The outfits of Fashion Week invitees generally stand in stark contrast to those paraded down the temporary runways. While both groups can be characterized by skeletal figures moving in organized congregation, the former group has a penchant for black while the latter tends to prefer extravagance, excess and excitement. But lately, among the furry monster shaped handbags and transvestite make up, there has also been a resurgence of the more minimalistic and more utilitarian clothing popular during the late 1980s and early 90s.

The original minimalist fashion movement can be partly be credited to Coco Chanel, whose menswear-inspired designs with simple embellishments were noticeably different to what most women of the time were wearing in two ways. Chanel’s designs did away with restricting corsets and over the top decoration, and consequently they also allowed women to actually move around without suffering shortness of breath. Minimalism, however, is not to be confused with either a lack of glamor or an excess of visible skin. While less is surely more, “more” comes in the form of plain, structural shapes, clean lines and a restrained color palette.

It’s a movement that isn’t limited to clothing - Unsurprisingly, since fashion in general is a reflection of lifestyle. The excess consumption that characterized the “noughties” period is no longer cool. It’s not cool to cruise around unnecessarily in a noisy, petrol guzzling Hummer, it’s not cool to double-bag your groceries and it’s not cool to frivolously throw away cash on OTT clothing that only has a lifespan of one season, even if it’s from Forever 21 and probably won’t last that long anyway.

And though the economy and money (or lack thereof) is clearly a contributing factor, it’s rare that women are forced to forgo fashion so they can feed their families and pay the mortgage. Numerous studies have shown that though women may acquire less individual items of clothing during trying economic times, they are not actually spending any less. Womens shopping methods today are often as organized as the procession of models on a fashion week runway, allowing of course for a few wobbles along the way. Women are working more, and working harder. And minimalist fashion is, by nature, utilitarian fashion. It is clothing you can wear to drop the kids of at school before heading to a boardroom meeting. And when you have 30 pairs of eyes critiquing every corporate move, few things project confidence and induce empowerment better than a shiny black pair of Louboutins. It’s not a matter of spending less, but spending more wisely.

Coco Chanel

It might be a “chicken or the egg” scenario, but whether high-end fashion houses were initially spurning or answering to the desire for utilitarian clothing they’re sure doing both things now. Big names like Jil Sander have been characterized by clean lines and smart tailoring for years without sacrificing a drop of luxury. “I am convinced that there can be luxury in simplicity”, stated Sander, who has publicly announced her rejection of the “M word”, “One glass of water doesn’t equal another. One may just appease the thirst, the other you may enjoy thoroughly”.

This logic has penetrated the minds of younger designers also. While Chloe is a fashion house which has been around since 1952, it was only under the creative direction of Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo and Hannah MacGibbon that it really began to appeal to younger generations. It was MacGibbon, Chloe’s latest creative director, who really took the label’s minimalist appeal a step further by stripping the “It bags” by which Chloe became cool of nearly all embellishments, preferring a sleek, businesslike appearance.

Perhaps what has made the movement so appealing to a wide group of fashion followers is that the minimalism of today is a more feminine one than the austere fashion of 20 years ago. Initially characterized by sharp tailoring and a predominantly black color palette, the minimalist clothing we are seeing a resurgence of on the runways isn’t always reminiscent of funeral attire. Beige, peach and white are popular colors, thanks in part to Phoebe Philo who seems to have an unwritten rule that no outfit may pass down her runway that doesn’t contain camel or beige, and while clothing is sharply tailored it is tailored to fit the female body rather than an arbitrary geometrical shape.



If you want to get in on the trend but can’t afford Chloe or Celine, take another cue from Coco Chanel and always remove one article of clothing before you leave the house - Unless you’re headed to a pool party.