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| Gucci 2019 Cruise Collection Photo: WWD -click images for full-size views |
Buckle up for an exciting fashion season with buckles, seatbelt belts, and statement clothing making a prominent debut on catwalks, red carpets, and magazines. Many have heard of buckles on belts, but buckles on pants, T-shirts, and skirts are an exciting new trend. Gucci, an accurate harbinger of upcoming shifts in style, debuted its 2019 Cruise Collection featuring the “rock star” look of pants with buckles on the side and a seatbelt belt.
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| $1900 buckle skirt from Marina Hoermanseder.com |
This is reminiscent of Gucci’s introduction of the fanny pack into mainstream fashion lingo – an almost unthinkable development. I wore fanny packs years ago to black-tie events and clubs and was outwardly mocked by shocked attendees. However, with the advent of athleisure wear into the “fashion hall of fame,” I wouldn’t be surprised if buckles and seatbelt belts eventually appear prominently in evening wear.
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| Lady Gaga Photo: Vogue |
Lady Gaga wore a pair of rainbow buckle jeans to the Gay Pride Parade this past Sunday which she posted on two Instagram photos. The designer of her pants was Marina Hoermanseder who has an entire site devoted to shirts, skirts, and pants with buckles and they are not cheap. The pants and skirts start at $640 and reach close to $3,000. These are statement pieces that garner tremendous attention as Gaga’s pants were prominently featured in a Vogue article which called them “must-see” jeans.
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| Rihanna in buckle pants Photo: Just Jared |
The Hoermanseder site also has bags, iPhone cases, and dresses covered in buckles of all shapes and sizes. Another fashion influencer, Rihanna a.k.a. “Badgalriri,” donned white buckle pants in an April 14th Instagram posting of her Coachella outfit – it appears an explosion of this trend is in its incipient stages.
A brief history of the buckle reveals it entered Middle English via Old French and the Latin “buccula” or “cheek strap” for a helmet. Some of the earliest buckles known were used by Roman soldiers to strap their body armor together. During the 14th Century, buckles remained a specialty item for the wealthy until improved manufacturing in the 15th century made the item available to the general public. While buckles have been commonly used on belts and sandals, they have recently become a status symbol with a GG (Gucci) or H (Hermes) buckle costing close to $1,000.
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| Solange Knowles Photo: Just Jared |
In the past couple of years, bows have been prominent on dresses, skirts, and shirts; it is about time the buckle got its time in the sun as a new decorative item that is edgier and fashion-forward than the old-fashioned bow. Buckles which in the past had a mostly utilitarian purpose can now be celebrated more frivolously and whimsically. This past May, style icon Solange Knowles wore an ensemble to the 70th annual Parsons Benefit that featured a seatbelt belt and cut out pants – a look that was met with mostly positive reviews. An honoree wearing an outfit of this kind to an elegant dinner would have been unimaginable ten years ago.
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| Ferretti Saturday Sweater |
Another trend that has been pervasive for the past couple of years is statement clothing as introduced by Gucci with its “Blind for Love” moniker. Other designers followed suit with the successful introduction of Alberta Ferretti’s day of the week sweater collection that has been copied by various websites.
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| Melania Trump |
Enter first Lady Melania Trump, who inadvertently gave momentum to this pervasive trend by donning a thirty-nine dollar 2016 Zara jacket emblazoned with the words “I really don’t care do u?.” While numerous designers have produced alternative outerwear with opposing words such as “I really do care” the undeniable appeal of being able to express one’s point of view with an article of clothing is becoming more appealing.
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| Dior “We all should be feminists” t-shirt |
From Dior selling a cotton T-shirt for $710 with the aphorism “We Should All Be Feminists” to the renowned feminist statement shirt “The Future is Female,” it is safe to say this trend will continue to pick up steam. Imagine the allure of appearing on the subway in a “move out of my way” sweater -wouldn’t that save a lot of unnecessary pleasantries.
– Lieba Nesis
