Great style is subjective. Yes, there are parameters for appraisal: How well somebody dresses to suit their body shape perhaps, or their ability to mix-and-match labels with creative flair. But ultimately, what you find inspiring – beautiful, even – is entirely personal. So consider the latest spring 2022 looks, hot off the runways of Milan, with an open mind. We dare you to find fresh enthusiasm for an era that, let’s face it, has been (rightly or wrongly) dubbed as terrifically tacky: The early-2000s.
Could it be that sequins, slogan T-shirts, embellished butterfly belts, and barely-there silk handkerchief tops weren’t so bad the first time around? Britney Spears is free from her conservatorship so should we celebrate by donning denim-on-denim with a scattering of crystal embellishment?
Donatella Versace and Dolce & Gabbana are certainly making a case for the return of Y2K style. Blame the TikTok generation if you like, who are dominating the zeitgeist, and newly crowned pop icons such as Dua Lipa – who happened to open and close the Versace show – for propelling the 2000s into the mainstream of modern luxury fashion. But of course, it’s not only cultural and social media influencers who are at the route of this particular reemergence: there is also the small matter of a global pandemic that has encouraged designers to throw away the rulebook and offer us various ways to dress joyfully and for ourselves – no judgment.
Designers took an unexpected course of action with colors in a range of neutrals. Brands including Emporio Armani, Alberta Ferretti, ETRO, Fendi, Versace, Sunnei, Tod’s, and Missoni served a palette of contemporary pastels. Meanwhile, Max Mara, Sportmax, Brunello Cucinelli, Prada, and Fendi offered beauty in beige with monotoned looks. As for technique, artisanship was celebrated by Alberta Ferretti, Sportmax, Jil Sanders, and Brunello Cucinelli.
Blazers also reigned this season, as proof of their timelessness — from Emporio Armani’s denim look paired with a neck scarf and a checkered tank top, to MM6 Maison Margiela’s white look with a deconstructed sleeve on the front of the blazer, and Versace’s pink It girl blazer.
And finally, as some brands put an end to their usage of fur, the animal print lives on. Jil Sander, Elisabetta Franchi, Dolce & Gabbana, and Salvatore Ferragamo couldn’t pass up the opportunity of adding the print to this season’s collections. Likewise, Roberto Cavalli, once again, embraced the trend to create full silhouette garments.
