Any consumer who is short on time will be happy with something that is happening in the world of fashion. The last week’s Paris catwalk presentations have provided evidence of an unexpected trend creased clothes and wrinkles are fashionable. Burberry’s display on Monday featured crinkled slip dresses, while Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s own label, The Row, had crumpled cotton pieces that resembled bed linens. The front row loved Bottega Veneta this season, in part because Kate Moss made a rare appearance on the catwalk. The collection included leather trousers with pronounced creases that were made of gossamer-light leather. That there is a change to pay attention to was truly made possible by Prada, a company that always sets the trends. The collection has creases all over it.
Raf Simons, a co-designer for Prada, said to the Observer that the creases were “gestures of error” intended to resemble “things that have had a life” after the presentation. This is consistent with a broader movement in post-pandemic fashion away from a shiny perfection and toward something that accepts a reality with all its flaws, within limits.
The stylist and fashion director of the sports and fashion publication Circle Zero Eight, Gary Armstrong, does not own an iron and considers ironing to be a “waste of time.” He cites the Row as the best example of a “understated beautiful style” and sees this appearance as a component of it. “This dishevelled but extremely expensive style is how someone indicates that they’re rich,” he claims, adding that this is fundamental to the way the Olsens, who are collectively worth about $500 million (£451 million), dress. It feels really dated to have designers like Tom Ford, where everything is so flawless.
People are used to being more at ease in their clothing, according to Armstrong, who claims that the epidemic is partially to blame for the change. They don’t want to look or feel overly starched.
Beyond the catwalk, the anti-iron movement can be observed. Julia Fox, who serves as something of a poster girl for this more haphazard glamour, attended the New York City Ballet gala this week wearing a crumpled silver Zac Posen gown that looked like a post-marathon blanket. Purposefully creased clothing can be found on the high street at stores like Zara and Weekday.
Of all, not everyone prefers to sport trendy creases. The prevalence of men’s non-iron shirts from companies like Lululemon, Marks & Spencer, Uniqlo, TM Lewin, and Charles Tyrwhitt is another factor contributing to the iron’s decreasing relevance. Men “want an easy life,” according to Joe Irons, chief marketing officer at Charles Tyrwhitt, and the non-iron collection is “today bigger than ever, and 93% of all our smart shirts are now non-iron.” The strategy is being used to sell additional goods as well: “We’ve also seen an explosion in non-iron chino sales, with 80% of chino sales now non iron.”
[With the release of its first non-iron shirts in 1996, Marks & Spencer was among the first retailers to capitalise on the non-iron breakthrough. The brand’s head of menswear buying, Alex Dimitriu, claims that this is currently their best-selling collection of formal shirts. “After the pandemic, we reviewed the housing and working conditions of our clients. These developments in non-iron and easy-iron clothing fit in with ever-busier lifestyles.
This fall, don’t be surprised if you don’t use your iron, whether it’s to keep up with current trends or to save time in the mornings before work.
