The most radical trend of 2020 isn’t a bag or color, it’s a shift in our mindset. Simply put, we’re spending a lot more time thinking about our clothes: Do I really need this? How long will it live in my wardrobe? Who made it? It’s a sharp break from the overstuffed closets and here-today-gone-tomorrow trends of the 2010s.
For this new decade, designers and consumers are beginning to prioritize value and wearability over flash and Instagram likes. It’s something of a less-is-more, quality-over-quantity approach to consumption. That’s a worthy idea, but it does have the potential to get a little boring. We can think of a few brands that have leaned too far in the direction of ascetic minimalism. An “investment piece” doesn’t have to be lifeless and mundane.
Consider Tibi’s Amy Smilovic, who calls her ethos “creative pragmatism”: functional, well-made, hard-working clothes that aren’t too “fashion,” but don’t lack personality, either. There’s always a new silhouette and a surprising color in a Tibi collection, alongside gestural details you don’t tire of after a year or so. One of her best-sellers is a sleek double-breasted blazer with slits at the elbows, so your skin or blouse will peek through when you’re typing at your desk. For pre-fall, she re-cut it in a rich Glen plaid and styled it with matching trousers with full, curvy legs and gathered hems. Let’s call them bubble pants; they looked fresh, but not try-hard. “We all have those wide-leg plaid trousers in our closets by now,” Smilovic added. “But everyone in the office wants these.”
Speaking of women in the office, Smilovic spends most of her time thinking about what her woman will wear to work. A recent trip to San Francisco introduced her to customers in the tech world who often feel unseen by high fashion, but are equally turned off by start-ups selling cheaply made uniforms. Smilovic’s new north star is to create a “complete wardrobe” for working women, not just to be a one-and-done source, but to give them clothes that accurately represent their creativity and confidence.
“The most valuable thing you can be as an employee right now is creative,” she said. “Ten years ago, you’d be happy if you were described as analytical, but that’s not what matters now.” The best pieces here were relatively classic, but with subtle tweaks: Twill shirtdresses came with a row of loops at the back so you could wear your belt high on your ribcage, at your waist, or on the hip; marled knit dresses had vents at the shoulder blades to create a more geometric silhouette; and compact gray knits featured multicolored flecks reminiscent of carpet padding. Those of us looking for a tongue-in-cheek reminder of our bright ideas will snap up the white, collarless dress in the collection’s key print: giant scrawled-on lightbulbs.
