In Bare Necessities,
on page 280, Gigi
Hadid models easy
sportswear and
understated
tailoring. Gigi
wears cashmere
cardigan, £690.
Wool trousers, £820.
Both Michael Kors
Collection. Bra,
£52, Commando,
at Luxury-legs.com.
Earrings, £355,
Alessandra Rich,
at Matches
fashion.coma question I am often asked is, “What
is the big trend this season?” It won’t
surprise you to know that not every
season of late has provided a distinct
answer. Not that you won’t find an ocean
of ideas, of course. In this era of too
much instant gratification, no one is
lacking options of what to wear. But
sometimes you do rather long for some
good, old-fashioned big trends.
You are in luck. When it came to
preparing this, our lead spring fashion
issue of 2020, my editors and I were spoilt
for choice. After the spring/summer
shows, we reconvened at our offices in
London, all struck by the same standout
elements: thoughtful minimalism,
delicious denim, remixed trenches and
the timeless power of tailoring.
So many of these elements were crystal
clear, while the clothes were refreshing,
wearable and modern. The clarity of the
season’s shared vision felt like the old
days, and I instantly knew I wanted to
build this issue around wearable classics,
cool simplicity and everyday dressing- and every night, too. Though, being
me, I also knew it had to thrill. If the
trends were going to be a little more
straightforward, then the presentation
had to be anything but.
So we assembled the greatest models
working today to do the honours, from
industry legends to newer faces. Take
Fran Summers in Return of the Mac
(on page 268), breathing new life into
the trench – I was obsessed with how,
led by the Burberry resurgence, everyone
has reinterpreted it this season. On
page 280, Gigi Hadid embodies the
luxuriously undone appeal of her home
state of California, while, on page 310,
Kate Moss salutes Random Identities,
the new label by master of tailoring
Stefano Pilati, and Naomi Campbell
shines (quite literally) in the pick of the
new partywear (page 314). Meanwhile,
Vittoria Ceretti, Ugbad Abdi and other
bright young stars show how to do denim
now, Lara Stone offers some sage life
advice, and Freja Beha Erichsen returns.
It is a supermodel bonanza, if you will.
Naturally, I needed a star to front it
all. On page 258, Irina Shayk models
the new ways to do shape, and talks to
me about her extraordinary life, growing
up in the former Soviet Union, and
motherhood since her separation from
Bradley Cooper, as well as sharing some
fascinating thoughts about her own
gender. And the candidness doesn’t stop
there, whether it’s the young actors in
Normal People (on
page 191) discussing
bringing the hit novel
to the small screen,
or a gripping piece of
fantasy fiction from
Booker Prize winner
Bernardine Evaristo
(page 212). On page
292, BBC Breakfast
star Naga Munchetty
speaks for the first
time about the race
row that engulfed her
last summer, and
gives her take on the
corporation’s efforts
to evolve. Fittingly
for springtime, it’s
all change.Right: cover star Irina Shayk
is interviewed on page 258.
Below, from left: Naomi
Campbell (page 314); modern
romance, on page 296As youmight imagine...77MERTALAS&^MARCUSPIGGOTT;^ZOE^ GHERTNER;^CRAIGMcDEAN;^JUERGEN^ TELLEREDITOR’S LETTER03-20-EdsLetter_1958246.indd 77 10/01/2020 10:35