The standout collections —
Celine, Givenchy, Balenciaga,
AlexanderMcQueenandRick
Owensamongthem—hada
common thread: refined and
simplifiedclothingthatfocused
on wearability. Tailoring was
frontandcentre,sombre-hued
suiting reigned supreme and
statementpieces, suchasthey
were, leaned towards subtle
details (a slightly exaggerated
shoulder or neatly elongated
trousers). The entire season
hintsat a pared-backfuturefor
fashion, one in which street-
style peacocking and grabby
streetwear are passé, and
clothesaremadeexplicitlyfor
theeverydaywoman.
InLondon,VictoriaBeckhamandBurberrymadethecasefor
tasteful,femininewardrobes:pleatedknee-lengthskirts,silkpus-
sy-bowblouses,neckscarfsandleatherbootscutjustabovethe
calf.“It’sanA toZ ofa woman’slife,”Beckhamsaidofthecollec-
tion.“She’sa lady,butshe’snotparticularlyladylike.”Thebalanc-
ingactshe’sreferringto,betweenpragmatismandstyle,haslong
beentoutedastheworkingwoman’sconundrum.Somuchhas
beenwrittenaboutnavigatingcorporatefashionthatit wouldbe
tritetotalkaboutit if it weren’tfortherecentcropofemerging
designerspluggingthatexactmarkethole.
WhenNet-a-Porter’s globalbuyingdirector,
Elizabethvonder Goltz,came toAustraliain
February,she ravedabout twoofthee-tailer’s
most recent design acquisitions: Commission
andPeter Do.Both,asit happens, workwear
labels.Commissionwascreatedby NewYork-
basedHuyLuong,DylanCaoandJinKayin
2018.Thetrio wanted tocreate a brandthat
offered modern interpretations of the outfits
theirmothersworetoworkinAsiainthe1980s.(Thinka boxy
daydressina surprisinglywearablezebraprintandperfectlycut
leathertrouserswornwitha silkshirtanda shrunkencardigan.)
GivenPeter Docut his teeth working under PhoebePhilo at
Céline,it’snosurprisehiscollectionsareequallyworkwear-skewed.
Do’s clothes mirror Philo’s unfussy approach to womenswear:
slouchysuitingwithunexpectedcut-outs, asymmetricalpleated
skirts (designed to be worn over matching trousers)and oversized
shirtingwithexaggeratedcuffs.
“It’s about building a modern
uniform and wardrobe for
women,”is howhedescribesit.
Theworldof workwearis also
enticing established designers.
After building a reputation as
the go-to for hyper-feminine
and playful designs, Rosie
Assoulin made an unexpected
careerpivotthisyearwhenshe
launched a workwear brand.
The label, dubbed By Any
OtherName, is inmany ways
the antithesis of the Assoulin
brand. The palette has been
simplified and voluminous
sleeves and floor-skimming
gowns have been replaced by
neatly tailored blazer dresses.
“Ourcustomeris veryattracted
to thecelebratory elements—
they call it ‘occasion wear’
—andtherealityis thatthereis
alsothisotherpartoflifethat
needs and deserves to be
celebrated in its own way,”
Assoulintold TheNewYorkTimes whenshe launched ByAny
Other Name’s 15-piece debut collection in April. Elsewhere,
London-based Kwaidan Editions offers coloured suiting and
printed shirtsthatwere quicklyadopted bytheavant-gardeset
(Tilda Swinton is a fan). Sydney-based tailor P. Johnson has
expandeditsofferingtoincludea women’stailoringarm—PJ
Femme—availableinitsPaddington,Sydney,showroom.
Whydoes allthis matter?Because, oddly—for an industry
centred oncatering women’sneeds —workingwardrobes have
beenneglectedbytheupperechelonsoffashion
design.A 2018reportpublishedbyTheBusiness
ofFashion in collaboration withThrive Global
revealedsurprisinginsightsintothewaywomen
shopforcorporateattire.Forty-fourpercentof
respondents,forexample,willnotwearanything
sleevelesstotheoffice; 37 percentwearflatsto
work, compared with 15 per cent who wear
heels.Womenintecharebecomingincreasingly
frustrated with their workwear options,
lamentingthattheydon’tliketoworkin“jeansanda hoodie”,
whileanythingelsefeelstooformal.“Thereis stillanopportunity
forbusinessattirein womenswear,”AyakoHomma,a senioranalyst
atmarketresearchfirmEuromonitorInternational,toldBoF. “As
offeringsfrombrandsandretailersalikebecomeincreasinglycasual,
thereis anopportunityforcompaniestooffersimplifiedsolutions
forbusywomenseekingtobuilda professionalwardrobe.”As it
turns out, in 2019, the options have never been so plentiful.There
wasan
undeniable
shiftat the
A/W 2019
shows.
“Oddly,women’s
workingwardrobeshavebeenneglected
bytheupperechelonsof fashion.”
102 HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU September 2019