In 2020 and 2021 I felt that Covid had killed fashion trends once and for all but I am starting to be optimistic again. Having said that, don’t you have the feeling that these days there’s not a clear fashion style or trend? The post-pandemic world is chaotic, and creative, colourful and a bit crazy.
With so many wannabe fashionistas on Instagram, I have the feeling that everything go nowadays in terms of fashion so I have gone out and found my favourite outfits for this coming Spring. It goes without saying that my The only trend I follow is good taste and chic (if you prefer to quote the French).
My top fashion tip is the one my mum gave me when I was a teenager: if a piece of clothing is flattering and enhances your best body features it’s in, otherwise out.
I have entered my fifth decade on this planet now and I still feel as young as in my 20s. I have enough confidence to appreciate the joy of dressing up and feeling sexy in my clothes. But, let’s face it, I will never fit into size 0 or size 8 so for me the fashion shows don’t provide inspiration for real clothes to wear. Haut couture these days is too extravagant for ‘normal’ 40+ women.
Trends might be dead, but hey! Long live trends. Here are London Mums’ favourite big fashion ‘themes’ for 2022.
One thing brands seem to be doing in 2022 is to focus on looks to enhance and empower women and make the customer feel positive, but always true to themselves. This is a trend I love.
A bit of retro
Here I am wearing a two pieces outfit by fashion brand Defacto: a Regular Fit Sleeveless Checkers Print Athlete – Black and Bell Bottomed Checkers Print Trousers – Black. The fabric is very comfortable and soft and the pattern resembles geometric designs from the 60s.
Personally, I am a bit old-school and I want to be a woman, more importantly I want to feel like a woman. I like to feel sexy not to be liked or admired but to feel good with myself.
The cowboy boots are still selling out fast as our Western obsession continues to going on and on quietly. I have fallen for those too.
The vintage fashion trends give me the opportunity to wear feminine clothes and for this reason is one of my favourite trends.
The Sexy thing
2022 seems to be the year of positivity and optimism. After two pandemic years in which we have mostly worn PJs and leggings, we are going out again partying. In the air (of London at least) I feel a certain liberation vibe similar to the spirit of the women’s liberation movement in the ’60s, when hemlines were high and swinging miniskirts came in colour-pop shades. Women in their 40s and 50s want to reclaim their power and sexuality in a way that works for them. I certainly am one of them. Clothes reflect that and fabrics have become super-sculpting and flattering all shapes in the most effortless, approachable way.
The new dress shape for this spring is super sheer, super tight, and super short. 2022 fashion has got a taste for flesh. I am finding myself wearing much shorter dresses, as you can see in these pictures.
Prada’s latest collection was titled “Seduction, Stripped Down” and was alluring, exploring corsetry with micro hemlines and kitten-heels.
Say goodbye to Granny Pants (those Bridget Jones sported so well). Sexy lingerie are taking over our top drawers.
The Little thing
Accessories are becoming super small and mini-skirts shorter. Not sure this is my favourite trend and mums need things in large formats from bags to clothes but these little things are cute, nevertheless. Quirky little items here we come.
Party time
Here I am wearing a lovely glitter ball style Party Sequin Mini Dress – Anthracite by brand Defacto. I have worn it both with my silver glitter stilettos shoes for a more elegant look and with the white boots for a disco look.
We have started partying again so we want to look as sparkly, outrageous and fabulous as possible. Sequins, chainmail, sparkling mesh, crystals and heavily-embellished styles are everywhere these days and I absolutely love it. There’s no such thing as being over-dressed any more.
The biker look
The biker jacket has never gone out of fashion. A few years ago I ditched all my jeans and replaced them with leather looking trousers. They give me a rock chick look which immediately puts me in a good mood.
The red PUV leather jacket and the Beatles T-Shirt are from the Hard Rock Cafe’ shop in Piccadilly (London). The PUV leather trousers are by H&M.
The biker jacket is not boring as it comes in different models: from a slim-fit, motorcycle style with a single strap at the throat and a distressed finish, to the oversized fit, with multiple zips, to the funky leather ones mixed with denim, those with feminine puff shoulders, or others covered in studs. I cannot get enough of them. I owe 6 different ones and I always have one that suits any occasion.
The English countryside
This dress with elegant puffer sleeves by brand For The Creators makes me look like Alice in Wonderland. I chose to wear it to have Afternoon Tea at the St Ermin’s hotel.
A brand that I love and that has lots of dresses inspired by the English countryside is For The Creators, the UK’s first maternity and postnatal fashion rental platform, who are making waves in the sustainable fashion and parenting sectors by encouraging renting instead of buying new items of clothing during and post pregnancy.
I’m wearing a floral wrap dress by the brand For The Creators which is very comfortable and made with a flattering fabric. It definitely falls under the ‘English Countryside’ trend and the online shop has plenty of other models similar to this.
Sustainable fashion
Second hand fashion is growing 25x quicker than the overall clothing market and is set to be the biggest market in fashion by 2029 -UK fashion rental market expected to reach £2.3 billion by 2029.
Women purchase 21 pieces of clothing for each pregnancy and 10% of those go into landfill – if you multiple that by 712,000 live births each year that’s approx 1.5million items of maternity clothing being sent to landfill. FTC helps to increase the lifecycle of all maternity clothing either via rental and the share economy or via the marketplace.
For The Creators has a sustainability ethos to make it as easy as possible for women to access the best in maternity and post-natal fashion in a way that reduces their carbon footprint. By renting instead of buying one new £100 dress and wearing it once, it saves the equivalent CO2e of two trees being cut down or 245 miles in a car. Plus, For The Creators plant a tree in partnership with Ecologi for every rental order received. Rental platforms, favoured by the likes of Carrie Johnson who rented her wedding dress and G7 wardrobe, have seen a huge increase in popularity and For The Creators – a curated range of high end fashion helps women look and feel good during pregnancy and beyond for a fraction of the full purchase price and includes flexible rental periods. With options for everyday wear, wedding guest, baby shower or occasion wear, For The Creators has something for everyone with brands including Clary and Peg which she’s recently worn, Bump & Milk, And Other Stories and Whistles. Set up by entrepreneur Lyndsay Mason as a result of having her first baby last year, she realised there was nothing that catered for the top end fashion conscious mum-to-be and their changing body shape and size and wanted to address this issue.
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