7 Fashion Attitudes I’ll Be Ditching in 2024

New year, new fashion and shopping attitudes.  Every couple of years, things take a dramatic turn, COVID a few years ago, and now of course the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and the loss of collective humanity in favor of politics.  This genocide has taken me inwards to question many things, and surprisingly, these also affected my fashion choices for 2024.  

1 || Massive Marketing Budget Does Not Equal Massive Appeal

We are no strangers to massive marketing budgets, the Louis Vuitton campaign for 2023 with Yayoi Kusama was perhaps the perfect example of such.  The brand literally painted the shopping capitals of the world polka dots and for about 3 months we all bought into it.  Only after the hype had died down was I able to truly look at the collection and assess its value and beauty.  The longer a campaign lives on, the more likely we are to catch onto the trend, and find ourselves buying into it, but at the cost of investing in an item that is no longer unique, after all one of the key elements of the definition of luxury is both scarcity and originality.  Case in point the Bottega Veneta Jodie bag, as you walk the streets of any city you will find it on many an arm, making it particularly unattractively mass.  I carried mine to the Cairo Museum a year or so ago, and within my tour group of 25 persons there were two other women carrying the same bag.  

2 || Value and Money

I think we have all come to terms with the fact that with Covid and now the Gaza genocide, finances are becoming strained, and therefore when we do choose to invest in an item of fashion, it better be worth it in terms of value, uniqueness and quality.  I personally hope to discover Florentine artisans that create unique handbags, or perhaps even a shoemaker.  Something for me to truly fall in love with, a feel special for owning. For the longest time, status brands equaled personal status, people purchased items to emit a certain social status, but with the above massive marketing, this point has been pretty much deleted.  Between the number of people owning the exact same item, and the fakes market in full swing, it has been very difficult to be distinguished for your luxury purchases.  If we go back to the original definition of timeless and valuable pieces, I think we will naturally veer towards quality items that were made with heart.

3 || Quiet Luxury is so Boring

So, in backlash to the above two points, we have decided to swing the pendulum in the opposite direction completely, opting for non-descript beautifully-cut pieces from beautiful brands in monochrome.  The image of Gwyneth Paltrow in court immediately comes to mind actually.  Just a reminder that she was firstly, in court, and secondly, was probably asked to dress that way so she was seen in the most benign light.  No personality at all.  Then we think about the marvelous pieces by The Row, and we realize that unless you are exuding a certain unique character, you may just come across as totally inert.  Please add your own character if you choose to go this direction.  You may look chic in your tone-on-tone A-line midi skirt, turtleneck and long coat and your copy/paste Hermes bag, heavy hoop earrings and chunky paper clip necklace, but you may also look blahhhh.

4 || The Hero Piece is my 2024 Hero

So, taking into consideration all of the above points, I would say that I will be showing my authentic self with pieces that sing to my heart.  Items that display character and joie de vivre.  Regardless of where they are bought from.  There is so much focus put on what and where to buy that I really don’t want to be told what to do in perhaps the greatest hobby of all time, shopping.  

I may or may not want vintage, or sustainable or the latest from Gabriella Hearst.  I may go to a High Street brand and buy a piece of fast fashion that may well remain in my closet for a decade or so.  I went to dinner with two of my chicest friends a couple of months ago, and one of them was wearing a truly unique coat that I was attempting to decipher the make of the whole evening. When she finally came to put it back on and the coat check, I couldn’t believe it, good old fashioned Zara from more than 5 years ago.

5 || Pennies for Palestine

My most recent article about Palestine discussed the importance of supporting Palestine 24/7 every year, not just when there is a genocide.  We all know this inhumanity has been going on for more than 75 years.  Boycott is a very personal choice and not something we can preach to others.  All I will say is that you have power in your pennies, and in your purchases whether you choose to support a particular brand or avoid it, is totally your decision, you just need to understand that your purchases do have impact, so exercise your power.

6 || Chic and Comfortable

Just a gentle reminder that Covid happened in 2020, so now marching into 2024, I think it is fair to say it is thankfully over, and therefore this comfort trend really needs to be reconsidered.  Add to that the Gen Z and even younger influencers on Tik Tok and I feel that we are all hopping on the comfort trend in an unreasonable way at the grand only age of 30 plus.  Yes comfort is key, but so is being well-dressed.  So perhaps the Birkenstocks, Uggs and sweatpants or massively wide denim trends need not be worn together.  There is a beautiful feeling that comes from dressing elegantly, from showing some curves, and exuding a little bit of effort and femininity.  

7 || Sports for Sports

I think I’m finally ready to renegade my activewear inspired clothing to my activewear cupboard! I am sick and tired of looking like the Michelin Man everytime I leave the house. I miss beautifully crafted coats and pointy booties. So that is my resolution for the winter of 2024, if you ain’t going to the gym, don’t look like you are!