know) which was at the time truly embarrassing, and decidedly unsexy. However, the genius of it was that it was covered-up, form-flattering for every single one of us, and though I loathe to admit it, genuinely comfortable. And we all looked exactly how we were supposed to look, our age. As irritating as it was to hear it at the time –particularly because my love for low-slung flares and sleeveless roll-necks was intense – it was also probably one of the most flattering outfits any of us would ever own. Perhaps until now.
Borgo de Nor is a brand steeped in this new modest sensibility. Their latest collection includes a collaboration with knitwear label Edamame London, which includes sweaters and cardigans to layer with Borgo de Nor dresses in colder weather. Because women generally look and feel their best when not covered with goosebumps. The label’s co-founder Carmen Borgonovo gave us the insight into their design MO. ‘Our goal is to create a collection that makes our woman feel feminine, beautiful, confident and ultimately happy in our dresses. When we were putting together our concept for the Borgo de Nor woman, we brainstormed constantly about her. We found inspiration in our mothers, grandmothers and friends. We have created a platform where we can celebrate the women who inspire us and also showcase how feminine dressing can be truly powerful and uplifting.’
If that’s what dressing this winter is all about, then I – and seemingly most of NET-A-PORTER’s customers – am sold.