Erdem Moraligou’s latest SS19 collection was said to be inspired by all things Victoriana. High collars, big bows, frills, lace and embroidery. Clothes were festooned with taffeta swags, silhouettes were imposing and faces “dramatically” veiled beneath vast picture hats. From unearthing a Victorian court case involving two cross-dressers, Fanny and Stella (Frederik Park and Ernest Boulton), who’d been charged with buggery, came the seeds for this latest foray into the gothic. Visiting the National Portrait Gallery, where the show also took place, its’ photography collection of cross-dressers in the 19th century blossomed into an essential aspect of the collection. Clouding male model’s features under wide-brimmed black Noel Stewart hats and a veil was a nod to what Moralioglu called “the Victorian idea of concealing one’s identity. There’s a sexual-ness that comes from hiding your face and showing everything else.” By everything else he meant the dresses. If there was one thing that was definitely missing from the show, it was a view of an actual human body; an interesting point that doesn’t appear to reflect the apparently sexualised inspirations?

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But where has the drive for covering ourselves up reared its veiled head? From Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood - who it should be noted, in November launched a capsule collection with Burberry (conservative heritage meets punk…?) – to the rather stuffy-looking Richard Quinn, Spring Summer 2019 collection. Quinn’s subversive, twee floral prints and gimp masks have now become a refined, dainty and dark take on haute couture. The opening black shadow dresses, referencing Quinn’s MA collection, evolved into dresses riffing on vintage inspired silhouettes. The Queen might not have gained Quinn the wardrobes of the Duchesses’ of Cambridge and Sussex, but this latest guise is sure to change that. Not really a modern rule-breaking clientele in mind by the looks of things.

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With 48.1% of us cowering from right wing political uprisings and the other 51.9% embracing the harmful rhetoric of BoJo and Trump, is it really any wonder that people want to wrap themselves up in fluffy frills? Does it subconsciously soften the blow of watching our liberal ideals splinter before our eyes? Maybe.

 

Or is the fetishism for skin covering a result of waves of societal conservatism, washing against our sodden shoreline? In an environment when it is no longer possible to shock, we appear to have chosen not to try at all. Rather than strutting into a brave new world, we’ve embraced the life jackets and jumped ship. Warm, all-encasing life jackets. 

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But maybe something else is happening here. In a post #metoo world, does covering our bodies up actually reflect political conservatism, or is it instead a rejection of the hyper-sexualised fashions that have come before? 

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Sociology theorist Angela McRobbie is noted for her description of the third wave re-appropriation of “girlie” as indicative of a problematic attitude among young women. McRobbie questions the “pro-capitalist femininity-focused repertoire that plays directly into the hands of corporate consumer culture eager to tap into this market on the basis of young women’s rising incomes.”

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Is this post-feminist attitude that she describes finally coming to an end? Maybe women no longer feel that they need to adhere to the image of “sexy”. Maybe they just want to wear a beautifully modest MaxMara camel coat and feel utterly fabulous in it. Maybe what appears at first to be a projection of conservatism is actually the antithesis of just that. A wholehearted rejection, by women, of the concept that showing off your body is in any way empowering. And it’s not just male designers embracing “modesty” as the new modern. From Amanda Wakely to Victoria Beckham, or the latest throng of looks at Paris Haute Couture 2019 over the past month, a longer, fuller, billowing silhouette can be guaranteed.

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When asked about why consumers may be rejecting the “sex sells” branding that has been pumped into our wardrobes over the past few decades and are instead turning to more restrained so-called conservative garments, Chris Sullivan, the fashion writer, journalist and musician, suggested that actually “the idea of a new batch of clothing each season is an absurd idea today. It’s a game of one up-manship that does not suit the age we live in where the onus is in reusing and recycling. Also it’s very naff.” An interesting point looking at the more general adapting attitudes of consumers of fashion, and the designers grappling with change. 

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There are those breaking away from the pack however – Christopher Kane who appears to have been riding a form of creative wave over the past few seasons, moving from an exploration of the perversions of prim, to arguably his most provocative collection to date – using fashion to investigate sex, kink, suburbia, class, ennui, titillation for SS19. With leather and lace and laminate, nipped-in waists, light slips and literal kinky boots (à la Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lola in the namesake drag epic). Chopped up coats and cut out jumpers, revealing just enough to leave a little to the imagination. Maybe sex will still sell in an age of #metoo – for a while at least.

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In reality, nostalgia is likely responsible for most trends and fads, and what is fashion but the guiding light for what we each want to represent or wish to convey. Alas, something is definitely on the move in terms of how consumers view their bodies and how they choose to adorn them. The overriding message is that we want more, more, more. More fabric (sustainably sourced that is), bolder colours, longer hem lines, bigger sleeves. Designers (or their keen-eyed bank managers and investors perhaps?) have received the memo loud and clear. We can be assured that this year’s rails will bristle with the most desirable, modest, and all encasing, garments.

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